Using a Marathon Training Plan to improve performance 

A marathon training plan can either help you achieve your marathon running goals or in some cases kill your marathon running dream. As a coach I see this happening all the time. You see not all marathon programs are created the same and they definitely don’t produce the same results for different people. It is important first to understand your marathon training needs before you even consider designing or buying a marathon training program. Sometimes it is easier to just jump into another group of marathon runners or any other long distance runners for that matter and adopt their program without first looking at their program. In such cases you can either be lucky and fit into their training program or stagnate or even worse forced out by an injury. There are two main approaches to training that most good marathon training plans or programs take into account as far as improving performance in concerned; by increasing your mileage gradually, or increasing your training speed gradually. A combination of both of these training elements or principles is ideal.  

Training by Increasing Mileage Gradually

A good marathon training program is designed to allow you to increase your training mileage slowly but steadily over a period of time. The increase is usually on weekly basis, but no more than 10 percent. It is advisable to keep a certain distance for at least three weeks before making another increment to allow your body adapt to the training. Most athletes that I know have been forced to quit marathon running due to injuries resulting from overtraining. It is tempting to want to increase your mileage faster than recommended by your coach or in your marathon training plan or program, but please don’t. Gradual mileage building in your marathon training will yield better long term results than trying to get in shape within few weeks. It is especially crucial for beginner marathon runners or any other long distance runners for that matter to pay special attention to mileage increment; it is so easy to over-train without knowing.  

Training by Increasing Speed of Training

Another principle used by marathon training plans designers or coaches is that of playing with speed. This can be done in different ways, either by running faster over a certain distance for a certain period of time. To be honest, this is not something you want to do every day in your training especially if you are training for marathon. Increasing speed will only help you with some aspects of your marathon training or running, but not all. Remember, you can only go so far with speed even if you wanted to. Speed training put more pressure of your body than long but slower training. There are several ways you can achieve speed in marathon training; you can do short speed interval training, tempo runs, fartlek running or do time trials. When used properly, they will help you improve your performance both in marathon training and running.

Therefore a good marathon training plan or program should be designed to include both gradual long slow miles as well as some shorter fast runs. For beginner marathon runners, slow long miles are better than short fast runs because of the injury level involved. Speed training should be no more than 25 percent of your weekly mileage. However, no one marathon training principle is more important than another; it is a matter of personal marathon training goals.

Can Marathon Training be Fun for Beginner Marathon Runners?

Marathon training is much fun if you try to make it fun, but it can really be hard if you allow it to be. Most beginner marathon runners quit their marathon training or running due to boredom and the demanding training plans, but there are several marathon runners who succeed due to their passion for marathon running. As a beginner marathon runner, you can improve your chances of being successful by follow the following marathon training tips:

Marathon Training Tips for beginners

Design a reasonable Marathon Training Plan or Program:

If you are a beginner you need to sit down with an experienced coach to help you design a good marathon training plan. It is really important to begin training with the right marathon training program otherwise, your pursuit will be fruitless. As a coach, I see beginner marathon runners all the time start training without a program only to fail miserably. A good program will make your journey into marathon running smoother and much fun. Guessing and failing can be a waste valuable time, let alone injuries.

Set reasonable Marathon Training goals:

Just like finding a good marathon training plan, setting reasonable goals is equally important. As a matter of fact your goals should be a guide towards the design of your marathon program. Remember that even those marathon runners who break world records were beginners at one time. Setting reasonable goal will make your marathon training and running more enjoyable and really part of your life.

Do your Marathon Training with other marathon runners:

Marathon training is such a demanding exercise that requires social support to make it more enjoyable. It can really be boring covering those high volume miles day in day out all by yourself. That is why it is much fun running with friends or teammates if you belong to a club. However, if you are the type of runner who enjoys running alone, then good for you, keep it up. But for the majority of beginner marathon runners, running with other runners with similar goals really help and makes marathon training much fun. A word of caution here is to stick to your marathon program and personal goals; it is easy to get carried away by the pace or training styles of other runners

Don’t stress about performance, good Marathon Training Plan will make it happen:

The reason why many beginner marathon runners don’t enjoy training is because they use up too much of their energy worrying about performance. There is really no need to worry, just follow a good marathon program and performance will follow. Of course you still need to take care of the other important factors I have discussed here.

Eat and hydrate well, Marathon Training demands energy:

This is crucial; you will never succeed in marathon running if you neglect nutrition and hydration. Your body needs energy to function well and tolerate the demands of marathon training. Remember that you also need supplements in addition to good nutrition and hydration. Your body will give in on you if you don’t supply the essential sources of fuel. Don’t worry about gaining weight, that doesn’t happen in marathon training, as long as you are eating the right kind of healthy food. Actually marathon running will make you lose weight without even trying.

Find the right attire and terrain for training:

This goes without saying, if you are uncomfortable, you will not enjoy your training. Of all the marathon training attire, good running shoe is perhaps the most important one. Good training shoe will make a huge difference in the quality of your marathon training or running and prevent some running related injuries. Also try running on trails and grass. Avoid running on hard surfaces and if must, then do so conservatively.

Get enough sleep and rest:

This is really important for better performance both in training and running. Your body needs to recover and adapt before you can make any progress in your marathon training. A good night sleep and rest help your body to recover faster. You can also take naps during the day whenever you can, they are helpful too.

These are just a few of the marathon training tips to help beginner marathon runners enjoy their training. You can find other marathon training tips on other articles on this blog.