As promised, here are your Boston Marathon strength workout videos and guide.
We’ve embedded the videos here and also sent you this URL to your email so you can bookmark and reference for future use. You’ll also see the option to download each video individually as well as the instructions for how and when to add them to your training.
If you’re looking for a more comprehensive and integrated way to add these workouts to your training schedule, check out our options below.
This routine was developed based on the EMG research of fatigued muscles of Boston runners. Thus, we’ll target these muscles in an isolated manner so we can eliminate any imbalances and help you develop fatigue resistance.
This routine is designed to target the muscles that help us generate power for our stride – the hips, hamstrings, glutes and quads and using reps and resistance to focus on improving power generation and not necessarily fatigue
Plyometrics help your body to produce greater power by training the muscles to contract more quickly and forcefully from an actively pre-stretched position. This is essential for generating power when running uphill.
Eccentric strength training targets the eccentric, or lengthening, portion of an exercise rather than the contraction (shortening) part of the exercise. This has major benefits when running a hilly race since this is the part of the muscle contraction that will fatigue first and the most.
One of the biggest challenges of marathon training is staying healthy. We know from research that the a weak core (hips and glutes) are a primary cause of most running injuries. Therefore, as you’re upping your training for your marathon and including additional hill work, injury prevention core work is essential.
Running downhill puts a tremendous amount of stress on the muscles in our core and lower body responsible for preventing excessive rotation. Excessive rotation is a big reason downhill running increases injury risk to the knees (IT band specifically). This routine is designed to help us strengthen these muscles so you can train downhill more effectively.
Ideally you want to begin this strength plan 14 or 20 weeks before the race. This allows for either 2 or 3 progressions through the 6 weeks of workouts with a 2 week taper period. If you need to start in between, that's okay, just end this strength routine two weeks before the race to give your body a chance to rest.
These routines were designed to be done in your home, so you do not need a gym. However, a set of therabands would help add resistance to any movement you feel is too easy and a swiss ball and kettlebell are also optional for some of the exercises.
You can purchase any set you prefer, but here are links to the specific sets we recommend: Theraband Set, a swiss ball (medium is fine) and an adjustable kettlebell (you can also use an old milk jug filled with water if you don't want to purchase anything.
You should perform one of these routines one day per week, ideally on the day you do one of your speed or tempo workouts. As an example, if you normally do your speed or tempo workouts on Tuesday, then you'd perform one of these strength sessions on this day.
I highly recommend performing at least two or three other non-Boston specific strength workouts during the week. This could be injury prevention, core, hip or general strength work. If you need more help with this, check out our more integrated Boston Strength workout options below.
Start each routine performing however many reps or seconds of each exercise as you can. If you're not able to do all the recommended reps or holds to start, do what you can and then try to do a little more the next progression through the routine.
If you can do the recommended reps or holds each week, try to add reps or some type of resistance the next week through the routines. This will ensure constant progress through the 14 or 20 week cycle.
Here's an example weekly schedule you might implement in your training.
Monday: Optional Injury Prevention work
Tuesday: Boston Specific Workout
Wednesday: Rest from strength
Thursday: General strength
Friday: Core or Hip Strength
Saturday: Rest from strength
Sunday: Mobility work
Custom Workouts, long runs, strength work, and nutrition specifically designed for the challenges of the Boston Course
If you’re racing Boston with the goal of recording a PR or running your best time, knowing how to target your training specifically to the demands of the course is essential.
You need to prepare your legs for the demanding hills, develop your patience for the early miles, and prepare for the quad-pounding downhill finish.
Based on your training, current fitness and previous race results, we will analyze your specific strengths and weaknesses to develop a strategy to help you run your best race on this tough course.
We’ve helped over 500 runners train for the Boston Marathon in the last 2 years alone and now we’re ready to help you too!
A completely customized schedule based on your ability level, current training, age and goals. Plus, course-specific workouts and guidance for every run, including specific paces and instructions for why and how-to.
Complete nutrition course for runners with what to eat befor and after all your runs. Plus, race fueling program to calculate exactly how much fuel you'll need to finish the race without bonking and get a customized fueling plans based on the gels and fluids you want to take.
Meet your teammates and coaches on our monthly Zoom calls. You can ask your questions and review your training. Calls are optional and you'll be able to submit questions ahead of time and watch recorded versions if you can't make it live.
Schedule adjustments if you start to feel an injury. Plus full treatment, rehab cross training and injury prevention plans built into your schedule when needed so you don't lose progress and know exactly what to do each day.
Strength workouts built into your plan each day and completely customized to your ability level, current training, age and goals. No gym needed, although there are options for those that have or want to use one.
Ongoing schedule adjustments based on your progress throughout the plan, tune-up races, and weekly schedule changes (like travel, work or family). That means your paces will always be your physiological optimum and workouts will always be adapted to your progress.
We'll connect you with a small-group team of runners also training for the race to help make training for the race a team-like experience and making this training cycle even more fun!
Our plans directly export your workouts to your favorite devices (such as Garmin) and run tracking phone apps so you have your exact workout, paces and instructions while you're running.
Your training schedule is custom created and meticulously written just for you. We take data from your previous training, current PRs, best training days and develop a personalized training schedule that is uniquely suited for your work/life schedule, strengths and your weaknesses to ensure you get the most of your running.
We use our team of expert coaches to help answer your questions, adjust your training, and keep you accountable. You can ask questions in our private stream, post questions when you log your workouts, and interact with us during the live calls.
Your training integrates strength work into your schedule – not just throws it on top. You’ll know exactly what you need to do each day of the week. Moreover, the strength work is progressive (building you up and not remaining static) and targeted to your specific race distance.
Each one of your workouts comes with a specific explanation of why you’re doing that session and an in-depth article on how to execute should you have any questions. This helps you understand how every run fits together and instills belief and confidence in your training.
Our platform helps to keep you motivated by connecting you to a support system of other runners like you who are there to encourage you after a tough workout, send a congrats after a new milestone, and keep you on track when you want to skip a run. Your training plan also has built-in features to help you keep your eyes on the prize!
Get a step-by-step plan to identify your weaknesses and where you’re susceptible to injury (and how to fix). If you’re already injured, you’ll get a day-by-day treatment and rehab plan as well.
Your training comes with a complete nutrition course to teach you what and how to eat to lose weight, fuel for your training, fuel during the race, stay healthy, and more. Plus, it you have access to all of our premium courses like how to improve your running form, active stretching, kettlebells and more.
We know what it’s like to be a busy runner, so our schedules and platform make it easy to stick to your training. Receive daily text reminders of your workouts, import your workouts into your favorite watch, calendar or app, and easily export your data so your coaches can analyze. Now you can fit training smart around your busy life!
Giving an example schedule is actually very difficult because we custom write all of our plans. That means no two training schedules will look alike.
The example schedule here is a brief overview, mainly focused on our philosophy and how it would apply to training. The mileage numbers and workouts are not what you would be asked to run. Your plan would be custom written for you based on your experience level and goals.
We’ve been coaching runners since 2009, one of the first companies to actually start “online coaching for runners”.
We started because we saw a lot of runners struggling to improve using “template plans” or even purchased plans that were really just a styled PDF and generalized for anyone.
Runners like you want, and should have, a training plan that takes into account your age and training history, adapts based on how you progress, and can adjust when “life” happens.
We believe these are critical to your long-term progression and success as well. It’s one of our fundamental pillars – no one-size training plan fits all.
Throughout our years of coaching, we’ve learned a lot about what works, what doesn’t, and which successes for we’ve had for our athletes can be duplicated. We’re excited to pass on all our knowledge to you!
What started as emailing excel sheets back and forth to our athletes has now become one of the most robust, running-specific training and coaching platforms based on athlete feedback, such as including explanations for the “why” of every workout, adding custom, race-specific strength exercises directly into your schedule, and including nutrition and injury information as part of your training plan.
We’re ready to help you become a fitter, faster runner and crush your next race (and beyond)!
We offer 2 types of plans to best suit your training needs.
The monthly membership is best for runners who run multiple races per year and are looking for long-term improvement from race to race. The one-time option is best for those who want training for one specific race.
We’ll do our best to answer them here, but feel free to email support@runnersconnect.net if you have any questions not covered here.
No, no gym is needed. All strength, stretching and accessory work can be done at your home. We do have gym options for those that have one and want to use one, but it is not required.
The running schedule and strength workouts are delivered via our training app, which allows our coaches and you to track your progress and import/export to your favorite tracking devices. You can watch a video below about how this works.
Our focus groups and bootcamps are an add-on to our current RC membership because of the additional coaching, team and zoom calls and content.
If you want to join we will pause your existing RC membership so you are not charged during the time you join a bootcamp or focus group. The time will be added to your membership and last payment once the bootcamp is over and you want to restart.
We understand that our live zoom calls won’t always work for you. However, we will take questions beforehand and have recordings of each meetup so you can watch whenever you have time.
We use our team of expert coaches to help answer your questions, adjust your training, and keep you accountable.
You can ask questions in our private stream, post questions when you log your workouts, and interact with us during the live calls.
You can also request feedback on any run or workout, even if you don’t have questions. We have a short video below that explains a bit more about how this works.
We get it, training rarely ever goes to plan. If you miss a day or need an adjustment our coaches are here to help realign your plan.
Plus, your schedule will constantly adapt your training to your progress. If we notice that you’re having an easy time with all of the workouts we prescribe, we’ll speed things up to ensure you’re challenged appropriately. If you’re struggling or you have an injury pop up – we’ll back off and get your training on the right track.
