Training to Run a Marathon

Depending on where you live, you may be hearing all of your runner friends talking about training for one marathon or another. You may be interested in signing up or simply wonder what goes into training to run 26.2 miles in one go.

A marathon is not something to be taken up lightly, even seasoned marathon runners know, that proper training is necessary for success, the goal, after all, is to complete your 26.2 miles injury free. A marathon is a whole different bag of tricks than your daily run through the park or along the lake. A marathon is an event, and it takes serious, dedicated training.

It is not uncommon for a runner to start training for a marathon, 20 or more weeks before the race. Your body will need time to adjust to the increasing distance, and you will need to leave plenty of rest days in your schedule to allow your body to recover from your workouts properly. 

Every new runner starts out excited to run every day, but that burns your body out, especially when you are continuing to add distance and speed to your runs. Your body needs recovery days, plain and simple. Training advice from REI  recommends only 3-5 runs per week giving your body at least two recovery days each week. While you will maintain your running frequency during your training program, you will build up your distance with each passing week or even every run.

Many people wonder how fast they should be running while training. While you may be looking to complete the marathon in a particular time frame, remember, this is not a sprint. Most of your runs during training will be a comfortable pace. What exactly does that mean? According to REI training advice, at a comfortable pace, you can maintain a conversation.

Do a little research, grab a buddy and get out for a run. It is important to hydrate on your runs, but as with everything do not over do it, over-hydrating can be as bad as under hydrating. Always wear SPF when running outdoors. 

If you find your running shoes getting too stinky during training, deodorize them with StinkBOSS!