Finishing a marathon is a challenging experience that every runner wants to accomplish. But how will you know if your body is well equipped for your first marathon experience? The best way to prepare yourself is by knowing the activities to do in training for a marathon. You will also have to consider your weight and health condition while training. A treadmill is one of the machines that can help you achieve your fitness goals, get trained for the marathon with this product to guarantee your success.
How To Choose Your First Marathon
Marathons usually come in different options. Some are held in urban areas where runners can enjoy being close to nature.
Other marathons are held in big cities near the tall buildings of huge corporations. These marathons are usually for a charitable cause.
For a beginner, choosing a marathon close to your home is most advisable. This will give you many advantages such as being familiar with the roads and not having to travel for hours just to get to the venue.
Let’s Get Started
Before anything else, it’s important to have training plans to follow. Set your short-term and long-term goals as well as the weekly mileage that you want to finish. Also, be sure that you have enough time to train for the marathon. Experts recommend 12 months of preparation for you to achieve certain fitness goals and training targets. In training for a marathon, consider these things below before you begin:
- Know your limitation. Safety first! Long marathons need extensive training and workouts. Do not forget to give your doctor a visit for a physical examination. Your physician will determine if you are fit for high-intensity training and up to what extent should you push yourself.
- Start right away. Right after signing up for the marathon, start your training immediately. This is most important if you need to lose a few pounds during your training. Having enough time to train is also important as you need to gradually increase the intensity of your training to prevent injuries.
- Do it slowly. One of the reasons why some people get into accidents during training is because they are overdoing it in the first few weeks. To avoid injuries, start with short mileage then add a few more kilometers to your training every week.
Fundamentals Of Marathon Training
During your training, these are the 4 important elements that you need to consider:
- Weekly mileage.
- Long-run adjustments.
- Cardio training.
- Rest and recovery.
To fully understand how these things help in your training, let us discuss them one by one.
Weekly Mileage
Depending on the length of your training plan, you should plan the length of mileage that you will add to your weekly run. Experts say that while training, a runner must add less than 10% of mileage to their week-to-week training.
Moreover, your training should consist of 4 to 5 runs per week. Make sure that the majority of these runs are at a moderate pace where you run easily without putting too much stress on your body.
Long-run Adjustments
Your marathon training will not be complete without a weekly long run. This part of the training should be done 2 to 3 times a month or once every 7 to 10 days. The mileage of your long run should be extended after you finish each long run.
To avoid over-exhaustion, you may opt to scale back your long runs every after 3 to 4 weeks. This will help your body to adjust to long-distance marathons. Plus, this is a great way to burn calories and lose weight.
Cardio Training
To fully complete your marathon training regimen, do not forget to add cardio training. This will enhance your aerobic capabilities and prepare you so well you will feel like running a marathon is easy as pie.
Intervals are a set of short-distance fast-paced runs with jogs in between for recovery purposes.
Tempo runs are long distanced runs with a challenging but sustained pace. This trains your body to maintain its pace despite the exhausting work over a long period of time.
Rest and Recovery
Give yourself a break and let your body rest on your recovery day. This will allow your muscles to recover from the tiring runs. Rest days will also benefit your mental health as they will give you the time you need to reflect on personal thoughts. Resting protects you from injuries as well, a common enemy of all runners.
You can use your rest day to do other things such as binge-watching a TV series, shopping, going out, or doing nothing at all. This is a great way to prepare you physically and mentally.
Day Of The Race
Training for the marathon is not the only thing that you should be preparing for. To avoid injuries on the day of the run, follow the tips below:
- Do not try new things. This means that NO new shoes, new leg support bands, and new shirts should be worn.
- Don’t drink coffee before you run.
- Watch out for water stations. They are typically located along the course so they will be easy to find.
- Make sure that you are properly hydrated days before the day of the marathon, if possible, drink a big glass of water every night before you go to bed.
- Avoid heavy meals before the run begins. Oatmeal and bagels are recommended as breakfast for runners.
- Go to the restroom 30 to 40 minutes before the marathon begins.
- Arrive at the venue an hour early. This is just enough time for you to warm up and stretch first.
- If it’s allowed, bring your personal earphones or headphones if you intend to listen to music to lift up your energy.
- Lastly, enjoy every second of it. You have prepared for this for so long so be sure that you are enjoying the marathon. Remember that it’s not always about competition, sometimes, the experience alone is rewarding enough.
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