Marathon Training for Beginners
Get Full Medical Clearance from Your Doctor
If you are thinking about participating in a marathon then you will find the following guide quite useful. The first thing that you need to do before you start training is clear it with your doctor. Marathon training is quite intense and strenuous and you need to be in to be in good physical condition for you to be able to cope with any program. Once you get a green light from your physician then you are good to go.
Prerequisites to Training
Who is defined as a beginner when it comes to marathon training? If you are running less than 20miles per week spread over 3-5 sessions then you are a beginner. If you are totally new to running then you need to give yourself 4-6 weeks of light running so that your body adjusts to the upcoming training levels with ease. Initially you should choose routes that are fairly flat.
There is no point in starting out strenuously and going for routes that are hilly and steep. You will increase the challenge of the routes and the number of miles you run a day as you progress with the training.
Get the Right Gear
We now live in a time where training shoes are designed according to the particular sport that they will be used for. So when buying your running shoes make sure you choose ones that are specifically designed for long endurance running. They should be able to withstand and absorb the shock of the forces exerted during running.
In addition to the proper running shoes the rest of your gear should also be ideal for running. You should wear material that is light and preferably bright or reflective. This is so that you can be easily spotted by motorists and other road users. Also if you are going to be running in sunny or hot conditions you can consider investing in a nice pair of sunglasses and a hat or cap. It’s quite important that you do not lose lots of body fluids due to sweating and the body trying to cool you down.
Eat Right
When I say eat right I am not referring to a balanced diet. If you have been following a balanced diet that’s good, but you will have to change it slightly and start following a marathon training diet. The reason there is a specific diet for runners is quite simple. During running the body requires and does consume a lot of energy. This energy has to be readily available in a form that the body can easily convert to energy i.e. glycogen.
Foods that are good glycogen sources belong to the carbohydrate group. The next question I suppose is; which foods are rich in carbohydrates? Well you can eat whole wheat grains, which are bread, cereal and corn. Rice, preferably brown rice is also a good carbohydrate source. Pasta and potatoes are also included in this category.
As a rookie to running you should know that your body will damage tissue and muscle during your training. If this tissue and muscle is not repaired and strengthened then you are likely to suffer injuries as you progress with your training. To ensure good tissue and muscle repair and built you also need to be eating protein rich foods. The carbohydrates that I mentioned above should constitute about 70% of the food you are eating. Protein and Fiber can constitute the rest but with more Protein than fiber. Fiber is necessary in the body as it regulates bowel movements quite well.
For proteins you can consider dairy products like milk, cheese and yoghurt. Also lean meats are highly recommended, this includes fish, pork, chicken and lean beef. For fiber rich foods you can eat beans, lentils, bran cereal, legumes like peanuts and potatoes.
The Tough Get Going
Finally comes your actual marathon training program. Earlier I said you will increase your mileage as you progress with your training. This is not to say that you should increase the distance that you run every day. Quite the opposite, the distances that you run should be varied and one of the days of your training should include cross training.
There are various training programs that you can follow but one that I have found to work for most beginners is the free guide from Runnersworld.com. This is an easy to follow guide and by the time you are done with this one you will be quite confident of making it across the finish line.
Tips and Advice
- Find a training partner or partners. This is not only good for motivation but also helps when it comes to weighing the progress that you are making with the program
- Do not strain yourself. If you find that the distances and timelines set in the program are too challenging for you then tone it down a bit. If you suffer prolonged pain and aches do go for a checkup to make sure all is okay.
- Stick to the routine and the program no matter what. If you have a training partner and they cannot make it, you should still be able to go on your own.
- Join an online forum or support group of other marathon runners, sharing your experiences and advice will help keep you motivated and boost your morale.
Both the training and the actual race are quite tough, but nothing can beat preparation. If you prepare yourself adequately during your training, eat right, get the right gear and follow a good marathon training program, 26.2 miles will seem like a breeze.
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I used to run track in school but I did the dashes never the long distance stuff because I have asthma and could get the breathing down enough to not get really winded. I would like to some day run a marathon like this but are there any training tips to follow to get my breathing under control? There has to be others out there that run and have asthma, how do you do it?
Hi Bryce
Thanks for stopping by. One of the first things we recommend when planning to run a marathon is to do a medical check up and get approval from your doctor. While we do have a post about marathon training and breathing, ideally i would prefer you do the check up first.
you can also check out this post: http://www.marathontrainingguru.com/marathon-training-and-breathing-guide
How far is a marathon? A 5K is three miles right and a 10K is a little over six miles so how many K are in a marathon? I just recently started running so I am a beginner but I work hard so I can get up there fast. I want to do it simply for bragging rights that all, one of those life time accomplishments. This has been a very interesting article.
Hi Carolina,
Officially the distance is 26 miles and 385 yards – which also meas it is 42.195 kilometres.While we do encourage working hard, you should also be careful of over training fatigue. we will be covering this topic in the upcoming posts so look out for it. in the mean time you can be reading about how to plan your schedule and your diet. In any case Good luck.
There was a big corporate marathon run that took place in Miami this weekend. It was done to raise money for a certain charity. Many people from the media participated. So I imagine there were many novice runners in this event. And for those who are just starting out or for those who are running a marathon one time only, Isn’t the most important aspect that you have the proper running shoes with ample shock absorption?
Personally, I don’t like to run such long distances because it builds the red endurance muscle fibers and I play basketball and need all the explosiveness I can get. This doesn’t mean that I don’t do any aerobic training. I certainly do, but I combine it with intervals in order to stimulate the white muscle fibers. Those that consider long distance running just to burn fat should understand that combining bursts of high intensity burns more fat.
Mark, thank you for replying to my comment about the distance that a marathon is, I will definitely be watching for your future posts on over training fatigue. I really never knew there was such a thing so this should be helpful. I also appreciated the reply that you made about the asthma in the other comment because that would be scary.
I would like to run a marathon that they are having here next year. Do you think I could get trained in that amount of time? I have been running for a while but not that distance. I would really love to do this so I hope one year will work.
Hi Sheldon,
one year will certainly work…you just need to take it one step at a time. follow our easy guides on training for a marathon and in no time you will be in shape. please do come back here to share on how you are doing.
I was reading your article and when I came across that picture of that large man running it was very inspiring. I was thinking if he can do it I can do it. But is he really running a marathon or training for one. Or is this a football player at training camp for the football season? Thank you for the article this is giving me something to strive for.
As a beginner I can honestly say that I tried just one week of the training I was ready to lay it down. There is no way I am going to get in good enough shape to run a marathon even by next year when the annual run is. I never imagined that this would be so difficult but it really is. I was in track when I was in school and it didn’t compare?
Hi Timothy,
Why don’t you take it one week at a time. i mean read about the marathon training schedules we have on this site and see if you can’t be in shape on time. many people tend to over do and not follow a specified system to the detriment of their health and passion for running.
I haven’t actually went to the site to see what the training program really entails but I was wondering if you start out like they do on Biggest Loser and have everybody start by walking for miles on end to get you ready to up the anti to a jog. You can’t just go out there on the first day and take of running if you aren’t already in decent shape.
You have some excellent tips here for the beginner like me to start their training for a marathon. Most importantly is the tip about always consulting your physician before doing any kind of exercise. Get a full physical and blood work up. I know it sounds scary but wouldn’t you rather know if you have a problem before you start the training so you don’t do further damage?
Marathon is such an ugly word because of the distance that you are going. If you don’t think about how far you are running you can usually run farther then you thought. I go out for a run and I think of everything that is going on and I do my problem solving at that time because the blood is really flowing to my brain and I can really think better.
Marilyn, This really doesn’t have anything to do with the article on marathon running but I had to ask you what kind of intervals do you do? I have been trying to find something that will burn more fat then just cardio by itself and I have had very little luck. If you could share with us what you do that would be most appreciated.
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