Marathons: Even Lance Armstrong Needs a Training Plan

As arguably one of the fittest and most fiercely determined humans on the planet, Lance Armstrong could fairly expect to do well when he first decided to run the New York City Marathon. Some predictions of his performance based on his VO2 max even came close to the 2 hour mark, a feat achieved by only the most elite marathon runners.

In reality, Lance managed to stagger across the line in just under 3 hours – still a very respectable time to be sure, but certainly not a record-breaking performance. He also was heard describing the race as “without a doubt the hardest physical thing I have ever done.” Should we have been surprised by this result from a man who still holds the record for the most consecutive victories in another one of the world’s hardest races?

In fact, such an outcome was easily anticipated by none other than his coach Chris Carmichael, who was quoted in Runner’s World Magazine as saying, “Lance will probably rip me when he hears this, but I don’t think he’d run faster than 2:30 to 2:40.” The reason for this is that as important as aerobic capacity may be, it is only part of the equation when it comes to performance. Another important component is training specificity, or making sure that your workouts are appropriate for your racing goals.

Sure, Lance can hop on a bike and ride for more than 2,000 miles in variable conditions over a 3 week period faster than almost anyone else, but pounding along the pavement for 26.2 miles is a whole different ballgame, so to speak. “Running and cycling might seem similar,” says Carmichael in the Runner’s World article, “but there are distinct differences. And they require different kinds of animals to perform well.” For one thing, explains Runner’s World, the top Tour riders weigh 30 to 40 pounds more than the top marathoners; Armstrong checks in around 165 pounds. That’s a lot of extra weight to run around with for 26.2 miles, but it’s also muscle mass that comes it quite handy if you happen to need some extra power for a time trial stage at the Tour.

“A marathoner simply has to get his skinny aerobic butt to the finish line as fast as possible,” explains Amby Burfoot of Runner’s World. “If he encounters hills along the way, that doesn’t much change the physics involved. A Tour winner has to mesh colliding worlds. He needs to be fit, lean, and strong. The five- to six-hour peloton rides demand a high level of aerobic fitness. The mountain climbs require serious pedal pushing, but from a lean frame. If you carry too much weight, gravity pulls you backward. A Kenyan 10,000-meter runner on a bike might perform quite well in the Pyrenees. But the same Kenyan would get crushed in the time trials, which demand brute power.”

So what’s the moral of this story? If you’re training for a marathon, or any other event, it’s probably a good idea to get a training plan that is actually designed to prepare you for the specific demands of the event. Even Lance can benefit from a plan: with some training for the next New York City Marathon, he was able to improve his time significantly. Find a plan that’s right for you from among the hundreds available on TrainingPeaks, such as plans from Runner’s World, and happy training!