MARATHON TRAINING TIPS AND TRICKS FOR BEGINNERS

Marathon. 26.2 miles…if those words make your heart beat faster, it is probably for one of two reasons. Either the thought of running such a long distance terrifies you or maybe it excites you and you’re thinking about doing it. Read on for some tips and tricks to get started from the psychological, physical, and nutritional perspectives.

THE MENTAL ELEMENT

The first part of taking on 26.2 miles of road on foot is making the commitment. You must first acknowledge that the actual race is going to be challenging. But equally as challenging will be the training which will make or break your ability to finish. The mental toughness required to push through 16-20 weeks of training is not to be underestimated.¹

So how do you get there? Here are a few tips to help you get your mind right:

Define your motivation—Maybe you want the extreme personal challenge or to participate in a charity marathon to support a cause you believe in. Perhaps you would like to get in shape or maybe lose weight. It could be all of these things! Whatever has motivated you to get to this point, put it on paper, put it in your phone, etc. You may need to look at it periodically to remember why you are outside running at 6am when you could still be snuggled under your blankets.

Try a Half-Marathon or other distance event—If you have never done a long-distance running event, you might enlist in a shorter distance race to dip your toe in the water. Half marathon training is still a commitment but can be a nice confidence booster on your way to 26.2.

Find a support team—A local running club or a good friend can be a great support system. It’s a lot harder to skip your run when you know that you are standing up your crew!

Select your event—There are tons of options for marathons, even virtual ones. You might have an event that is local, or you might be planning an event that is out of town. Knowing the date and locale of your event will allow you to plan and prepare.

Put together a training plan—Assuming you are already running short distances, you’ll need 16-20 weeks to get enough miles under your belt to get ready for the big 26.2 mile event. Lay out the program on a calendar and schedule it in your diary.

THE TRAINING

A Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, once said “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” While training for a marathon may not require you to run 1,000 miles, you’ll need to get comfortable with running 15-30 miles per week during your training process. Here are some considerations:

Running plan—Every goal has a different training plan. There are lots of free training programs available that lay out your mileages and times throughout the training process. If you stick to your training plan, you will set yourself up for success because your body will be ready on race day. One special note on training frequency—research has shown that in recreational runners, training frequency and miles run per week are associated with race finish time.² This means the more distance you run per week and the more training runs you go on, the faster your race time will be.

Strength training—Though the most obvious aspect of marathon training is the running part, don’t forget that you’ve got to condition your muscles, ligaments, joints and bones with strength training. Just like your running plan, there are tons of free resources out there that will walk you through strength training for distance runners. A recent meta-analysis showed that strength training improved running economy, time trial performance and speed for distance runners.³ So, don’t just hit the road—hit the weight room, too!

Recovery and stretching—The training process is tough, so you’ve also got to allow your body time to recover. This includes getting enough sleep and incorporating stretching to keep your body loose.

ENDURANCE SUPPLEMENTS

There are lots of products for endurance athletes, and a few ingredients that may have real benefits for helping you through training and race day.

Caffeine—Caffeine can make you feel more energetic during exercise. It has been shown to be beneficial in long bouts of training, particularly in sessions over two hours long.⁴ You can get this caffeine burst from a good old-fashioned cup of coffee or a pre-workout supplement with a moderate amount of caffeine. If you aren’t used to caffeine, ease into it gradually!

Protein & Amino Acids—Ingesting 10g of essential amino acids by consuming a high quality protein source either 2 hours before or after a long run can promote muscle protein synthesis to protect your muscles from some of the breakdown associated with training.⁴

Beetroot Juice & Nitrates—The science on the dietary nitrates supplied by beetroot juice is still developing, but there are some indications that they might help to improve exercise performance.⁴

Probiotics—Probiotics can help endurance athletes by supporting gut and immune health. These are both areas that marathon runners may struggle with gut issues, so use probiotics for added support.⁴

Experiment during training—During your training, you will want to test out different intra-race products like energy gels or chews, hydration beverages and carb supplements. These products contain quickly digestible carbohydrate energy to help you get through a long run. Don’t make the mistake of testing something new on race day, stick to the tried and true during your event and experiment while you are training.

READY TO COMMIT?

Hopefully you’re getting excited about making your marathon commitment. The physical benefits of training are incredible and the feelings of satisfaction at the end of your event is second-to-none. The runner’s high is a real thing!⁵ So, what are you waiting for…lace up those sneakers and get running!