Marathon Training: Pump It Up!

So you’ve made up your mind: it’s time to take part in your first marathon race! Before you psych yourself out over the intense marathon training that you will have to undergo, remember that motivation and the right frame of mind will take you a long way. Stay positive, stay upbeat, and with such a positive frame of mind you will be able to sail through your marathon training schedule with a smile on your face. Marathon training is a great way to take your fitness level to the next stage! It might seem too demanding in the first few weeks, but soon your body will develop the endurance and strength that you desire.

Make the Right Goals

Make sure that your goals are the kind that will be a solid source of motivation for you in the long run. 16 weeks of marathon training is a long time and if the main aim is to lose weight, then there are high chances that you will accept defeat early on in your marathon training. 

Motivate Yourself

Self motivation and self encouragement is a must, and we just cannot emphasize that enough! Yes, staying on board with your marathon training is going to be tough, and getting through the tough marathon training schedule week after week will be even more challenging. However, you must remind yourself that you can do it, you can achieve this goal and that you will definitely be ready in time for the marathon!

The Perfect Running Gear

To avoid injuries buy a good pair of running shoes! If you are unsure of the kind of shoes that you should buy, visit a store that specializes in running shoes to find the perfect pair.

Health Eating

There is more to marathon training than just following a strict schedule. You must take care of your nutritional needs by making sure that your body gets enough carbohydrate, proteins and unsaturated fats to stay fit and strong. Stick to consuming 65% of carbohydrates, 10% of proteins and 20-25% of unsaturated fats to fulfill your daily calorie needs.

Recovery

Exposing your body to such intense marathon training will lead to worn out muscles and sore body parts. We simply cannot emphasize this enough; take your rest days just as seriously as your exercising days! Give your body time to recuperate, so that your muscles can recover and repair themselves. A worn out body is more liable to suffer from injuries than a well-rested one!

Hydration

Do not allow yourself to get dehydrated during your marathon training: keep sipping water after every 20 minutes. To ensure that you are not getting dehydrated, weigh yourself before and after the marathon training. Make up the difference in body weight by rehydrating yourself with water or a sports drink in the first one or two hours after the marathon training.

Injury Alert

During your rest and recovery days pay extra attention to your body. If you feel soreness in any part of your body, rub ice on it for 15-20 minutes at least 4 times a day to reduce the risk of injuries.

Marathon Training Schedule- Pre-Training!

Before you dive into your 16 week marathon training schedule there are certain criteria that you need to fulfill.

1. First and foremost, select a marathon and sign up for it!
2. You should be fit enough to be able to run for 30 minutes at a stretch. Distance or time is not the point of focus; your body’s running capability is what matters more.
3. You should be using combinations of running and walking in your pre-training workouts. Start your pre-training workout at least 2 months before the 16 week marathon training schedule.

Marathon Training Schedule-The Training!

Are you ready for your 16 week marathon training schedule? Over the course of these 16 weeks you will be required to increase the mileage covered every week to push your body to develop the stamina it needs to compete in the marathon. However, after the 13th week, you must steadily decrease the mileage covered so that your body has time to recuperate and recover before the big race.

With each passing week until the 13th week, increase the total mileage covered by 10%. A sample format for the 16 week marathon training schedule is as follows:
Week 1: cover 3 miles on Monday, use Tuesday as a day for resting, cover 4 miles on Wednesday, cover 3 miles on Thursday, use Friday as a day for resting, cover 5 miles on Saturday and use Sunday as a day for resting.

Week 2: cover 3 miles on Monday, use Tuesday as a day for resting, cover 4 miles on Wednesday, cover 3 miles on Thursday, use Friday as a day for resting, cover 6 miles on Saturday and use Sunday as a day for resting.

Week 3: cover 3 miles on Monday, use Tuesday as a day for resting, cover 4 miles on Wednesday, cover 3 miles on Thursday, use Friday as a day for resting, cover 7 miles on Saturday and use Sunday as a day for resting.

Week 4: cover 3 miles on Monday, use Tuesday as a day for resting, cover 5 miles on Wednesday, cover 3 miles on Thursday, use Friday as a day for resting, cover 8 miles on Saturday and use Sunday as a day for resting.

Week 5: cover 3 miles on Monday, use Tuesday as a day for resting, cover 5 miles on Wednesday, cover 3 miles on Thursday, use Friday as a day for resting, cover 10 miles on Saturday and use Sunday as a day for resting.

Week 6: cover 4 miles on Monday, use Tuesday as a day for resting, cover 5 miles on Wednesday, cover 4 miles on Thursday, use Friday as a day for resting, cover 11 miles on Saturday and use Sunday as a day for resting.

Week 7: cover 4 miles on Monday, use Tuesday as a day for resting, cover 6 miles on Wednesday, cover 4 miles on Thursday, use Friday as a day for resting, cover 12 miles on Saturday and use Sunday as a day for resting.

Week 8: cover 4 miles on Monday, use Tuesday as a day for resting, cover 6 miles on Wednesday, cover 4 miles on Thursday, use Friday as a day for resting, cover 14 miles on Saturday and use Sunday as a day for resting.

Week 9: cover 4 miles on Monday, use Tuesday as a day for resting, cover 7 miles on Wednesday, cover 4 miles on Thursday, use Friday as a day for resting, cover 16 miles on Saturday and use Sunday as a day for resting.

Week 10: cover 5 miles on Monday, use Tuesday as a day for resting, cover 8 miles on Wednesday, cover 5 miles on Thursday, use Friday as a day for resting, cover 16 miles on Saturday and use Sunday as a day for resting.

Week 11: cover 5 miles on Monday, use Tuesday as a day for resting, cover 8 miles on Wednesday, cover 5 miles on Thursday, use Friday as a day for resting, cover 17 miles on Saturday and use Sunday as a day for resting.

Week 12: cover 5 miles on Monday, use Tuesday as a day for resting, cover 8 miles on Wednesday, cover 5 miles on Thursday, use Friday as a day for resting, cover 18 miles on Saturday and use Sunday as a day for resting.

Week 13: cover 5 miles on Monday, use Tuesday as a day for resting, cover 8 miles on Wednesday, cover 5 miles on Thursday, use Friday as a day for resting, cover 20 miles on Saturday and use Sunday as a day for resting.

Week 14: cover 5 miles on Monday, use Tuesday as a day for resting, cover 8 miles on Wednesday, cover 5 miles on Thursday, use Friday as a day for resting, cover 9 miles on Saturday and use Sunday as a day for resting.

Week 15: cover 3 miles on Monday, use Tuesday as a day for resting, cover 5 miles on Wednesday, cover 3 miles on Thursday, use Friday as a day for resting, cover 8 miles on Saturday and use Sunday as a day for resting.

Week 16: cover 3 miles on Monday, use Tuesday as a day for resting, cover 3 miles on Wednesday, cover 2 miles (walking) on Thursday, use Friday as a day for resting, cover 26.2 miles on Saturday and use Sunday as a day for resting.

Marathon Training- Are You Ready?

There’s more to marathon training than simply challenging your body to cope with intense marathon training schedules. You might have noticed that in the final few weeks the marathon training schedule tones down the intensity of the training quite a bit. This is because your body needs time to recuperate before the race. In the week before the race make sure to stock up on carbohydrates so that your body is well-equipped during the race. Once you are a part of the race with all the other runners you will feel the adrenaline rush and the excitement, however you must not forget that in long races like the marathon, everything depends on your pace. So be smart about how you maintain your pace in the beginning and middle of the race so that you have enough energy when you begin to approach the finish line!