Running a marathon... sound scary? Sound interesting? Sound challenging? Marathons take lots of training just to be able to finish one, but once you get there, your whole life will excel out of the rat race and into the challenges of champions. Let's take a look at how you can start training for a marathon race.
Motivation for your Motor
Marathons are usually around 60 km long so you're gonna need a lot of motivation for this gruelling race. It can be very easy to fall off the training wagon if your heart isn't in it. The best way to get motivated to begin your training journey is to actually talk to someone who has run a marathon and listen to the reasons why they did it. You'll find that their whole life benefitted from all the different experiences that goes along with the race and the twinkle in their eye should really get your motor ready for action.
Interval Action
The Leaders of the RaceCourtesy of columbiagorgemarathon.com
If you want to run 60 km, your training is going to be full of running... but one thing you might not think of is making sure that you rest too! Resting in between running is one of the most important intervals to make sure your body has time to fix itself and get stronger for your next run. Here is an example of a weekly running schedule that marathon runners use to gradually run longer distances every week and eventually they are ready to run 60 km in a race.
- Monday - 5km
- Tuesday - 7 km
- Wednesday - rest
- Thursday - 7 km
- Friday - 10 km
- Saturday - rest
- Sunday - light activity (like a game of basketball)
Then every week the intervals go up 2-3km so that 3 of 4 months down the road, you are running intervals of 30 - 40 km. Everytime you feel like you can go longer, you just bump up the distances and maybe after 6 months or even a year, you'll have no problem running a marathon.
Food Factor
Marathon DietCourtesy of cartoonstock.com
You should know that if you're planning to run a marathon, the food you eat is a huge factor. Running a marathon is no picnic. You can't expect to have your body charged up on junk food and ready to run 5 hours straight which is the approximate time it takes to run a full marathon. Obviously healthy foods is the way to go and lots of it!
Delightful Dedication
Not too many people in your school will tell you that they have run a marathon or ever will. Running a marathon takes dedication and by proving to yourself that you are a dedicated person, your confidence will grow in every other thing that you do. Most skills like learning a new language, painting a picture, building a friendship, they all take time and dedication and after you experience running a marathon, you will know the secrets to make all these things happen much easier!
Have your say
Have you ever run a marathon? Let us know how it went in the comments below.
