How to run a marathon
Here are my 10 top tips for running a marathon:
1. Run for charity
There’s nothing to say that you have to run for a charity, but there are two excellent reasons to do so: i) you won’t have to wait for the results of the ballot to see if you have a place on the start line, which means you can plan your training from as early as August/September and start raising money straight away and ii) it will keep you going through the long, dark months of training and the most grueling miles of the race. Whenever I found the going tough, I thought of all the people that had sponsored me and of the charity I was running for and the people they helped, and it would keep me going. Pick a charity you personally believe in, which will help you to stay motivated and will also make it easier to convince people to sponsor you.
2. Get the right kit
Running should be as fun as you can make it, and that means being comfortable. Start with a decent pair of trainers. Spend some money so that i) you get a pair that will go the distance and ii) you will feel obliged to use them as much as possible so as to justify their cost! From there, build up a range of kit to include enough pairs of shorts and running tops to keep up with your rigorous schedule and all the other essentials, including running socks, a water bottle, leggings for cold nights, jackets, wrist bands, a sports watch and a cap to keep off the sun and rain. I found an arm wallet invaluable for carrying my phone, keys and tube pass around.
3. Plan your training
Sit down relatively early on and decide what you are going to do when, then stick to it. I used a plan out of a book, plus a bit of my own experience to put together a comprehensive schedule of training. It wasn't always possible to do every session – mainly due to injuries – but the plan was always there to return to when I was able, and kept me broadly on track until race day.
4. Seek expert advice
Running a marathon is difficult, so you need all the help you can get. Follow advice out of books, read Runners’ World, chat to more experienced runners, join a running club... I did it all and picked up tips that I would never have thought of on my own.
5. Join a club
If not for the advice then for the social aspect! It’s relatively cheap and has a multitude of benefits. I really enjoyed the regular Saturday morning Primrose Hill sessions with the Serpies and it made a big difference to my training. I also did a bit of training with a friend, which helped to keep me motivated and broke the tedium of running on my own.
6. Don't be afraid to get physio if things go wrong
Physio is not for wimps! You are not as tough as you think! Without my visits to the osteopath, it’s unlikely that I would have made it to the start line, let alone the finish. Her expert advice got me through some difficult weeks in January and March and the physio sessions helped to structure my recovery. Seek help sooner rather than later – it’s money well spent.
7. Accept the fact that things will change
Marathon training takes over your life, but there will be times that you simply can’t follow the plan. Don’t stress about it. Maintaining a positive attitude is essential. There will be hard times, but if you focus on defeat, you will be defeated. Focus on what is going well and spread that positive energy across your training!
8. Do a mixture of training styles
Sam Murphy is right, simply running the same distance at the same pace along the same route every week simply won’t do it. Mixing speed and stamina work with cross training and hills helped my overall fitness improve much faster than clocking up mile after mile, which may have sounded good when the 100th person asked you “How many miles are you running a week?” but wont be so good when you get a stress fracture.
9. Don’t wait for things to go wrong (or think that they never will)
It's easy to be naive the first time around (I was). Try to minimise the chance of getting injured by getting into good habits from the start. Get into a routine, rest properly after your long runs, warm up and warm down properly and ideally stretch every day. It’s tedious, but it’s better than getting injured.
10. Keep a record
You’ll look back on this experience as one of the best of your life, but it will begin to fade almost as soon as you cross the finish line. Try and keep some record of everything you have done – either as a simple running log or something more involved like my training diary. I carried my mobile phone with me on almost every run, which meant that I had a camera with me to snap the best moments. Don’t underestimate the value of this – you will treasure it forever!
1. Run for charity
There’s nothing to say that you have to run for a charity, but there are two excellent reasons to do so: i) you won’t have to wait for the results of the ballot to see if you have a place on the start line, which means you can plan your training from as early as August/September and start raising money straight away and ii) it will keep you going through the long, dark months of training and the most grueling miles of the race. Whenever I found the going tough, I thought of all the people that had sponsored me and of the charity I was running for and the people they helped, and it would keep me going. Pick a charity you personally believe in, which will help you to stay motivated and will also make it easier to convince people to sponsor you.
2. Get the right kit
Running should be as fun as you can make it, and that means being comfortable. Start with a decent pair of trainers. Spend some money so that i) you get a pair that will go the distance and ii) you will feel obliged to use them as much as possible so as to justify their cost! From there, build up a range of kit to include enough pairs of shorts and running tops to keep up with your rigorous schedule and all the other essentials, including running socks, a water bottle, leggings for cold nights, jackets, wrist bands, a sports watch and a cap to keep off the sun and rain. I found an arm wallet invaluable for carrying my phone, keys and tube pass around.
3. Plan your training
Sit down relatively early on and decide what you are going to do when, then stick to it. I used a plan out of a book, plus a bit of my own experience to put together a comprehensive schedule of training. It wasn't always possible to do every session – mainly due to injuries – but the plan was always there to return to when I was able, and kept me broadly on track until race day.
4. Seek expert advice
Running a marathon is difficult, so you need all the help you can get. Follow advice out of books, read Runners’ World, chat to more experienced runners, join a running club... I did it all and picked up tips that I would never have thought of on my own.
5. Join a club
If not for the advice then for the social aspect! It’s relatively cheap and has a multitude of benefits. I really enjoyed the regular Saturday morning Primrose Hill sessions with the Serpies and it made a big difference to my training. I also did a bit of training with a friend, which helped to keep me motivated and broke the tedium of running on my own.
6. Don't be afraid to get physio if things go wrong
Physio is not for wimps! You are not as tough as you think! Without my visits to the osteopath, it’s unlikely that I would have made it to the start line, let alone the finish. Her expert advice got me through some difficult weeks in January and March and the physio sessions helped to structure my recovery. Seek help sooner rather than later – it’s money well spent.
7. Accept the fact that things will change
Marathon training takes over your life, but there will be times that you simply can’t follow the plan. Don’t stress about it. Maintaining a positive attitude is essential. There will be hard times, but if you focus on defeat, you will be defeated. Focus on what is going well and spread that positive energy across your training!
8. Do a mixture of training styles
Sam Murphy is right, simply running the same distance at the same pace along the same route every week simply won’t do it. Mixing speed and stamina work with cross training and hills helped my overall fitness improve much faster than clocking up mile after mile, which may have sounded good when the 100th person asked you “How many miles are you running a week?” but wont be so good when you get a stress fracture.
9. Don’t wait for things to go wrong (or think that they never will)
It's easy to be naive the first time around (I was). Try to minimise the chance of getting injured by getting into good habits from the start. Get into a routine, rest properly after your long runs, warm up and warm down properly and ideally stretch every day. It’s tedious, but it’s better than getting injured.
10. Keep a record
You’ll look back on this experience as one of the best of your life, but it will begin to fade almost as soon as you cross the finish line. Try and keep some record of everything you have done – either as a simple running log or something more involved like my training diary. I carried my mobile phone with me on almost every run, which meant that I had a camera with me to snap the best moments. Don’t underestimate the value of this – you will treasure it forever!
posted by Jonathan @ 11:36 PM
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