Can WHOOP help me train for a marathon?

Strain & Activity
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I’m prepping for my first marathon and want to see if WHOOP’s strain and recovery insights can keep me on track.

2

WHOOP can definitely help you train for a marathon, and I have personally used it to do so! There are a few things that I find most helpful to monitor during a marathon training block:

  1. HRV - This is the metric I use most, and the one I monitor while increasing mileage. The key thing to pay attention to with HRV is stability in the metric. If you begin to experience lots of spikes and dips in your HRV values as your training volume gets higher or more intense, it could be a sign that you are not adapting functionally to the new load you are taking on. If that occurs (even if your average HRV is the same) try reducing load for a week while maintaining intensity and see if your HRV stabilizes. In terms of a high or low HRV, reduced HRV during increased load is not the response we normally target or hope to see. Increased load, when coping well with training and responding positively, should result in a stable or even increased HRV. That said, keep in mind that during a taper (the week before your race), your HRV may dip, resulting in lower recovery for a few days. Know that this is an expected response, and one that you can track on WHOOP!
  2. Strain - Especially since you’ll be doing a lot of easy runs of similar distance/intensity, monitoring activity Strain for runs like that is important for comparison from session to session. If you notice much higher Strain for a regular workout, it may signal that you are struggling a bit and need to pay more attention to recovery. Additionally, keeping Strain minimal outside of workouts is a great way to make sure you aren’t overdoing it.
  3. Weekly Plan - Set weekly goals for the training and recovery modalities you want to practice in a given week.
  4. Sleep efficiency - All sleep metrics are important, but sleep efficiency is particularly good to monitor for signs of overtraining. If your efficiency dips and wake time goes up, it can be a sign that you need some extra rest.
  5. Journal - Logging and testing new recovery behaviors during a marathon build can be a great way to understand what is actually helping you perform at your best.
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