How To Run A Marathon - 3 Frequent Errors To Avoid

If you’ve put time in to your training, boosting your fitness and your stamina levels so that you have the capability to run a marathon, then finding out just how to run a marathon should be the last piece of puzzle to put in position.

If you’ve built up your weekly miles to a position where further distances no longer push you and you’ve been able to dodge any injuries or serious niggles along the journey, then the last hurdle in achieving your target is to actually take part in a marathon.

As easy as that sounds, avoid these 3 errors first time marathon runners make: -

Mistake #1

Setting Off Very Quick

With the excitement and thrill of the starting line, a number of runners get carried away with the mood and set off under a shot of adrenalin, far too fast. This just takes it out of your legs and depletes your energy reserves, leaving you struggling all through the final stages of the race.

Mistake #2

Competitive Running

Aiming to keep up with a small old woman or a seemingly out of shape fellow runner is a big oversight. You have no idea what level of fitness other runners have, any increases of tempo or further effort will usually take its toll on you at some time in the race.

Mistake #3

Not Drinking As Much As Necessary

Not using the water stations along the route is one more error. When you're dehydrated your performance will begin to suffer. Ideally take smaller sips of water or a carbohydrate drink frequently right through the race particularly towards the last part of the race. Beware of gulping down copious amounts as this can lead to feeling sick and abdominal cramps.

If you want to discover how to run a marathon and how much running you need to be able to achieve this target, ‘Marathon Training For Beginners’ is an ideal selection. It's an entertaining and simple to use marathon training schedule for beginners that would like to discover how to successfully run a marathon in the fastest feasible time. Click here for more information.

What Is The Length Of A Marathon

Finishing a marathon is a very popular lifetime target for anyone with an passion for running and keeping fit. But how long is a marathon?

The marathon length is 26.2 miles or 41.2 kilometres in duration and may take anytime from 2 hours 4 minutes (Paul Tergat of Kenya) to 8 hours or longer for a few of the more unfit, elder or less practiced runners.

There are in excess of 800 organised marathons taking place every year in some of the most well known capitals of the world like London, New York, Athens, Stockholm to name just a few.

Some of these will receive tens of thousands of entries and some are so hard to take part in due to of the great volume of interest, that they run a lottery scheme where entrants are randomly chosen instead of just choosing to run.

Marathons have grown to be a very common way for charities to build funds and awareness of their causes. Most people pick a cause which has a specific significance to them, for instance they may have lost a relation or friend because of a certain disease or know somebody that is fighting an illness.

Regardless of what the charity is, the chance to raise money for a worthy cause at the same point as beating a personal goal is of a big attraction for the a number of people who take part in marathons each year.

Running a marathon isn’t an easy task, you ought to be completely prepared and above all totally know how your body reacts to the stresses and strains you will be putting it under. The truth is most people are capable of completing a marathon, but they won’t simply because they don’t follow the right training guidance.

If you’ve often thought ‘how long is a marathon’ and are thinking about running your first one then you have to follow a schedule created actually for a beginner. ‘Marathon Training For Beginners’ is an entertaining and simple to use marathon training schedule for total beginners that would like to discover how to successfully run a marathon in the fastest possible time, without suffering from possibly serious long term injury problems and overtraining difficulties that the majority of beginners face.

A Fast Track Guide To Beginners Marathon Training

The way a veteran runner will deal with running will be very unique to a beginners marathon training schedule. Beginners hold no experience of running and very poor fundamental fitness levels, whereas an experienced runner has already built a basic level of fitness.

This can be both good and bad in that improvements will be much quicker, but bad in that incorrect technique may well have been carefully learned. Where a beginner benefits is that they can be taught the grass roots basics initially and then improve from there in a effective and progressive way.

Before you even move one foot on to the road, there a number of factors that ought to be considered ahead of starting any beginners marathon training program: -

#1 Get Your Body Checked Over

Prior to starting any type of pursuit or training it is strongly suggested to get a check up from your doctor. There could be some hidden health problems that you weren’t aware of that can affect your potential to run. Any troublesome injuries or long term joint complications also ought to be fixed.

#2 Invest In Your Self

The very least requirements you require are at least 1 decent pair of running shoes, ideally chosen for you by staff who have access to step analysis software, usually available at the larger running stores.

For you to completely understand the way your body ought to respond to exercise and more essentially how that exercise should be structured as well as finding out how to spot the signs of overtraining and fuelling your body to attain the best results, it is going to be essential that you learn all you can about the subject. Get hold of a GOOD training guide.

One final tip is that you're more than likely going to run in all weather conditions and temperatures and so are going to require the right types clothing. Items such as waterproofs, thermal underwear and running socks are all things that will enrich your experience and make running far more enjoyable.

#3 Build A Good Foundation Of Fitness

At the beginning you will more than likely be very eager to train, but you need to be wary of doing too much. Instead start off gradually and build up distances and pace as you get more competent and less challenged. I suggest that you leave at least 24 - 48 hours in between very challenging runs to start with, but listen to your body and take more time to recover if you need it.

If you can’t run at all to start with, you'll need to reduce you expectations a little and prepare for a longer training time to get to the place where you can run your first marathon.  As opposed to running, you should try to power walk up until you are able to jog. From there you can push yourself a little faster. Running 3 times a week ought to be enough to start seeing improvements.

Having a target of running a marathon is a wonderful thing to aim for but please ensure that your beginners marathon training program is more than just a chart with a list of days, miles or times. There is far more to marathon training than this.

For a comprehensive beginners  marathon training guide try ‘Marathon Training For Beginners’ to discover the easy way to train for a marathon.

Get Up Off The Couch To 5K Running - A Quick Start Up Guide

If you're considering getting fitter and would like to go from lounging on the couch to 5k training then there are a few things you need to do first.

Give some consideration to the next few points before you start any 5k training plan: -

#1 Give Your Body The Once Over

First things first. Make an appointment with your doctor or physiotherapist to make sure you’re in good health or you have any joint or muscular complications before you begin your training.

#2 Invest In Your Health

The bare minimum any new runner needs is at least one pair of good quality running shoes, ideally selected for you by knowledgeable staff at a highly regarded running store that have the equipment to monitor your running style.

You’ll also have to do some research so you know exactly what changes you ought to be seeing throughout your training and how and when to take your training forwards or take a step back.

Lastly it will be a big help to you if you get some running clothing such as waterproofs, gloves, shorts, thermal underwear and running socks etc.

#3 Get The Foundations Right

Start off slowly, increasing your distances little by little, making sure you can allow an adequate amount of recovery time between training. I advise that you leave at least 24 - 48 hours in between very demanding runs to begin with, but more if you need it.

If you plainly are going from the couch to 5k training and can’t run at all to begin with then you should begin by power walking until you are able to jog easily, from then on you can push yourself a little faster. Running 3 times a week is usually enough to start seeing improvements in your fitness levels.

To find out more about going from the couch couch to 5k running, I would suggest ‘5k Training For Beginners.’ It’s one of the most effective 5k training schedules for beginners offered on the internet, perfect for anyone that wants to study how to run a 5k race in the quickest possible time. Click here to find out more.

The Significance Of Good Marathon Nutrition

Marathon nutrition is a little unlike most other forms of healthy eating. While the focus on most ways of eating is to minimise calorie intake and possibly reduce the intake of carbohydrates, in order for you to run at your best you will need to eat more calories than you need, but at the same time the likely outcome is that you will end up losing weight.

You'll be burning large amounts of calories during your marathon training, so it is important to eat more to make sure you have an adequate amount in store. If you've also got some weight to lose then this could make your running more difficult, so getting a rid of a few pounds will definitely help you to run faster, longer and with less stress on the joints.

One of the most foremost factors of marathon nutrition is that your body requires a supply of superior quality fuel to get the most out of your training.

The amounts of nutrients also have to be altered for somebody who runs frequently. Where most weight loss diets would recommend that you select somewhere in the region of 50 - 60 % of your foods from carbohydrate sources, a distance runner will need nearer to 70% calories from complex carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are your body’s perfect choice for energy and this energy is saved in your muscles in the form of glycogen. You also require fats to create energy and if there aren’t enough being supplied in the diet, they’ll be taken and used from your own fat stores.

Another factor in creating a well balanced supply of marathon nutrition is that you’ll need a regular amount of low fat proteins. Proteins are required to help rebuild and repair damaged cells of the body which are a by product of your marathon training.

An ideal ratio of nutrient intake for marathon nutrition is: -

Carbohydrates = 65%
Protein = 15%
Fats = 20%

Always consider the quality of foods you select, try to choose foods as near to their natural state as possible with minimal processing. Opt for low fat and low sugar as much as workable and once or twice a week have a treat.

If you’d like to really run at your best then getting the right marathon nutrition is absolutely essential. The top runners in the world eat a diet specifically geared to improving their running ability. Whilst your aim might just be to actually finish a marathon it won’t be critical that your diet is perfect but getting it right will make a big improvement to the way you run.  Click here to find out the ideal runners diet and discover how to successfully run a marathon in the shortest possible time

The Problem With Most Marathon Training Schedules

Anything that has ever been achieved in life can usually be traced back to a plan or design, following a haphazard approach rarely gets the results we hope for.

Marathon Training Schedules are a bit like this in that you do need one. You need direction and goals and without a roadmap to stick to you will likely end up not achieving anything.

Watch out for any of these types of marathon training schedules: -

Ideal

Training for a marathon requires a routine and any worthy schedule should contain this. Also there need to be enough rest days, which allows your body to recover and the opportunity for you to add in further training if for some reason you haven’t been able to make your scheduled days.

The most important aspect of a good marathon training schedule is knowledge, you need to understand how your body and fitness should be developing. This will keep you motivated, but also you will be able to spot any signs of injury or overtraining long before they happen.

No Good To Anyone

Any training schedule that is a chart that just contains days and distances of runs or times for you to do is absolutely useless.

Training techniques have developed significantly over the last few years. Gone are the days of simply plodding away day after day, mile after mile. There are more effective ways to improve your fitness which don’t place the same stresses on to the body.

Just A Pack Of Lies

Any program that promises you can run a marathon as a complete beginner in just a few weeks is nothing short of scandalous. This type of claim may well sell training programmes, but it won’t yield many if any marathon runners.

Want to know more about training for a marathon?  ‘Marathon Training For Beginners’ will teach you all you need to know. It’s one of the most effective marathon training schedules for beginners available on the internet, ideal for anyone that wants to learn how to successfully run a marathon in the shortest possible time. Click here for more details.

Marathon Fitness - 3 Important Rules

Whilst training to run a marathon needn't demand any actual skill or talent as such, it does take determination and commitment, you will need to consistently give enough time to improving and developing your marathon fitness.

Marathon fitness can be summed up as the ability to be able to run the marathon distance completely (26.2 miles) in one go without stopping or giving up.

To accomplish this level of fitness, you will need to adhere to these 3 Important rules: -

Only Practice Makes You Better

To become good at anything requires practise. To become exceptional at anything requires practise, dedication and a will to be the best you can be. For the purposes of running your first marathon you are just aiming for a steady improvement in your body’s fitness and stamina levels which needs to be gradually encouraged over the course of many weeks, by following a marathon training program that is both structured and progressive (gets a little harder each run as your fitness improves)

Variation Spices Up Your Training

Running at a slow steady pace (steady state training) is desirable to some degree in order to build up your mileages, but you will boost the distances you can run far faster and more effectively by varying the way you train each session. By using advanced training techniques that push you in different ways such as hill running, speed work and interval training to name just a few, you will increase your marathon fitness at a much greater speed.

Once You Believe You Will Achieve

Once you know you can do something, you are much more likely to believe that you can do it. You’ll also understand how hard it feels when you go through it again and be prepared for it mentally. This is why at some point during your training you will have to try a long run at or around the marathon distance.

It is very important to ensure that you leave at least 2 or 3 weeks between your longest run and the real marathon so you have plenty of time to recover because the distance will take it out of your legs.

If you’re a marathon newbie that wants to learn how to quickly improve your marathon fitness and run a marathon in the shortest achievable time, then you need to turn your attention to finding out how your body adapts and changes during training, so you know when to move forward harder and when to back off a little. Without this awareness you really are playing a guessing game with your fitness.

If you've always wanted to run a marathon, ‘Marathon Training For Beginners’ will teach you everything you need to know, an entertaining and easy to use marathon training schedule for beginners that want to learn how to successfully run a marathon in the shortest potential time. Click here for more details.