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[Optimizing Marathon Performance: Balancing Training, Strength, and Fueling Strategies]-[Long Run Strategy, Balancing Intensity vs. Volume, Heavy Lifting, & More (Q&A with Jason)]

The Strength Running Podcast · B2 · 2025-11-20

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📋 Summary

Enhancing Marathon Performance: Insights from Coach Jason Fitzgerald

In this episode of the Strength Running Podcast, coach Jason Fitzgerald hosts a live Q&A session with "Team Strength Running" members. The discussion covers a spectrum of training concerns, ranging from long-run structure and advanced fueling strategies to the nuance of strength training for injury prevention and performance.

Strategic Long Run Programming

When asked about the necessity of repeating 20-mile long runs, Coach Fitzgerald emphasizes that these runs are essential for marathon preparation, providing a vital "stimulus." He suggests that as runners become more competitive, they should transition from simply increasing distance to adding "quality" into their long runs. This includes finishing with 3–10 miles at "goal marathon pace." This approach serves two purposes: it mimics the physiological stress of race day and provides a critical opportunity to "practice fueling" under fatigue, which is essential for managing the digestive challenges of running at higher intensities.

Strength Training: Balancing Heavy Lifting and Injury Prevention

Addressing concerns from senior runners, Fitzgerald discusses the tension between volume, intensity, and recovery. He suggests that older athletes might need to "sacrifice some volume" or substitute impact-heavy running with non-weight-bearing cross-training like cycling.

Regarding strength training, he addresses the common dilemma of whether heavy barbell lifting is necessary. While he acknowledges that "heavy weightlifting" offers unique benefits for "running economy, power development, and muscle fiber recruitment," he validates the success of runners using bands, dumbbells, and kettlebells. He warns against a "short-termist" mindset that abandons strength training due to injury, suggesting instead that runners focus on "appropriate weight" and proper form. He reiterates that for postmenopausal women and aging athletes, strength training is "arguably the most important form of exercise" for maintaining bone density and functional longevity.

The Shift Toward High-Carb Fueling

Fitzgerald strongly advocates for "high carb fueling" for endurance events. He notes a shift in the running community, where runners are now experimenting with 90 to 120 grams of carbohydrates per hour. He advises that runners should not wait for race day to implement this, as it is crucial to "train your gut" to handle higher carbohydrate intake. For the weekly long run, he recommends 45 to 75 grams of carbohydrates per hour to ensure the athlete can "recover faster" and "absorb the work" more effectively.

Pacing Strategy and Race Day Reality

For marathon pacing, Fitzgerald warns against the temptation to "bank time" by starting too fast, noting that such strategies often lead to a late-race fade. Instead of starting aggressively, he advises runners to "stay consistent" and use the course features—such as the downhill sections at the CIM marathon—to pick up the pace in the final miles. He encourages a conservative start, suggesting that runners should aim to be "smart in the middle" and only increase the effort after mile 20.

Ultimately, Fitzgerald emphasizes that there is no perfect way to predict a new race pace without a "tune-up race" (such as a 10K or half marathon). However, for runners seeing progress, he suggests that joining a pace group slightly faster than their previous goal can be a highly effective way to leverage "peer support" to achieve a breakthrough without the risk of "crashing and burning."

🎯Key Sentences

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I think that'd be exciting.
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you certainly have to find that right balance
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That's sort of going to mean that you're on kind of like an eight day schedule
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many roads lead to Rome.
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Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
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📝Key Phrases

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level up
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hook yourself up with
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go-to
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take a big swing at
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get clarity on
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📖 Transcript

This is episode 433, featuring a live QA on long runs strength training balancing intensity and more from a team strength running coaches chat.
Welcome to the strength running podcast.
I'm coach Jason Fitzgerald, and I want to help you become a better runner.
Today's show features a live Q&A with our team Strength Running members.
We get together to do Ask Me Anythings, where everyone in the group can ask me anything they'd like about their training, race strategy, scheduling races, injury prevention, structuring their workouts and a lot more.
If you'd like to join the team, go to strengthrunning.com slash join.

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