Once you are convinced that CrossFit can help you on your running journey here are three things you should be focusing on.
Recovery
When we talk about recovery I want you to think about sleep, time between sessions, length of sessions and stress. Sleep will be the absolute best thing for you when it comes to feeling recovered. You should shoot for 8 hours and if you can get more, take it. Your body will last longer, feel better and improve faster if you allocate time for sleep.
Time between sessions becomes important if you decide to do an am session and a pm session. There is no magic number and everyone is different, but one thing to consider is how you feel. Most people reading this are past their prime and not competing in track and field for a D1 school. This is supposed to push you, but not drive you to injury. Find a schedule that lets your body feel good not constantly beat up.
Length of sessions is super important. With CrossFit you will be between that 5-20 minute domain 90% of the time. With your running workouts you should vary them depending on your race, but only allow 1 long slow distance run per week. One of the biggest mistakes marathon runners make is running too long too often. It is hard on your body. If you are doing sprint work you need to trust that it will translate over. I promise it will if you are attacking it with intensity.
The last piece is stress. This is right up there with sleep. If you are stressed about your job, training and family stuff your training will take a major hit. You need to allocate time for everyone and make sure you are having fun during training and outside of training. Picture the runner who smiles, trains with friends, and has a positive outlook after each session. Now picture the runner who complains, slugs through each run and never seems to be happy. Stay positive and eliminate stress. You will be a better runner and a better human.
Variance
This ties back into the overall point of this article. Using strength training and avoiding multiple long slow distance days per week will set you up for success. You should develop a plan and lay it out on paper. Here is what I have seen success with when it comes to training for a marathon. Monday- CrossFit, Tuesday- Running Intervals, Wednesday- CrossFit, Thursday- Rest, Friday- Running intervals and/or CrossFIt, Saturday- Long slow distance.
That is a basic plan that needs a ton of tweaking depending on the individual and your goals but it is the framework you can start with and build out over time.
Nutrition
Before you get excited about a whole nutrition plan being laid out let me warn you that this will be broad strokes. Nutrition is a highly individualized topic depending on goals and experience. The basics need to be dialed in though. We all know that Doritos are bad and carrots are good. A cheese steak is bad, steak and green beans is good. Eat whole foods, fruits and vegetables. Avoid things in packages and anything loaded with sugar. If you stick to the basics and make healthy decisions you will recover faster and feel better.
We highly recommend finding someone to help you with nutrition. A decent training plan with excellent nutrition is better than the best training plan with terrible nutrition. If you want help with either just reach out. Community@CrossFitFederalHill.com We are happy to point you in the right direction or work with you to develop a plan.
Good luck with your race!
Written by: Geo Rockwell
Missed Parts 1 and 2? Check them out here!