Whether you're a seasoned marathon runner or embarking on your first race, these five tips are crucial for your success. Preparing for a marathon requires a lot of hard work! In this blog post, we'll guide you through the essential steps to help you achieve your goals. Let's get after it!
1. Have A Defined Goal
This is the most important step when you are endeavoring any challenge, but it is extremely important on the road to successfully finishing a marathon. It is important to know yourself in this step, and set a goal that is both challenging, but realistic. Your goal will guide your training, providing motivation and focus. Remember, you can always adjust your goal as you progress.
Having a clear target allows you to stay aligned and dedicated to your path of accomplishment!
2. Make A Plan And Execute
"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." ~ Benjamin Franklin
You now have your goals set, but you don't have a plan...time to make one and spring into action! A good plan encompasses many things, but most importantly requires consistency of action. This means when making your plan, utilize the time until your race wisely so you can get the most out of your training. Be smart and think of your schedule so you don't pile too much on yourself. Account for roadblocks you may see in the future that would prohibit you from training days, and work around them. Build your cardiovascular health up by gradually increasing the length, intensity, or distance of your runs. This is done by doing aerobic work, tempo runs, and threshold workouts. They are all different types of runs that have a specific purpose, all of which I will cover in a future blog.
Once your plan is ready, execute it diligently. Remember, discipline is key, and avoid stacking missed days onto the next to prevent overload!
If you need assistance in creating a customized plan, contact plans@mdrnco.net, and our coaches will be happy to help you!
3. Prioritize Rest And Recovery
I'm sure some of you like to go, go, go, which is great on race day! Although, during your training, part of the optimization of your time is rest and recovery. This is a huge part of the plan we talked about earlier. When training for a marathon, give yourself designated days where you won't be training, and you can rest and recover from all your hard work on active days! This includes stretching!!! (Which you should do every day) Rest days should account for 1-2 days of your week, every week!
4. Optimize Your Diet
Diet is essential to having the energy you need to run 26.2 miles. This means eating the right things every day while leading up to your race is super important. We will go more in depth with this in a future blog, but keep in mind a healthy balance of fats, carbohydrates, and protein when training. Make sure you replenish your energy levels around workouts too!
One of the most important diet tips is to keep it the same on race day! When you're training your body gets used to the foods you put in it, so whatever you normally have for breakfast, eat the same thing on race day. Take in the same fuel (gels, electrolytes, hydration, etc.) during your race as you did when training, although you may need more since it is a longer run.
5. Equip Yourself With The Right Gear
One of the pivotal parts of a marathon, as well as training, is having the right clothing to wear. During my first marathon I wore sweatpants and chaffed a hole in the side of my leg so bad I thought it was going to fall off (I'm exaggerating but it was pretty bad!). Luckily I wore shorts from MdrnGym for my second race, and it couldn't have gone smoother!
Visit mdrngym.com to explore our range of men's and women's running apparel, specifically designed for a comfortable run.
Furthermore, invest in a good pair of running shoes. This investment will pay off as you log numerous miles during training and on race day. Quality shoes provide crucial support, reducing stress, and promoting better performance.