Marathon training is worth the effort, even with no race at the end of it

Why training for a 26.2 is worthwhile – even if your race doesn’t go ahead

IF YOU’RE FINDING IT HARD TO TRAIN for a marathon because you are concerned it might be cancelled at the last minute, here’s some good news: getting ready for a 26.2 results in significant physiological improvements – even in experienced runners.

A study, published in the Journal of Human Sport and Exercise, measured the VO2 max and body mass index (BMI) of runners 10 weeks before their goal marathon and then again a couple of weeks before the planned race. The participants in the study, who had all been averaging more than 30 miles a week for the three months before the study, were already aerobically fit and training hard. Nonetheless, on the second test, the participants showed increases in their VO2 max and decreases in their BMI, suggesting that a block of marathonspecific training can make fit runners even fitter – whether a race goes ahead or not.