09/24/2025
Train For A Marathon Like A Strength and Conditioning Coach
This year I ran my first marathon. Disclaimer up front: I did not train like a traditional marathon runner, and I wasnāt chasing a fast time or high placement. If thatās what youāre looking for, this probably isnāt the blog for you.
For me, the marathon was about proving I could do it ā while holding onto as much of the strength Iāve built over the last 10 years as possible. I wanted to see if it was possible to run 26.2 miles and still maintain most of my lifts. My goal was simple: train like a strength and conditioning coach, not a distance running coach, and finish the marathon with less than a 10% drop in relative strength.
Starting Point
Before training, I weighed 210 lbs and was hitting these numbers (within 6 months of starting marathon prep):
Bench Press: 315 lbs (1.5Ć bodyweight)
Squat: 405 lbs (1.9Ć bodyweight)
Deadlift: 515 lbs (2.45Ć bodyweight)
My Training Philosophy
I knew Iād lose some weight, but I wanted to protect my overall strength. Since running is a dynamically unilateral movement, I cut back on barbell work but still lifted 1ā2Ć per week, usually right after my long runs.
Hereās an example: if I ran 10 miles and my glute medius cramped up, that told me it wasnāt keeping up with lactate regulation. The next day Iād hammer it with high-rep isolation work (like banded lateral walks or clamshells) to absolute failure on each side. My focus wasnāt perfect form ā it was reaching the same fatigue Iād likely face in the back half of a marathon.
After isolating the weak link, Iād hit an isometric hold (e.g., lateral band tension Bulgarian split squat hold), then pair it with a power move (like box jumps). Running is ultimately a power movement, and pairing these two helped force my body to rely on weak links under fatigue.
I also did a ton of high-rep accessory work that mimicked the demands of running ā things like jump rope, dumbbell hammer curls, or alternating single-arm cable rows. At first glance, those exercises donāt look much like āmarathon prep,ā but the way I did them was all about carryover.
When you run, youāre not just using your legs ā youāre relying on coordinated movement through your scapulae, arms, and core to stay efficient mile after mile. By driving my elbows back, engaging my scaps, and pushing the reps deep into fatigue, I was training those muscles to keep firing even when lactate was building up. The goal wasnāt to become a better rower or hammer curler, it was to stress my body in a way that forced better lactate regulation and endurance in the same muscle chains Iād need during long runs.
Did I look like a lunatic at times? Absolutely. But I wasnāt chasing perfect form or textbook technique ā I was chasing that same burning fatigue I knew Iād face late in the race and making my body adapt to it.
One big issue I faced was chest training. Even if I benched several days before a medium-length run, my chest would tighten up badly. As painful as it was, I eventually had to cut out most chest work toward the end of training.
Results
After the marathon (and proper recovery), hereās where I landed at 183 lbs bodyweight:
Bench Press: 245 lbs (1.34Ć BW)
Squat: 345 lbs (1.88Ć BW)
Deadlift: 475 lbs (2.59Ć BW)
Relative strength comparison (to my bodyweight at 210 lbs):
Bench: ā10.7%
Squat: ā2.6%
Deadlift: +5.7%
Overall total: ā1.0%
So despite losing nearly 30 lbs of bodyweight, my total relative strength barely moved ā and my deadlift actually improved.
Final Thoughts
All in all, I was very happy with the outcome. My priority was never my marathon time or placement, but protecting my strength. If Iād trained strictly for pace or heart rate, these numbers probably would have looked a lot different.
If youāre considering running a marathon but are worried about losing years of strength gains, know that it is possible to balance both ā you just have to train a little differently.
If you have any questions about the specific methods I used, feel free to reach out!
