Against the Norm
Against the Norm
A completely different approach to marathon training
By Jessica Wylie
No long distance training. No carb loading. No previous marathon experience.
Can an athlete with so few “marathon musts” complete the 26.2 mile feat?
That was just the question Justin Scarsella, 25-year-old CrossFit affiliate owner, posed to himself in October 2009. According to the CrossFit philosophy, using functional workouts and a zone diet will provide followers with the skills to undertake almost any physical test like the Mercedes Marathon on February 14th, 2010.
“I needed to prove to myself that what I practicing and teaching to clients would be sufficient preparation for such an extreme endeavor,” Scarsella said.
According to a Runner’s World article, “Gradually increasing weekly mileage is the cornerstone of all marathon-training programs. Most plans have you roughly doubling your mileage from 10 to 30 miles per week at the beginning to 30 to 70 miles at the high-mileage week.”
Instead, Scarsella continued his routine of combining 5 to 6 CrossFit workouts and 2 CrossFit Endurance workouts per week. This averaged fewer than 5 miles per week and the majority of workouts were completed in fewer than 20 minutes. In fact, the farthest distance he ran was 9 miles, 2 years ago, with a few 10Ks or about 6 miles being his longest since.
In a recent poll conducted to the readers of a major runner’s magazine, “60 percent reported chronic problems.” With minimal training and focus proper run technique, Scarsella was able to avoid any type of running injury.
According to Scarsella, “The majority of distance runners feel the need to do as much distance training as possible. They just run and run, not worrying about technique or strength. I am coming from the stand point of proper running technique first to avoid injury and then becoming as strong as possible so the technique will not break down over the miles.”
Scarsella weighs 160 pounds and deadlifts 410 pounds. He regularly practices Olympic lifts, gymnastic techniques and combines the movements to create an “aerobic-like” feeling with anaerobic work.
His training regimen was not the only thing unconventional. In fact, the only thing similar between his diet and the runner’s diet was drinking plenty of water. He took the “typical runner’s diet” and turned it upside down. Scarsella’s diet consisted of high fat, high protein and low carb, including zero bread or pasta all the way up to the start of the race. The typical runner’s diet usually consists of a lot of carbohydrates and low fat, according to runningplanet.com.
The hour before the Mercedes Marathon was set to start he warmed up with basic running technique drills and did some stretching. He started the race at an 8:30 mile pace. At the half way point he came in under the 2 hour mark.
Scarsella said he “probably started a little fast. The first half just felt so effortless. It was at mile 18 when the mild mental and physical pain started to set in. At mile 23, I experienced every negative emotion you can think of; anger, sadness, doubt. It seemed like at that point all the runners started to ban together and encourage each other.”
Justin Scarsella crossed the finish line to complete his first marathon at just less than 4 hours and 28 minutes. His atypical approach proved successful. After the race, Scarsella said, “I give a ton of credit to anyone who completes a marathon. No matter how you train for the run, you need to have some definite internal drive to finish it.”
He went on to say, “I hope that with this run it will open some eyes that they can complete these feats with less training and less injury.”
Scarsella was back to lifting heavy and even set personal records on his deadlift and backsquat in just over a week after the race.
Although his different approach to marathon preparation was effective for Scarsella, he reminds athletes to determine what method of training is safest and fits best into their lifestyle.
“Training for any type of event, especially of this magnitude, should not be taken lightly. Even though I didn’t run much in my training, it doesn’t mean it was easy. You can’t just sit on a couch and expect to be ready to run 26 miles. You do that, you are coming back broken. Any type of training should be smart and designed by an expert in that field for the individual with their goals and abilities in mind. Otherwise you are asking for serious complications,” said Scarsella.
Scarsella hopes to show that everything you do, if it is running, business or raising a family, you search and constantly ask yourself, “Is this the best way?”
Sources
“Run Your Best 26.2 Miler”- http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244–11932-1-1X2-3,00.html
“The Ten Laws of Injury Prevention” – http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-285–13413-0,00.html?cm_mmc=Mag_URL-_-2010_March-_-Injuries-_-The_Laws_of_Perpetual_Motion
“Marathon Nutrition” – http://www.runningplanet.com/training/marathon-nutrition.html
