It’s on a lot of people’s bucket lists – to take on a marathon of some kind. Whether it’s one sport only such as running or it’s a combination such as in a triathlon, training to put your body through a gruelling event that targets things like endurance, agility and drive can be both similar and different in various ways. For those of you hoping to take on this challenge, here is a rundown on how best to train for a marathon.
First Things First
The first thing you have to do when you’re planning to run a marathon is to choose the marathon you want to run. Whether it’s the big London marathon, a fun run organised by your neighbourhood or you’re planning to take on a charity run for MS or cancer, picking the right marathon is number one. Get to know your marathon, read about people who have done it in the past and who may have suggestions on training.
Set A Goal – See It Through
It’s important when you’re first starting out that you don’t take on too much too soon and also not set too fantastical goals for yourself. To go from couch potato to 20 mile runner in a week is a bit far fetched and if you try to do too fast too soon it’s likely you will disappoint yourself when your body just won’t do what you want it to. Aim for small increments – from three, five, seven and up miles per week. Remember that it takes time to build endurance.
Build Up Slowly
Depending on your current physical fitness you may find it ideal to start with three miles per week and add one additional mile per week until you’re up to the marathon amount. It’s also imperative to keep yourself maintained by running three to five times per week – three in the beginning if your fitness is low and gradually add an extra day every week or two. If you’re confused or not sure of the best way to do it for your body, consider discussing it with a personal trainer – it can be beneficial to hit the gym to help build muscles, as well as undertaking other sports to help build your strength and fitness such as rock climbing. You can buy the necessary equipment such as rock climbing shoes and climbing carabiners for cheap.
Diet
Diet is hugely important when you’re training for a marathon. How many marathon runners do you know who feat on chips, chocolate, coke and sugar? Taking on a healthy diet means eating carbohydrates at the right time of day to load up for your runs, eating lots of good proteins and good fats as well. Good fats can be found in the likes of nuts and avocados and are great for creating energy stores for your body to draw on in the middle of those long runs when you’re starting to hit the wall, same with carbs.
So there you have some sure fire ways to get you in top physical condition for running the marathon of your choice in record time. Remember that you need to start slow and build gradually, but you will be surprised at how quickly you manage to rack up those miles!