Did you have a hard time finishing your last marathon and watched other runners go by in fairly effortless fashion? This happens to all of us at one time or another, and there are some key things you can do to avoid this…
Monitor Your Training
Make sure you are following a good marathon training schedule, and that you are keeping track of your actual miles in a log. Don’t run too many 20-milers either. Usually one to three is sufficient depending on your running level. You don’t need to run further than 20 miles on your weekly long run; unlike shorter races where we usually do training runs longer than the race itself to build up strength. The problem during marathon training is that your body is under stress and never has time to recover fully from one week to the next.
Watch your training pace as well. Since your main goal is to complete the marathon distance comfortably, your focus should be on distance not speed. Run most of your long runs 30 to 60 seconds per mile less than your intended marathon pace.
Give Yourself Time
Lots of people often start their marathon training late, without enough weeks until the race. Sixteen weeks is normally considered a good amount of time to prepare, provided you have a fairly good running base, say 20 – 30 miles per week. If not you should allow more training time.
Another advantage of starting early is that if you get injured or catch a cold during the training period, you can take some time off to recover properly. This is much more beneficial than trying to keep to your original schedule and possibly prolonging the problem.
It’s All In The Mind…
Yogi Berra said about baseball that half of the game was 90% mental! The same thing could be said about running a marathon, even though it is a very physically demanding event. You’ve trained your body over several months to be able to handle the distance. But what about your mind? However well prepared you are, there will be certain points during the race that you are going to need a lot of willpower just to keep going.
To run a successful marathon, you must realize this, recognize it when it happens and convince yourself that if you keep going and get through the difficult part you will recover and be able to resume your pace.
Try thinking about this on your next long run.
Be Flexible About Your Marathon Goal
26.2 miles is a (very) long way and hard to do at the best of times. On race day you should carefully assess the running conditions including the weather and the course (it helps if you have already familiarized yourself with the marathon route). You also need to take into account your own physical condition. Do you feel as well as you normally do?
If you have any concerns about the foregoing, simply adjust your pace when you start out. You will be running for several hours, and if things turn out well you will easily make up the few minutes you might have given up at the start of the race.
Conclusion
Following the above will not guarantee you will run a successful marathon, but it will certainly help. There are many other things like your training diet, and your actual marathon training schedule that can impact your run. Click on the links below to get more valuable information on marathon running and training.
