Marathon Training

Check out the Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com/! My book Pocket Guide to Fitness will be available at www.authorhouse.com (best buy), www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com/ in about three weeks.

If you would like to run a good time in the Marathon, you need to train months ahead of time. Some people start three months ahead of time. I recommend six months, especially if you are a beginner. First, get clearance from a physician. It is a good idea to see her or him a week or so before the race as well.

In summary, start running about four days a week. If you have never ran more than five miles, it would be a good idea to train for a half marathon first. I did my first marathon with no training, with a goal to finish, and I did, even after little sleep, but I had trained in a gym for five solid years and knew my capabilities. Use what is on this blog to get close to your body and "hear" what it can do.

If you have run more than five miles and you are training for a marathon, start training for a month running five miles four days a week, about six months before the marathon the first month of training. Up this to running seven miles four days a week for two weeks, and then 10 miles four days a week for two weeks. For a month, run 10 miles two days a week and 12 miles two days a week for a month. Then run 15 miles three days a week and 12 miles one day a week for a month. Slow down during the last month of training. Run 15 miles two days a week and 12 miles two days a week for three weeks. For the last week of training, run ten miles four days a week. Include one long run of at least 20 miles at the beginning of this last month to get yourself ready for the marathon. Make sure to eat starchy carbohydrates before each run.

There are different combinations of these runs. Ask a veteran marathoner. Get a coach. Above all, do what feels right for you. You may feel you need to lose weight. Do so until you get to your comfortable running weight for your time goal.

Keep up with your weight training before the race. You may not want to bulk up and add weight to your running weight. You will want to keep your muscles toned. Most muscles will work in some way during the race.

Check out the Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com! My book Pocket Guide to Fitness will be available at www.authorhouse.com (best buy), www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com in about three weeks.

If you would like to run a good time in the Marathon, you need to train months ahead of time. Some people start three months ahead of time. I recommend six months, especially if you are a beginner. First, get clearance from a physician. It is a good idea to see her or him a week or so before the race as well.

In summary, start running about four days a week. If you have never ran more than five miles, it would be a good idea to train for a half marathon first. I did my first marathon with no training, with a goal to finish, and I did, even after little sleep, but I had trained in a gym for five solid years and knew my capabilities. Use what is on this blog to get close to your body and "hear" what it can do.

If you have run more than five miles and you are training for a marathon, start training for a month running five miles four days a week, about six months before the marathon the first month of training. Up this to running seven miles four days a week for two weeks, and then 10 miles four days a week for two weeks. For a month, run 10 miles two days a week and 12 miles two days a week for a month. Then run 15 miles three days a week and 12 miles one day a week for a month. Slow down during the last month of training. Run 15 miles two days a week and 12 miles two days a week for three weeks. For the last week of training, run 10 miles four days a week. Include one long run of at least 20 miles at the beginning of this last month to get yourself ready for the marathon. Make sure to eat starchy carbohydrates before each run.

There are different combinations of these runs. Ask a veteran marathoner. Get a coach. Above all, do what feels right for you. You may feel you need to lose weight. Do so until you get to your comfortable running weight for your time goal.

Keep up with your weight training before the race. You may not want to bulk up and add weight to your running weight. You will want to keep your muscles toned. Most muscles will work in some way during the race. Keep up with your cardiovascular training. Swimming is good to do.

There are many programs out there. Here is one resource from the New York Road Runners Club: http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/training/trainingprogram.php .

Here is what not to do:

Do not weight train three days before the Marathon, especially large muscles like the quadriceps or hamstrings. No matter how trained you are, you will feel it on race day, in ways that you do not like!
Do not wear old, tight sneakers. No matter how trained you are, you will feel it!
Do not have long toenails. No matter how trained you are, you will be in danger of having a loose toenail which will fall off eventually. Your old toenail will regrow, but the loose one will hurt during the race. This happened to me in two races. One was a marathon. Where would you be without me telling you my tips?

After the Marathon, do not run for at least five days. Let your muscles rest and rebuild. It is a good idea, two days after the race, to do some light cardiovascular work, especially if you are used to it, or swim, so your muscles will not “crash” and so your blood circulation will keep flowing. This last sentence is guided more by my intuition and experience than science! Doing some kind of workout the week after the marathon will also keep your confidence high and not allow you to slump mentally or physically!