Running a marathon takes a lot of hard work and dedication. For most people, it’s about the challenge and pushing yourself to see if you are capable of running to this degree. Whatever your personal reason for it, pushing yourself mentally and physically means you need the right preparation.
As with most things in life, it is important when training for a marathon, you prepare yourself and your body in the best way possible. Take a look at our top tips on how to prepare for a marathon.
Start small
Try running a few shorter races or half marathons beforehand. This will help you get an idea of the strength and endurance you’ll need for the longer run. Also, make sure to start training early. It’s said you should build your weekly mileage for at least a year before the marathon run. In other words, don’t go in too soon and too fast otherwise you’re likely to injure yourself! Here are our top tips to avoid running injuries.
Building a base mileage
It’s important to build up your weekly mileage to get used to the long run. Each week leading up to the marathon you should aim to increase your mileage by about 10%. Try running 3 to 5 times per week and make sure you’ve started early enough to give yourself time to build this mileage up.
Practice the long run
Your next step is to build up to a long run. This should be done once a week extending the long run by a mile or two each week until you reach the marathon length which is typically 26 miles. Running at a slower pace than usual builds confidence, lets your body adjust to longer distances, and teaches you to burn fat for fuel.
Sprinting
Sprinting or HIIT workouts are a great way to improve your stride as doing short sprints can improve your acceleration technique. This is why even marathon runners benefit from sprinting while training as longer strides while running typically means you can run faster.
Establish a muscle recovery routine
When training for a marathon, it is highly important to include rest and recovery into your training as you need to give your muscles time to repair. The best way to prevent injury is rest and recovery.
Try using muscle recovery tools for the best results. The Pulseroll massage gun delivers strong pulses and vibrations into the muscle tissue, promoting better circulation, relaxing the muscles, and easing pain and soreness. It enables you to apply focused pressure similar to that of a deep tissue massage. It’s such a popular tool with runners and athletes as it is so effective in helping the effects of DOMS.
You could also try the vibrating foam roller to target larger muscle areas such as the width of the back or both legs at the same time. Using these tools on the legs can drastically improve running performance as it improves mobility which means you’re less likely to suffer from an injury.
Training for a marathon isn’t easy, but by following these top tips you should be well prepared for the big day!
