How To Train For Your First Marathon
Marathon training is a complicated subject with a wide range of techniques and opinions. Everyone you ask may give a unique answer as to how many miles you need to run in training, what foods you should eat and what cross training and strength training you should include, if any. The traditional approach to marathon training has always been to run high mileage, working your way up to a couple of final training runs which are close to the 26 mile distance of a marathon.You can find a quick rundown here This type of training give you confidence by letting you prove to yourself that you can cover the full distance of your race.
While confidence is very important, this high mileage approach can put you at a high risk for overuse injuries and over training. One emerging approach to marathon training involves mixing some longer distance runs with fast interval training and other strength builders like hill running. These types of workouts provide strength and stability to keep you injury free in your training and in your race. In addition to this, the faster workouts build your anaerobic system which provides a quicker source of energy for your event. A strong anaerobic system can get you well into your run before your aerobic system takes over and begins to build up waste products in your muscles.
It’s also important to maintain your general health at a very high level when you train for something as demanding as a marathon. Eating nutrient rich foods and supplementing vitamins and minerals can help ward of sickness and injuries. You don’t have to worry so much about calories because of your high energy output. Stretching and strength training will also help keep your muscles, joints and ligaments in good shape and make sure you finish your first marathon happy and healthy.