Do you want to run a marathon? Are you wondering how to begin training? Then you are in the right place! Training for a marathon requires hard work and dedication but it isn’t impossible by any means when you have a plan. The plan doesn’t have to be complicated either. If you start by following these top 5 steps you will be well on your way to beginning your training.
Know your limits
Before you begin your training the first thing you need to do is establish your limits. Establishing your limits will give you an idea of just how far it is safe to push yourself. The best way to figure out the ideal marathon length for your body is to speak with a medical professional. You don’t want to injure yourself in the process of trying to set yourself a fitness goal.
Once you know your limits, you can then pass these along to your personal trainer. They can then use this knowledge to plan an ideal course of action so that you can both look after your health, and achieve your goals.
Don’t procrastinate
Procrastinating is an ever-present temptation but one that you can’t give into if you are serious about marathon training. Teaching your body how to run a long distance is simply not something that can be done the week before your race. In most cases, training for a marathon should begin as early as 12 to 20 weeks prior to race day.
This will provide you with enough time to gradually build up your body to the physical demands that a marathon requires. This gradual increase of your abilities is the safest and most effective way to achieve your goals. Ideally, during this time frame, you should commit to approximately 3 to 5 runs a week.
Overtime by slowly lengthening the distance of these runs you will be able to increase the overall distance that you can run. Don’t sweat it if you aren’t sure what increments to increase your distance by, this is something that your marathon trainer can help you determine.
Add in a weekly long run
In addition to your shorter 3 to 5 runs per week, you should also include one long run per week. For instance, if you ran a 5km run 3 times a week then your long run could be around 9 or 10km a week. Then as your training progressed the length of this long run might increase to 12km and then 15km. This will help to train your body to successfully overcome the exertion that it will be faced with on marathon day.
Find a good personal motivator
Motivation is an essential component to successful training. Motivation is what will set your success for race day, long before the marathon ever begins by keeping you on track to meet your weekly goals.
Essentially, motivation is crucial to running a successful marathon. So, it is a good idea to figure out what motivates you. If you are a social person this could mean joining a running club. Then, instead of looking at your weekly runs as a burden you can look at them as a social opportunity. If you know that you need someone to be accountable to, work with a local professional trainer once a week.
Whatever motivates you just remember to stick with it. Success is not out of reach when you plan ahead, and keep your goal at the forefront of your mind!
