The Basics Of A Marathon Training Schedule
It was once thought that marathon running was only a sport for the most elite athletes. However, now even casual runners can complete a run of this distance by following a well designed marathon training schedule. When selecting one there are some fundamental elements that you should expect to find in each that will help progressively train you to deal with the demand of running such a long distance event.
The most important element of any good marathon training program is to carefully train the body to deal with the damage caused by running for twenty six miles. The most important facet of this is to have a training schedule revolve around a single weekly long run. These long runs are completed weekly for at least 20 weeks and range in length from 7 to 21 miles.
I have been a running coach for over 10 years and never have I written a marathon schedule that has a runner completing any single run over twenty miles in length. However, what we do is conduct training that pushes runners to increase weekly mileage by 10% or so until they can comfortably conduct runs of varying lengths. This reduces the risk and tendency of injuries.
In conjunction with long runs most marathon training schedules will have runners doing fast paced sessions of focused speed work. These are done at a pace that is nearly as fast as that of their goal pace for the desired marathon finish time. These specialized training runs can vary in length from a few mile to concentrated sessions of sprinting.
It's vital that the stamina workouts, the long runs, and the short aerobic speed sessions be kept separated. This allows a runner to train for the marathon by working independent body and energy systems separately. This will allow for one system to be stress while the other rests.
Having a support system of friends, runners, and family should not be underestimated. Training to run a marathon is a task that takes many weeks and can often stress relationships. Every runner should make sure they have the buy in of their loved ones before undertaking this monumental commitment.
One golden rule is to not add anymore than 10 percent to your total weekly mileage each week as your progress through your program. Running, especially these long distances, has one of the highest injury rates of any fitness hobby and your certainly not going to run any marathons if you're injured. So move slowly through your program.
Make sure you always put your safety and health first. Marathon running is no casual hobby so see your Doctor if there are any questions about your health.
The most important element of any good marathon training program is to carefully train the body to deal with the damage caused by running for twenty six miles. The most important facet of this is to have a training schedule revolve around a single weekly long run. These long runs are completed weekly for at least 20 weeks and range in length from 7 to 21 miles.
I have been a running coach for over 10 years and never have I written a marathon schedule that has a runner completing any single run over twenty miles in length. However, what we do is conduct training that pushes runners to increase weekly mileage by 10% or so until they can comfortably conduct runs of varying lengths. This reduces the risk and tendency of injuries.
In conjunction with long runs most marathon training schedules will have runners doing fast paced sessions of focused speed work. These are done at a pace that is nearly as fast as that of their goal pace for the desired marathon finish time. These specialized training runs can vary in length from a few mile to concentrated sessions of sprinting.
It's vital that the stamina workouts, the long runs, and the short aerobic speed sessions be kept separated. This allows a runner to train for the marathon by working independent body and energy systems separately. This will allow for one system to be stress while the other rests.
Having a support system of friends, runners, and family should not be underestimated. Training to run a marathon is a task that takes many weeks and can often stress relationships. Every runner should make sure they have the buy in of their loved ones before undertaking this monumental commitment.
One golden rule is to not add anymore than 10 percent to your total weekly mileage each week as your progress through your program. Running, especially these long distances, has one of the highest injury rates of any fitness hobby and your certainly not going to run any marathons if you're injured. So move slowly through your program.
Make sure you always put your safety and health first. Marathon running is no casual hobby so see your Doctor if there are any questions about your health.