You can’t run a marathon without proper training. And you can’t start marathon training without first ticking off certain items, or at least, you shouldn’t. Read on for a list of 7 things you should consider before embarking on marathon training.
- Prepare yourself physically – You can’t start marathon training if you aren’t comfortable running 15 miles per week. Get in the habit of cross training to tone your entire body. And, one of the best things a runner can do for themselves is to make sure they have a strong core. The core supports everything while you run. Weak cores and weak glutes mean injuries.
- Prepare yourself mentally – Marathon training takes a lot of time and energy. Will you be able to commit to running hours upon hours nights and weekends? Will you have the desire to wake up before dawn to get in your run? Or to stay out until dusk? Marathon training will cut back on many of your current hobbies and activities.
- Prepare your family and friends – Make sure you have the support of family and friends. Let your friends know that they won’t see you out late on Friday and Saturday nights anymore since running with a hangover is awful. Get family support so you know you have someone there to watch the kids for you.
- Improve your diet – Start eating healthy now. Eating healthy foods will fuel your body and enable it to work harder for you. Living on junk food and soda will not help you get through the final miles of a long run. If you start eating healthy before you are running 35 miles per week, you may be able to make better choices when you are starving after a 2-hour
- Pick a plan – Look for a plan that works well with your schedule and lifestyle. Check out my article on choosing a half marathon training plan. All of the information on half marathons applies to full marathon training.
- Dig up information – Read everything you can on training, eating, injury prevention, etc. It will not only provide you with valuable information, but it will help motivate you too. I like to listen to audiobooks while running – multitasking!
- Start with a good mileage base – As mentioned in item 1, make sure you have a solid mileage base before you start week 1 of a marathon training plan. Work up to the mileage in week 1 for a few weeks. Otherwise, you may find yourself injured or burnt out.
Marathon training should be fun. In fact, your training time should be more fun than running the actual marathon, so work hard at setting yourself up to have an amazing experience.
