Running a marathon is not as easy as it seems to be, it actually seems fun and intimidating to watch people run in marathons but let’s face the fact, running for 26.2 miles is not what everyone can do, it takes lots of courage and above all, you’ll need lots and lots of preparations. The reason that you are reading this article might be that it is your first time and you’ve signed up for the marathon but now you are worried about how can you make it through all the miles. Well, don’t worry, we support you in your participation completely and here we’ve got a step by step guide for you to prepare you for your first marathon. Just take a cup of coffee and sit back, relax and read these guidelines with complete concentration. You definitely will win the show!
Extraordinary Fitness
Yes, the one thing that we’ve all seen in marathon runners is fitness. They are extraordinarily fit and healthy. Keep it in your mind that by fitness, we don’t only mean to be slim and smart in fact by fitness we refer to a healthy mind, healthy body and healthy internal condition. So, if you finally have signed up for the marathon, you now need to focus and focus hard on your health. It is one of the most important and also one of the most ignored factor when it comes to runners. Just because you are fast in running doesn’t mean you can win it. You need to be fit enough to challenge all the other participants. Don’t train hard, train intelligent and stay healthy.
Start Running
Suppose you’ve got 4 months to train yourself for the marathon, what do you think will be the most important element that you need to focus on after fitness? Well, of course it is your speed and your pace of running. In order to train your own-self you don’t need any coach, instead be your own couch and start running every day. Start from slow and then increase the miles gradually. First maintain your pace in the beginning and when you think you’ve trained yourself enough to run continuously for 10 miles, then increase the miles and just keep doing it until you are perfect at it! Just be sure during all this that you are not overusing your injuries. It is a matter of fact that you are going to have a sore body and you will get slightly injured to but don’t let it be a hurdle. Recover your injuries and start again, get yourself a proper training plan and follow it accordingly.
Recovery and Fueling
In order to avoid any sort of injuries you need to do some pre-running (sort of a warm up) and some stretching too but even than there are times that you feel like your body had enough and you will feel inflammation in some of your body parts but that is nothing to worry about, you can recover it easily by getting some ice cold water dips in order to alleviate that inflammation. Also, you can use a heat or foam roller in order to sooth your sore muscles. Now, comes the fueling of your body. It is but obvious that after running for miles and miles your body will get hunger strikes and you will feel abnormally hungry but don’t worry because this is how every human body reacts after excessive workout or running. Well, are you getting hunger strikes? Now, is the time that you’ve got to make the real sacrifice, you have to eat healthy, eat right and at the right time too. The most difficult task is to resist all the junk and yummy food while you are hungry but eating healthy and eating clean is the only option you have here. Want to refuel your body? Consume food with a 3:1 ratio of proteins to carbohydrates, also you can add up some protein shakes to boost up your body.
Mental Preparation
Above everything, you first need to convince your mind on following a proper plan. A plan which consists of your healthy eating habits, fitness and also your miles that you have to run each day. This is the most difficult task, there are going to times where you will feel just drained of energy and you will be at the verge of ending it all, ending your decision of running a marathon. Well, don’t lose hope, it’s tough, it’s going to be very very tough to train yourself but at the end of the day you have to win the race, you’ve got to be the one who wins the show. Just focus on your one and only one goal that you have to win a position in the upcoming marathon and it is just a matter of time that you are going through all the hardships. Your all efforts will one day pay you back, once you are done convincing your own mind, you are all set and ready to be trained and win!
The Right Equipment
Done with all the training sessions and done reaching your fitness, health and mile goals? Now comes the easy yet most important part. You’ve got to have the right type of equipment in order to run a marathon and by equipment, I specifically mean, a pair of good shoes, some high-quality socks and also some Vaseline. You see, shoes are the only companion that would help you win the race and you need to make lots of research before going to the market to buy a pair of shoes. They should be comfortable enough to support you in running those 26.2 miles without any problem. Also, like shoes are the only companion we have on the race track, socks are what will aid you there too so better get yourself some good stuff socks that will make your feet feel light yet strong. Some Vaseline is also recommended to be applied on your feet before wearing the socks because that can save you from blisters and other feet problems.
What to Eat Before the Marathon?
Consuming carbohydrates in lunch in the form of pasta or rice and then having a small portion and a light dinner is what you need to do on the day before your race starts. Keeping the dinner light will help you in feeling active and your GI track will feel less load and you will get a good night sleep. You need to take the right amount of proteins and carbohydrates the night before your race and also you need to be careful about the time so that your body can digest food easily. Take some fuel sources with you on the race too, that will help you in recharging your body.
Watch the Winners!
Done training yourself? Done buying the equipment? Now, you are all set to step in the marathon but before heading to your special day, just make sure to read, hear or watch the marathon winners. See, what they did and how they became successful enough to win a marathon. Look for motivational speeches and watch videos on how they trained themselves, these motivational speeches are sort of a treat to your own brain. The most important thing that you would need a week ago the marathon will be lots and lots of motivation, sportsmanship and courage. Obviously, you can’t start training yourself a day or week before the marathon and it is a fact that you stress and anxiety levels will be high. In that case, some motivation and courage will do the magic for you and that is all you need on your big day!
Conclusion
So above we’ve given a step by step marathon guide that will definitely help you. You just need to be consistent on your efforts and not to lose hope at any cost. That is the only one thing that you need to focus, just keep struggling, keep up with your training schedule and we are sure that the race is all yours! Stay connected and keep reading because we’ve got a lot more to talk about in our upcoming articles!
