Recently, in a discussion group I belong to someone asked how they could increase speed and endurance while training for a marathon, and because I know many of you use athletics to stay active forever I wanted to share the same information here.

First and foremost, for those of you who are already marathon runners or are training to be – congratulations! Great job! There are numerous studies proving what you marathon runners already know – running slows the aging process. It’s true! Besides the well-known weight loss advantages of running, lesser known benefits include osteoporosis prevention, decreases memory loss (particularly in elderly), increases mental sharpness, and can even give you stronger orgasms (don’t believe me? Harvard University did a study!).

There are two VERY effective tools for increasing speed and endurance while training for a marathon:

The first is the Powerlung, for conditioning all of the cardio/pulmonary muscles; choose the dark blue model for the highest resistance.

The other is the LaserTouchOne – a PHENOMENAL healing tool!  If you’re competing, you’re not one to sit still and let your body heal.  There’s nothing like this! It’s the only FDA approved device that combines cold laser with electric stim, AND it only requires treatment times of two minutes.

Additionally, resistance training on land and under water has proven to be very helpful for increasing speed and endurance (not just for marathon training, but lots of other athletic training too). Some popular choices:

RESIST Running Resistance Parachute – Specifically designed to increase an individual’s speed and endurance.

AquaVee Portable Swim System Kit – This is an inexpensive alternative to the Exerswim Portable Swim Current Generator, and turns any size pool into an Olympic swim pool. If you travel frequently, the AquaVee works great in hotel pools too!

Underwater treadmills are ideal for resistance training under water. Our favorite is the Incline Aquatic Underwater Treadmill by Aquabilt, and the 302 model features a flywheel and is perfect for serious athletes (for additional resistance use with the AQx Aquatic Training Shoes).

Hope you appreciate the marathon training guidance, and these tips help.  We just want to shout from rooftops about these things!