Most of you guys know that I ran my first [full] marathon just over a month ago now [holy cow how has it already been over a month?!]. I’ve been posting some of my workouts here and there on instagram stories, and have gotten alot of DM’s asking about my post marathon workout schedule. So, for anyone who has asked that question or been wondering…today I’m going to share my current workout schedule with y’all! [Side note: alot of times I feel a little hesitant to answer questions like this that y’all DM me about – what my workout schedule is, what I eat in a day, etc…because the truth is – I love health and fitness but I am no expert! So, I feel hesitant to give advice on those things for large groups of people. Today I’m going to share what my current workout routine is, but just know…I am no personal trainer! This is just a routine that I enjoy, that’s currently working for me!]
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Before I get into the details of my workout schedule…truth be told – after the marathon, I was dying to sign up for a second one, and continue training, do it again, beat my time. I absolutely loved the experience, and truly hope to do another full marathon again one day. You might be thinking so why didn’t you sign up for another? Well. Every body is different, and I’m sure there are some super humans out there who can do back to back marathons in a totally healthy way. Marathon training took a toll on my body y’all. I didn’t have any injuries throughout my training [praise the Lord!], but once my long runs started getting to 17+ miles…that last month of training, my body just hurt all the time. My feet hurt, my back hurt, my knees were popping…my body just didn’t feel normal. I think to put your body through that without a considerable break in between [not to mention the insane time commitment marathon training requires], is not the wisest decision – for me at least. SO I’m currently taking a break from crazy long distance running and it feels nice to have my life / weekends / legs back to normal haha.
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ANYWAY. All that to say, I’m not currently training for a race, but still love running with my whole heart. So, my current workout schedule still has alot of running in it. But, I’m also trying to gain muscle and focus on strength training. My workout schedule changes from week to week, but overall, here’s what I do:
- Monday: Run 6 miles – finish with an ab workout and stretching [see the ‘highlights’ on my IG bio for some of my ab workouts!]
- Tuesday: Stairmaster for 30-45 mins followed by 20 mins of upper body strength training [arms + back]. I will share by stairmaster workout at the bottom of this post!
- Wednesday: Interval run – 4-5 miles in alternating speed/incline intervals. I do this on the treadmill – the goal is to SPIKE your heart rate for at least 45 secs, then recover. Then do it again. See this post for one of my favorite interval runs. I follow this interval run with an ab workout
- Thursday: Stairmaster or indoor cycle for 30mins [I do an interval workout on either one of these machines] followed by upper body strength training [arms and back]
- Friday: rest / active recovery day – go for a walk, go for a hike, snowboarding…something active but not necessarily ‘in the gym’ for an hour workout.
- Saturday: long(ish) run outside
- Sunday: either rest or a repeat of any of the above workouts – depending on how I’m feeling
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SO, I know that routine is far from perfect. I should be incorporating more lower body strength training (squats, lunges, etc). I justify it thought because my lower body is getting a heck of a workout with running, stairmaster, and cycling. The routine should also probably have yoga in there 1-2 days a week, which I’m trying to get back into! But, this is a routine that’s working for me that I enjoy. It’s a mix of cardio, strength training, HIIT, being outside, and stretching. Everything I love.
I get questions ALL the time about what I do on the stairmaster. First of all – I bring my iPad to the gym! Pretty much everytime I do the stairmaster I watch a show, and 75% of the time I’m on the treadmill I watch a show! My iPad has data, but if yours doesn’t…you can download shows on Netflix before you hit the gym! It make the time go by so much faster. I’m currently watching slash obsessed with Riverdale!
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SO, my stairmaster at the gym has a program called ‘intervals’. In case you didn’t already know this…intervals are such a great way to burn more calories and fat. The goal is to spike your HR for a certain amount of time, recover, and then do it again. This type of interval training is way more effective than endurance – where you do the exact same thing for 60 mins. So, I do the interval program on my stairmaster for 30-45 mins. I put it on level 13-15 depending on the day [the highest level on my stairmaster is 15].
All that to say…I’ve been doing this for a long time. When I first started off on the stairmaster, I could do 10 mins, maybe! So this took a while to build up to. As long as you are giving it your all, getting your heart rate up, and breaking a sweat…that is the goal! Don’t feel the need to be on that machine for an hour!
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Outfit details: Long-sleeve tee (wearing the xs) | Color-block legging (wearing the xs) | Tri-tone crop top (wearing the xs) | Round sunglasses | Nike juvenate sneaker
Hope this workout routine gives you some ideas or adds variety to your own routine! As far as my ‘upper body workouts’, I am making it a goal for myself to video some of those to share with you guys on here. So, stay tuned!
Thanks for reading!
xo Lauren
