Marathon Training

2010-05-24T03:03:00.000-07:00

Marathon training is critical if you want to run a marathon. You see if you don't train for your marathon then you will never cross the finishing line.

The reason for this is that you need to build up your endurance levels if you ever want to run a marathon. And the way to build up your endurance levels is to train for a marathon the right way.

Essentially training for a marathon is all about getting miles into your legs. However there is a certain training methodology and process to get the required miles into your legs the right way.

There is virtually no point at all about training hundreds and hundreds of miles in a row because it doesn't allow your muscles the chance to recover. By this I mean hundreds of first-time marathoners never even make it to the starting line each year because they don't take this advice. Instead they believe it is a great idea to go out and try to train hundreds of miles and get as 'fit' as they can before their marathon race.

However, what most of these beginner marathoners don't realize is that they will more likely than not develop an injury in the process. Let alone, for the majority of beginner marathoners who take this approach they will also lose the motivation that they need to cross the finishing line.

If your motivation drops when training for your marathon then you will typically struggle in the later stages of your marathon because you will not have the fitness levels to get you over the line. It is this fitness that you require to see you get to the end of your marathon race because otherwise you are more likely to hit the wall at about the 20 mile mark of your race.

The wall is a term used by marathon runners as to what happens to your body when your glycogen levels become depleted. Essentially what happens is that you run out of energy at around mile 20 into your marathon race and then it's next to game over from then on until the finishing line if you manage to cross it.

However, if you follow a marathon training program that is specifically designed for first-time marathoners to finish their first marathon then it is more likely than not that you will cross the finishing line.

The point here however is to follow a training program that has been proven to work. There is no point putting the time, effort and energy into a training schedule that will leave you developing frustrating injuries when you get further into your training.

For example, most good marathon training schedules follow a step-by-step process to get the endurance and fitness levels into the legs of their participants. These types of programs for running a marathon will typically incorporate both shorter runs, semi-long runs and long training sessions into the programs. It is also critical that there are rest periods incorporated into the program as well.

The reason for this is that it allows your muscles the chance to recover in the build-up phase of your marathon training. These rest days also allow your muscles the chance to recover which means that you are less likely to develop an injury.

However, the best marathon training programs also are designed to make sure that you are feeling fresh and at your optimum fitness level on the day of the race.

That is why the best marathon training programs also incorporate a taper period into their layout. Typically a taper period starts around 3-4 weeks before your actual marathon race. In this time you also decrease your actual weekly mileage by around 25% in any given week.

The reason why you want to decrease your marathon training and include a taper period is because it allows your muscles the chance to become fresh before your marathon.

There is no point training right up until the day of your marathon because your body will most likely be feeling lethargic and drained on race day. That is why it is critical that you incorporate a taper period into your marathon training program.