Planning for Marathon or Half-Marathon Training

Training for marathon or half-marathon is demanding and requires good planning. Besides finding a reliable marathon or half-marathon training plan or program, it is important to have an overall plan. Most runners especially beginners start marathon training without first sitting down and laying down a reasonable plan and as a consequence, they don’t make it beyond the first few days of training. They quit because of disappointments most of which could have been avoided if there was a good training plan. Assuming that you have a good plan and you have started your marathon or half-marathon training, you will still need some benchmarks along the way before your ultimate marathon race.

What is the Importance of Benchmarks in Marathon or Half-Marathon Training?

If you don’t know what benchmarks are, they are simply milestones that will help you know if you are making any progress in your marathon or half-marathon training. Benchmarks can be inbuilt smaller races or road races such as 10K, 15K or even a time trial in your marathon training plan or program.

Marathon Training benchmarks will guide you as you prepare for your big race. It is easier to correct or adjust your training accordingly early in your program if you have a benchmark than if you just trained all the way to the marathon race day. For example if your marathon or half-marathon program predicts that you will be able to run a certain time at a certain point in your training, your benchmark will confirm it for you. Of course this may just be a range not an exact time and as long as you are within that range you will be sure your marathon or half-marathon training plan is working for you. If the program is not showing good results, you can modify it to suit your situation. That is why you need to be careful when designing or choosing your training program. A good marathon or half-marathon training plan should be flexible enough to allow you to modify it to suit your needs.

Good training programs usually have inbuilt benchmarks or races that are part of the program. However, if you are using a marathon or half marathon program that does have benchmarks anywhere, you need to talk to your coach about including some. If you don’t have a coach I would advise you as an experienced coach to find a reliable program that has benchmarks. If you are a beginner marathon runner, you should be very conservative on the number of races you choose, it is tempting to choose more than you can handle. It is also advisable to limit benchmark races to at least 3 weeks before the big marathon or half-marathon race you are preparing for. This will give your body time to recover and be ready for ultimate marathon event. 
 

Your Marathon Training Program Determines Your Success

Finally, it is also important as a coach to remind you that planning begins with a passion for the event you want to train for. Unlike other events marathon running requires a lot preparation therefore early planning is crucial. Choose a marathon or half-marathon event that is several months ahead so that you will have enough time to training for. Most reliable marathon training plans last for at least 4 months. So identify the marathon or half-marathon event you are interested in and find a reliable marathon training programs before you are scheduled to begin training for marathon.