The purpose of
this page is to help runners succeed at the
marathon distance. I have summarized some key
marathon training and racing guidelines to help
you conquer the 26.2 miles.
Many runners want to take on
the challenge of a marathon,
but often have difficulty
completing the distance.
Even people who have already
run several marathons
previously can still have
problems.
Why is this?
There are
many reasons but here are
some of the most common:
Inadequate training
Over-training too
close to the actual
race
Suffering an injury
during training
Not feeling 100% fit
on race day
Starting out too
fast
Improper nutrition
Not adjusting the
pace to weather and
course conditions
The 5
training strategies
below will
help you avoid the
above problems...
Key Marathon Training Principles:
1. Find The Right Training
Schedule.
This is definitely the
most important factor
in your marathon training. You will
need more than a simple
mileage chart if you
want to run a marathon
successfully. Your
training program should
be detailed and should
follow these basic
principles:
Hard
Day / Easy Day
-Your schedule should follow the hard
day/easy day approach on alternate days and
weeks.
Training Goals
- Your schedule should have three phases -
build-up, peak training and tapering, along
with gradual changes in the total weekly running goal.
Avoid
High Mileage Programs
- Your training program should not take you
to too high a weekly mileage 45 � 65 miles
is the highest weekly mileage an average
runner will need.
Long
Runs
-
The training program should have a gradual
build up in your weekly long run distance.
Avoid long runs over 20 miles.
20
Mile Training Runs
- You should also avoid following programs
that have too many 20-mile runs. Two should
be enough for the beginner to intermediate
categories.
►► Top Tip:
Make sure the
training program
you want use
matches your
current running
abilities and
experience! Here
is a rough
guide:
Training
Category
Target
finish
times
Marathons
Completed
Beginner
3h
30m and over
0 to 4
Intermediate
3h
10m
to
4h
10m
4or
more
Experienced
2h
30m
or
over
6 or
more
Note: - These are only guidelines,
and there is
overlap
between the
categories.
Many other
factors will
influence
your ability
to meet a
marathon
time goal,
including
your age,
gender and
your race
times for
shorter
distances
like 10K.
I've found a faster, safer, and far easier
way to train using my world-class training
methods. It has helped thousands of motivated
marathoners like you drastically slash their
personal best times, decrease their training injuries, and eliminate burnout.
The hard part of
marathon training is
simply getting out and
doing the training runs
by yourself on a regular basis. If
you can find a running
buddy, or join the local
running club, this will
increase your commitment
to following the marathon
program. The long runs
will go by much easier
if you have someone to
run with.
►
This is especially true
for beginner marathon
runners.
The typical marathon
training schedule will
be 15 or more weeks
long. Anything can
happen during this time,
and it's very easy to
fall behind schedule.
Here are some things you
can do:
If you
are behind schedule,
increase your training mileage gradually - don't try
to make up for a lost week all in one go
Start your training program earlier.
If you fall behind use the extra time to
catch up. If you don't need the extra time,
then repeat a week's training in the schedule.
Peak
correctly! The
whole idea of following a proper training
program is to achieve your maximum
performance level on race day. It's really
important to stick to the tapering part of
the training, and not do extra miles for
"insurance". You will do more harm than
good!
►► Top Tip:
Include one or
two extra weeks
in your training
- this is your
'insurance' time
if you get
injured or fall
behind for any
reason.
3. Track Your Progress!
No
training plan can
succeed if you don't
monitor the progress you
are making towards
meeting the goals. This
is the only way to know
if you are keeping on
track!
You
should keep a log of
your daily runs to
compare to the schedule
you are following.
Record any problems and
aches you felt on your
runs. By reacting
quickly you may be able
to prevent an injury.
You can record lots of
details about your runs
that you may forget
otherwise.
►► Top Tip:
The two most
important things to
track against the
schedule are
The weekly
mileage - don't
vary this by
more than 10%
from the planned
mileage
The type of run
- if your
schedule calls
for a tempo run,
make sure you do
it!
►►Best
Runner's Logbook:
There are quite a few online
logs available, and some mobile
apps for your tablet or
phone.
Personally I
prefer the paper log
books.
I've been keeping a log
for years, and I've
got quite a collection -
it's fun to browse back
and see how you were
running 10 years ago!
►Check
out the
Personalized Running
Logs here.
Marathoners can also get
a customized day-by-day
training schedule
printed right into their
log.
4. Nutrition
Most marathon runners
know they need to
consume lots of
carbohydrates to help
fuel the long training
runs. What they don't
always realize is that
the overall quality of
their nutritional intake
is just as important as
the quantity!
You need protein just as
much as you need carbs. Recent studies
have shown that eating additional protein on your harder
workout day will help you recover even faster. The extra protein
reduces muscle damage during hard exercise. Eating carbohydrates
along with protein helps you to recover even faster. Eating
within an hour after exercise is best...
Don't forget the fruit
and vegetables -
they are full of vitamins and nutrients
and are a great nutritional source that will contribute
to your well-being. If
you increase your intake
of these foods you'll
see many benefits
including more energy
and vitality.
►► Top Tip:
Use our calculator
to see how much
carbs, fat and
protein you should
be eating to
maintain your
exercise level.
Your
Daily Nutrition Requirements
grams ounces Calories
Protein
%
Carbs
%
Fat
%
Total Calories
These figures are an
approximate guide only - everyone's
activity level and metabolism is
different.
As a guideline,
an 8 oz steak
contains
approximately 65
grams of protein
and 30 grams of
fat. A medium
size potato
provides about
35 grams of
carbohydrate.
If you
consume this amount of calories
each day you should maintain
your weight. If you are
losing weight you should
probably increase your food
intake.
5.
Stay Healthy
Just
because you're a
marathon runner doesn't
mean you can't get sick!
In fact as a
long-distance runner
your immune system is
comprised, making you
susceptible to several
ailments from a simple
cold to more serious
infections. The last
thing you need is to
miss the marathon
event after all your
hard training.
So
you need to eat the
right foods, de-stress
and keep a positive
mental outlook. These
will all help counter
the negative effects
caused by your marathon
training.
Take The Wellness Test!
I have written
a book on how to stay
healthy (whether you're
a runner or not). It
contains a comprehensive
Wellness Test so you can
see how well you measure
up on the health and
fitness scale.
You
can download my book as
an eBook from Amazon. A printed
paperback version is
also available.
OK, you've followed the
training schedule,
stayed injury-free and
you've been eating a
healthy diet - you're
all set to run a great
race, right? Not
necessarily - this is
where most marathon runners fail; they've already
decided they are going
to set out at a certain
pace, and then stick to
it for the full 26.2
miles.
It doesn't work this
way! If you want to run the
marathon successfully,
you have to have a plan
in mind for the actual
race.
Pick a realistic time goal, -
based on your running abilities and previous
race results. A good rule of thumb is 4 x
your 10K time. Many first time runners
should not be too focused on finishing in a
certain time.
Colder weather - run slower
for a couple miles to get warmed up
Hot weather - be prepared to
adjust your time goal by an extra 10 minutes
or so, and start at a slower pace for a few
miles until you body is acclimatized
Hilly course or windy weather -
you'll have to adjust your time goal if this
is the case. Few marathon records have been
broken in difficult conditions! If you try
to maintain your original goal pace you will
probably run out of energy and the last 6
miles could be very painful.
The challenge of the
marathon is the
distance, and the
likelihood that you'll
run of energy and hit
the wall before you finish.
Just realizing this in
advance will set you
apart from most other
runners.
Follow this
plan for your race:
Start
out slower than your planned race pace
Never
try to speed up hills,
slow and easy will get you to the top, and
the same goes when running into strong
headwinds
After
6 miles you should have an idea of your
capabilities for the full run.
You should now be running at your intended
pace.
Maintain this pace through the half way
point.
Mile 16 or 17 is where you can assess your
energy level - if you are able to maintain
your pace comfortably keep it up. Otherwise
slow down now!
Miles
18 thru
20 - you will probably feel more
uncomfortable
as your glycogen reserves get used up, and
your body switches to burning fat for
energy. You can make it through this
transition phase (remember those 20 mile
training runs?)
Increase your pace?
This is not as crazy as it sounds. If you've
been careful up to now, you can try running
a little faster. Try and catch up to
the person ahead of you and forget the miles
left to go.
If
you ran a successful race,
don't be surprised to see that you actually
ran the second half faster than the first!
►► Top Tip:
Start out
slowly! Try
running the
first 3 miles at
a pace which is
about 30 seconds
per mile slower
than your
intended
marathon pace.
This will pay
off in the later
stages of the
race.
So that's it... Good
luck in your next
marathon! Of course
there's a lot more
to marathon training
and racing than I've
described here.
However I've tried
to cover the main
training tips. The
above book - "Marathon
Training" is a
good way to get
started, and offers
some good solid
training advice.
Avoid the common mistakes made by many
marathoners on race day. This informative report shows you how
to run the best marathon you can. Lots of practical 'how-to' info':
These free training schedules
offer a comprehensive day by
day training program you can
follow. This is a detailed
marathon training website that
covers 18 weeks and has
three levels of training.
A daily running guide and
informative weekly training
tips will keep you on the
right track to run a
marathon.
Mike Stapenhurst is an
experienced runner who has completed over 25 marathons,
including the Boston marathon and the New York marathon.
He wrote this report based on his own experiences, and
those of many marathon runners, who had done all the
training, but still ended up having problems during the
race.
Mike is the author of many
articles on running, and he is also co-author of the
e-book 'Marathon Training'
- a brand new edition is available
here from Amazon.com
Mike Stapenhurst is an
experienced runner who has completed over 25 marathons,
including the Boston marathon and the New York marathon.
He wrote this report based on his own experiences, and
those of many marathon runners, who had done all the
training, but still ended up having problems during the
race.