Training for Marathons

Marathons are traditionally 26.2 miles. To some, the marathon represents the ultimate running challenge. But to others, namely people who have run several marathons, they simply aren’t challenging anymore. For these people, running ultra marathons is the answer.

Ultra marathons are basically any running event that is longer than 26.2 miles. Aside from that, the distances can vary. There are several types of ultra marathon events. Here is a list of some of them:

o Timed events such as 24 hour runs.
o Distance oriented ultra marathons such as the double marathon. Other popular distances are 50 miles, 50 km, 100 miles, and 100 km.
o Events that take place over the course of several days.
o Challenging events that take place on trails and other surfaces. Some also take place on mountains or in very mountainous areas.

Choose Your Event

Since the definition for an ultra marathon is pretty broad, the first thing you will need to do if you are interested in running one is to choose the event that interests you the most. Check out listings at your local sporting goods store or look online. You will want to pick an event that is far enough in the future so that you can have adequate time to train.

Some events, such as those that take place on trails, may present other unique challenges that would not be present in an ultra marathon that takes place on a surface such as a track or the street. The event you choose will all depend on your overall goals.

Develop a Training Plan

Your next step to running an ultra marathon is to find a training plan. Some ultra marathon events are so new that an established training plan may not exist. If this is the case, you will need to come up with your own. You can use an established marathon training plan as a base and just build on it.

If it is an event that takes place on different terrain or over the course of several days, you will have to find another way to develop the plan. Connect with other people who are registered to the event. Speak with a coach or trainer. Look for people who have run the event in the past. Search on the internet for information. The information you gather from the research will help you develop a training plan.

Be Smart

Ultra marathons are definitely extreme. That is why it is important to train smart. Give yourself enough time. Don’t try to do too much at first. Make sure you allow yourself adequate rests. Also, make sure you eat a proper diet that will have you taking in enough calories. If you train smart, your ultra marathon event will be a success.

Gray Rollins is a featured writer for TheRunnersGuide.com. To learn more about training for ultra marathons, and how to stay motivated to run, please visit The Runners Guide.

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There seems to be so many theories about long runs during marathon training. How often should you run? How far to run? How many long runs? How fast? It is my turn to give some opinions and theories about this topic.

I believe that building mileage for a marathon is the biggest robber of performance. Training for weeks and weeks plus adding mileage leaves a person worn out. Weeks and weeks of long runs add to this exhaustion.

I consider a long run to be over 15 miles in length. When the length starts approaching 20 miles even more stress is added to your training. I prefer to run long runs two weeks in a row. Resting the third week and taking one additional day of complete rest.

Example: Week 1 - Sunday Long

Week 2 - Sunday Long

Week 3 - Sunday Rest, Monday Rest

The next controversial topic is how far to run? My own experience from running 15 marathons has taught me that I need to run one 23 or 24 mile long run in training approximately three weeks before the actual race. I recommend this because, of the confidence that I receive and the time spent on my feet. Every time I tried to run just 20 mile long runs I always hit the wall at 20 miles. Going beyond 20 miles and increasing to 23 or 24 miles always prevented the wall form happening.

Pacing for marathon long runs should be very comfortable. The reason for your marathon long runs is purely aerobic. Other aspects of your marathon training will address marathon pacing etc. I recommend using a heart rate monitor for all training, especially during long runs. Keep your heart rate below 75% of maximum. Going above 75% will lengthen the recovery time of your long run.

How many long runs? I prefer to train six months for a marathon. I don’t believe training plans less than this are very effective. The body needs time to adapt and become stronger. Most injuries incurred during shorter training plans are caused by adding to much stress in a short amount of time.

I will not begin my marathon training until I have finished training for a half marathon in the early spring. After running a half marathon my long runs will be over 15 miles. This is a good point to begin adding runs over 18 miles. I will try to run 6 or 7 long runs of 20 miles during marathon training. My last long run of 23 or 24 miles will be done three weeks before marathon race day. Then I will begin my taper.

Author of Fatigue Nutrition, Run2Fast, and Ultimate Training http://www.everything-running.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Shryack

Hal Higdon’s Marathon Training: The Ultimate Training Guide is a constructive and descriptive among other marathon training guides. A marathon runner that he is (he there’s more to him beyond that), his book has been very influential to every marathon runner across the United States. This is because the program has three divisions for the specification of a trainee. Classifications are for the novice, intermediate and advanced runners.

The training program concentrates in enhancing your endurance for long distance runs at the beginning of the training proper. It’s also very specific in health matters since you need to have a physical examination before immersing to an 18 week marathon training program. Marathon and training for a marathon isn’t an easy sport to conquer but with Hal Higdon marathon training guidance, you’ll surely get your way to the finish line. Hal Higdon has run 111 marathons in his entire lifetime. Seven of which he ran in seven months to celebrate his birthday in 2001 and who else can better impart tips and guide than the man himself who have done and experienced all the physical hardships marathon running has to offer than the author.

Main goal here is, to let you understand the best training guide for your body type.

Marathon training guide is an 18 wk schedule for beginners. It includes programs for four days a week including step back weeks that will allow runners to avoid over training. There is no guaranty everything will be easy by following this training guide but as long as you follow he directions carefully you will have a great marathon experience to look back to. You also have to realize that undergoing full 18 week training will definitely mean compromise with your work, family time and other things you normally do everyday. You will need to plan a way not to miss out on those important things in as much as not jeopardizing your training as well. It’s suggested that you present this training plan to your family and friends for full support. Anything else should be dropped at the moment if you’re serious about running a marathon since it’s always best to focus on one thing at a time.

Earlier, it’s mentioned here that Hal Higdon marathon training program has three classifications. Program involves training for novice. Beginners, basically, need to focus on building mileage run. This is driven by the fact that marathon is a long distance run and you will need all the endurance, stamina and strength you can gather to finish the race. The exercise covers a comfortable run of 3-6 miles and training for about 3-5 days a week. However, other people who have started training for marathon or even those that have run a marathon event, stick to this program. That’s also possible; you should always think and decide what could be best for your body.

Training also offer intermediate and advanced programs for those who want to take marathon racing to another level. Intermediate category have two divisions, the Intermediate I is a step higher difficult than that of the Novice program. Long run starts at 8 miles instead of 6. This level alters your training tasks and resting periods. Intermediate II becomes even more difficult than the previous level. Long runs starts already at 10 miles instead of 8 and by the 8th week (training is reversely counted) your run is already 20 miles.

90 Day Marathon Training - Learn how to train for a marathon within 90 days. An All-In-One Approach To Safe, Smart http://www.90daymarathontraining.com With Everything You Need To Know From Good Nutrition To A Winning Mindset!

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Imagine – running the marathon of your dreams. You can do it! That’s my message to you today. If you have the desire to run a marathon, then you will accomplish your goal.

The first step towards completing the long run is to create a marathon training schedule. This is the key to increasing your stamina and distance over time with a minimum of injury. Also, remember to clear running in general and especially marathon training with your doctor before you begin.

Now, let’s get started.

The first thing that you must do is take an honest look at your current running level. How long have you been running? How far do you typically run in a week? Realize that you should be running 4-5 days a week consistently before training in earnest. You should be trying to run 4-5 miles each day so that you prepare yourself for the more intense weekly training increases that will begin once you start your Training for Marathon Plan.

Once you’ve established running 4-5 days each week, then you can begin building your long runs and your mileage counts. You must gradually increase both of these to avoid injury and burnout. 10% increase each week is a doable and good target.

As you create your schedule, you will want to include days of rest each week and to vary weeks. Your body needs time to recharge after long workouts so be kind to yourself in down times. Remember, too, that if you begin feeling pain or fatigue you should take short breaks from your training schedule.

Sample Marathon Training Schedule:

• Day 1 – Longest day of the week for training. If you are in a week where you’re building mileage (remember to vary this every other week), then you will want to make this approximately 1/3 of your total mileage.
• Day 2 - Rest
• Day 3- Shorter training session – should match the training on day 5. This should be a fairly easy day.
• Day 4 – Make this training session a couple of miles longer than days 3 and 5.
• Day 5 – Shorter training session – should match the training on day 3. Again this should be an easy day.
• Day 6 – Rest to prepare for the next two days.
• Day 7 – Shortest training session for the week in terms of mileage. The majority of your mileage should be completed on the other four days of running. You can consistently keep this at 4-5 miles if you wish. You should try to work up to the speed you want to run during the marathon.

Training for a marathon is not a simple procedure and it cannot be done in a short amount of time without serious injury. If you are starting from scratch without any running experience at all you might be looking at 1 to 1-1/2 years of training before the ‘big day’. However, with that said, there is nothing like running in and finishing a marathon. When that big day comes, you will find that all your hard work will truly have been worth it. Best of luck in your marathon endeavors!

Melissa Kelly loves all forms of exercise, especially long distance running. You can read more of her advice about marathons at her website, http://www.trainingformarathon.com You can also use the following link to read more about Training for Marathon information.

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I have run a half marathon, two full marathons, and even an extreme trail ultramarathon. But what separates me from most other marathon runners, is that except for a rare run outside, all my training has been on a treadmill. Most other runners I know hate the treadmill, and sometimes refer to it as the dreadmill. But the treadmill has some advantages over running outside. Of course, there are also some disadvantages as well.

One of the biggest advantages of a treadmill is the ability to run day or night regardless of the weather. Where I live, it gets brutally cold in the winter, and uncomfortably hot and humid in the summer. But with a treadmill, I am able to train year round.

Another advantage with a treadmill is the ability to run at a specific pace. Most marathon schedules call for running at various paces on various days. Outside it is near impossible to know what pace you are running while you are running. You can run on a track, and look at your watch as you pass certain markings to learn what pace you have already run. And depending on the terrain, it may difficult, if not impossible to maintain a consistant pace. But if my running schedule says run 10 miles at a 10:00 pace, I can just set the treadmill to 6mph, and run 10 miles at exactly a 10:00 minute per mile pace.

The biggest disadvantage of running on a treadmill is the monotony. Most people get bored running on a treadmill for hours. I have a TV set up in front of mine, and will watch movies, or whatever is on TV. Another disadvantage of long distance running on a treadmill is the potential for distractions. It is too easy to go take a bathroom break, get lunch, or check email. This is one of my biggest problems. I will take breaks during long runs to take care of the distractions. As long as I run all the miles, I have generally been okay in the end. But with willpower, this problem can be overcome.

Another minor inconvenience of training on a treadmill is that you are not cooled by the passing air as your run. I solved this by placing a small fan on the floor in front of the treadmill that blows air onto me to help keep me cool.

While training on the treadmill for my first road race, a half marathon, I was nervous about whether the road would be significantly harder than running on the treadmill. I did a couple training runs out on the road to see how it would feel. I was surprised to notice little difference in the impact, and found that I actually ran faster on the road than I was expecting to.

I was also concerned about the lack of hills on a treadmill. In my earlier treadmill training, I would set the incline to 3 or 4. I had read somewhere that this would simulate the road better. But I was also not able to run as fast. So at times I would set the incline to the lowest setting, and would do faster runs. As time went on, I just left the incline on the lowest setting, and run faster. I have not found this to limit my running. Most marathons are relatively flat anyway, with only a few small hills.

I was also worried that since I was not actually propelling my body forward like I would be when actually running on the road, that running on a treadmill was actually easier than running outside. This has turned out not to be an issue. When I have run outside in races, I have actually tended to run faster and easier than I have on the treadmill.

Rob Jacob enjoys running marathons and has a fitness related blog at http://www.Fitness4Sports.com

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More and more people are running a marathon these days. But many of them are struggle to complete the event. Selecting the right training schedule to follow is a huge factor in deciding how well a runner will finish the race.

Marathon training category.

Many marathon training programs have different mileage schedules for each level of training. Before selecting a training program, pick your category:

- First Time Marathoner

- Beginner: one to three marathons completed

- Intermediate: four to ten marathons

- Experienced: more than ten

- Elite: competitive runners, under 2hr:30m marathon times for men, 2:45 for women.

If you feel you are borderline between categories start out with the harder one, and if it is too stressful, switch back to the easier option.

Here are the key factors to look for in your training program

* Review the daily runs, and weekly mileage. Your schedule should follow the hard day/easy day approach on alternate days and weeks.

* The overall program should not be too long, (or too short). I find a 14 to 18 week program to be the best, depending on your current level of running. First time, and beginner marathoners may need more.

* The better schedules have a suggested daily and weekly running goal. The schedule should be well laid out, and easy to track in your running log.

* The program should be flexible. I believe you should have the freedom to change your long run day, take an extra rest day, etc without compromising the overall results.

* It should not take you to too high a weekly mileage (Elite runners excepted). About 45 - 65 miles is the highest weekly mileage you will need. The beginner programs will be at the lower end of the scale

* The training program should have a gradual build up in your weekly long run distance. This long slow distance run is the cornerstone of your marathon training, and you need to develop the ability to complete your long runs without over-taxing your body.

* Avoid long runs over 20 miles. Unlike shorter races, you don’t have to run further than the race distance during training. It’s not even necessary to run 24, or 25 mile training runs to have a good marathon.

* You should also avoid following programs that have too many 20-mile runs. One or two should be enough for the beginner to intermediate categories. Three 20-milers is normally sufficient for the experienced marathoner. In the elite category it’s up to you!

* Speedwork! For the beginner and even intermediate categories, I don’t think you need to include this type of training for a marathon. It increases your risk of getting injured. If you run two or three races during your training period this will be sufficient. More advanced runners will want to do some form of speedwork to increase the intensity of their workouts.

The bottom line is to pick a program that matches your abilities and follows the above guidelines. It’s easy for beginner marathoners especially to get drawn into training programs that are really too ambitious for their level of experience. This is true even for those folks who can run fairly fast 10K races.

Mike is an experienced marathon runner and fitness enthusiast. He is the developer of personalized training log books for athletes. You can get a customized running log at Mike’s website Personal Logs.com He publishes a website on marathon training at The Marathon Website. Mike also writes articles for the Get In Shape - Fitness For Women website.

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Almost all novice marathoners make the same mistake in their marathon training schedule. I made it while training for my first half-ironman triathlon and ended up with a knee injury that prevented me from running for two years. A teammate from my rowing team can’t run without pain to this day because of a mistake he made in college while training for a marathon.

The mistake is only natural. In fact, it’s part of our value system as Americans. It’s the idea that if some is good, more must be better.

Do you like ice cream? Then get a double scoop! Do you like french fries? Then supersize them! You want a large house? How about a mansion?

The one place where “more is better” definitely does not apply is in training. The most common mistake a first-time marathoner makes is overtraining.

When training for a marathon, avoid the urge to increase intensity or mileage too quickly. Increase your mileage by no more than 10% a week.

During my freshman year of college, I made up my mind to run a half-Ironman triathlon. The half-Ironman finishes with a half-marathon. No big deal, except that I had very little running experience at the time. With proper guidance and an intelligent training schedule, I could have been fine, but instead I opted for the “more is better” philosophy.

Having no concept of how difficult it would be to run 13 miles after a 1 mile swim and a 56 mile bike, I decided to push myself really hard in training. I figured that if I could run 20 miles in training, then 13 miles at the end of a triathlon would be no problem. I was in great shape from rowing and biking, but I hadn’t been running at all. To up my mileage to 20 miles, starting from ground zero, meant that I would have to increase my mileage nearly 30% a week. So I did.

The shin splints I could handle, but it was the knee injury that really took me out. My knee became so inflamed that it couldn’t support my weight anymore. I had to stop running, and even just walking around campus my knee would buckle and give out under me. I didn’t run again until the actual race, with I completed only with the aid of painkillers.

That was the summer before my sophomore year of college. It took four years before I was ready to run another race.

When I began training for my first marathon, I resolved not to let the same thing happen. I searched for resources that would allow me to train smarter. There’s no excuse for sidelining yourself for months because you didn’t take a few hours to learn how to train correctly.

Another good friend of mine seriously injured himself in college while training for a marathon. Again, he overtrained, with a “more is better” marathon training schedule. One of the fundamentals of marathon training is giving your body enough time to recover between runs. A typical marathon training schedule involves one long run a week and several shorter “recovery runs” in between.

My friend decided to rely more on sheer willpower and determination, rather than thoughtful planning and did a long run every day. He actually lasted a couple months before completely blowing out his knee.

Correct marathon training is intelligent marathon training. It’s easy to get excited about your race and want to overtrain. Don’t attempt to fly by the seat of your pants or rely on your intuition. There are millions of people who have run marathons already and millions who wanted to, but got injured. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Find a resource with a marathon training schedule that lets you run without injury.

Niels Hoven has competed nationally and internationally in a variety of sports, ranging from running, swimming, and biking, to triathlons, rowing, and martial arts. He has over ten years of coaching experience, has given a number of radio and TV appearances, and believes everyone should achieve their dream of completing a marathon.

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