About a year and a half before the 2011 Baltimore Marathon, I started gathering info about how and when to start training for it. I decided instead of giving myself 6 months to build mileage, I'd give myself a year. I wanted to make sure I had enough time for injuries.
So it was a long, slow build. I did suffer with various injuries at different times, but I have to note that I stayed almost completely injury-free during the 10-month period of time that I was doing strength training on non-running days at the local YMCA. Only once did I get hurt, and it was due to my then longest-run-ever, which was also through an uncharacteristically treacherous course. I long-jumped over a frozen stream at about the 7-mile mark, and angered my Achilles tendon during the push-off. Though it hurt badly after I landed, I decided to keep going for another 4. I don't think any amount of strength training will prevent injury if I'm not using common sense!
But that was the only injury I suffered while supplementing my running with strength training. A tally reveals four injuries during the 12 months without strength training, vs only one in that 10-month period with strength training. Pretty convincing evidence that I need to get back into a gym.
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