
Running a marathon is an investment of time and money. Life Kit When it comes to exercise, 'all movement counts.' Here are 4 tips to make it a habit

If you have muscle weaknesses, you're probably going to get injured," says Norris. "Running is a very highly repetitive motion. It's common for runners to have biomechanical irregularities, where one part or one side of their body is stronger than the other. Incorporate strength training into your plan. The adage "life is a marathon, not a sprint" applies!Ģ. Completing the run instills confidence, and confidence is what will carry you across the finish line on race day. Most training plans will have you complete a long run one day a week, and shorter runs the rest of the week to build strength.ĭoing most of these runs at an easy pace can keep your training sustainable, making your relationship to your training program a positive one. My training plan, which my sister created, had me running four times a week, including a long run on Saturdays. "Keeping easy also lowers your risk of injury," Norris adds. Your body is transforming, and that takes time. "This means running at this effort that you can carry on a conversation at," says Norris – a pace at which you should be able to get through "at least a couple sentences without having to stop and gasp for breath." This might mean using walk intervals to maintain this level of effort.Īs you increase your mileage, your body becomes more efficient at producing energy through a series of physical adaptations that occur during low-intensity training. Look for a plan where the majority of your runs are at an easy pace. Norris suggests prioritizing three things in order to train for your marathon safely:ġ.

Week-to-week, the plan should guide you to increase the mileage of your long run (which we will explain below) by no more than 10 to 15% a week. Once you've completed your base training, look for a training program that lasts about four months, or 14 to 16 weeks. Choose a training plan that's safe, sustainable and motivating Do your research now, and come up with a registration plan: some marathons fill up quickly, while some rely on a lottery entry. Scope out a local marathon in your state, or maybe a destination marathon in a place you'd like to travel to. Depending on how much you run now, it can take about four to six months to train. Life Kit This 22-Minute Workout Has Everything You NeedĪ lot of marathons take place in the fall, so you're just in time to decide if this is something you want to commit to.
