Marathon Running Question – Age and Weight Lifting
I am 47. Long time weight lifter. Just started (about 6 months ago) to train for a marathon. Can I and should I continue to lift – "somewhat heavy"? Also, is there a big difference between a 47 year old and a 37 year old?
– Joey, Walla Walla WA
Answer by Dom:
Hi there,
Thanks for your question.
Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. I don't have a lot of time for answering questions these days.
There are really two questions in here: what changes at 47 versus 37, and how to fit your lifting around your marathon training without one undoing the other. Let's take them in turn.
Age and Marathon Training
I'll first answer the age question: yes, the difference of ten years is quite a big one.
Compared to ten years ago your recovery will take longer, and you can't be as aggressive with your mileage build-up, etc.
You are not necessarily going to be a lot slower though.
Especially for endurance events like the marathon, the older guys can keep up with the younger ones quite well. Many 40+ age groupers are faster than the 30-40 age groupers!
It comes down to years in training, but also time available for training. The 30-40 year olds more often have to factor in small children and dependents. 40+ age groupers more often have gone past that stage and have more time and energy for their training.
Weight Lifting and Marathon Training
Now with regards to the weight lifting question. Weight lifting has got tremendous benefits for runners. It helps to improve posture and can help prevent injuries. I am a big fan of compound movements – squats, deadlifts, the Javorek dumbbell complexes, or circuit-type training in which you get strength and aerobic benefits.
Heavy lifting is fantastic for runners. The only thing I'd look out for is that you don't want your weight lifting to interfere with your running training. When preparing for a marathon, your focus should be on that marathon. You can lift, but stick to two workouts per week. That's a great amount to maintain and even build strength, but leaves enough time for running.
Want to lift more? Then just keep in mind that your running shouldn't suffer. So, when you feel that you can't do your running sessions at the right intensity, or you can't complete your running training because of the weight training, then it is probably time to take it down a notch.
What I definitely wouldn't do is try to chase two competing goals, e.g. run a marathon and work on building more upper body muscle. It's just going to be too hard when you are going to mix endurance event training with power/explosivity building training.
It's probably a good idea to get into maintenance mode with the weights and use them as a cross-training activity, whilst training for this marathon.
Where to Place Your Two Lifting Sessions in the Week
Two sessions a week is the right amount – but where you put them in your week matters just as much as how much you lift.
The rule I give runners coming from a lifting background: never lift heavy before a hard running session. Squats and deadlifts leave a level of fatigue in your legs that can linger 24-48 hours, and turning up to a threshold run or your long run with even slightly tired legs is a false economy. You get a worse running stimulus and a worse lifting stimulus, for the same effort.
So, sequence it like this:
Lift after an easy run, not before a hard one. If you are running easy pace in the morning, lifting later that same day is fine. The easy run won't meaningfully blunt your lifting, and the lifting won't compromise a session you weren't trying to run fast in anyway.
Use rest-adjacent days. If your week has a genuine rest day, put a lifting session the day before it, so you have a full day to recover before your next running session.
Keep 48 hours clear of your key running workouts. That's your long run, your tempo or threshold effort, and your interval session. If your long run is on Sunday, don't lift heavy on the Saturday.
A typical week for a marathon runner lifting twice might look like: lift Monday, after an easy Monday run or on a rest day; lift Thursday, after another easy run, with your long run not until Sunday. Both lifting days sit clear of your hardest running days.
Get the sequencing right and you can keep lifting all the way through marathon training without it costing you anything on the running side.
Hope this helps. Best of luck.
Kind regards,
Dom
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About the author
Dominique de Rooij (Dom)
Advanced Running Coach certified by Athletics Australia with 20 years of writing about running and over a decade coaching runners — from first-timers to marathoners. Dom's beginner programs have guided thousands of runners and been praised above plans from Jeff Galloway, Hal Higdon, and Runner's World. Now over 50, Dom still loves trail running, parkrun, and the coffee after.
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