Let’s start with the assumption that you’ve already learned how to run. If you haven’t, check out my video How To Start a Running Program.
We’ll also assume that on a regular basis, say 4 or more times a week, you run anywhere from 3 to 6 miles. You can do this without a lot of angst. This is a really good fitness baseline. It will allow you to push out with some confidence. You will need 18 weeks to train. Four and a half months.
(If you are starting from zero, you will need 6-9 months.)
There are 3 secrets to preparing for a Marathon.
1. Pick a marathon you’d like to run. Now Commit. Click the entry button. Pay the money. Right now. DO NOT WAIT.
You can find all sorts of marathons by plugging the word into google, and also looking in running magazines, such as Runner’s World, my favorite. Most folks choose to run a marathon in their area. If you are new to running, and don’t want to run a local marathon, you may want to enter one of the big city marathons. You will never be alone, and the energy you’ll pull from the crowd of bystanders will keep you pumped for miles. Does the event date give you enough time to train.
Dig a little deeper online. Check out the course. You will be able to gauge the difficulty level. If this is your first marathon, you may want to avoid one that is very hilly. If you’ve never run trail, you may want to stick to roads. What kind of scenery is there? Are there any rules you wouldn’t like, like no headphones?
2. Commit to your training. Don’t be a dabbler.
You’ve got your starting date. Work backwards. You need 18 weeks. What is your training start date? Etch this in stone. Because if you put the start of your training off too long, you’ll decide you’ll never catch up. You essentially quit before you even begin.
Get out your appointment book. Pencil all the dates in. Better yet, use magic marker. Check out this link for the Chicago Program. Copy it in, number for number, distance for distance. Do it NOW
The majority of programs require that you run shorter distances during the week (anywhere from 3 to 6 miles on average with a couple of 9’s and 10’s thrown in towards the end) 3 times a week. So you will know on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (for instance) you will be running come hell or high water. If you travel, this means going up to the concierge at the front desk of a hotel and asking for a running map (they all have them). Or hitting the treadmill before breakfast. Or stumbling out of your room and clocking some random distance with your watch. If you are running 10 minute miles, you’ll run for 15 minutes one way, and then turn around. This will give you three miles.
You need some motivation, beyond wanting to be the best you’ll ever be? Get a running buddy, or 3. Run for a charity, like the Leukemia Society. They get together regularly to run in a pack. You’ll meet new people. People who won’t want to sit around eating chips watching Desperate Housewives.
Fuck the snow and the rain and the heat. Learn to dress for weather. If you don’t know how, check out my video How to Run in All Sorts of Weather.
3. The Long Run
I know this sounds sick, but I love Saturday morning long runs. It’s where I get my best ideas, my sense of self, the space I need to regroup. You may choose to run long on Sundays because of your schedule, but I have always used Saturdays. This is where all the confidence and power is built. This is what turns you into a God or Goddess. This is where you prove to yourself what you are made of.
This is how the long run works:
The first Saturday of your training period, you run 6 miles. For some of you this is easy. If you’ve been running 3’s, it’s a push. The following Saturday you push it out to 7 miles, but the next Saturday, you back it down to 5. The long runs continue this way. Push forward two weeks, back it down the third week. This keeps you fresh. It gives you some psychic relief.
There are many different programs out there, but they work roughly the same way. What they all have in common is the LONGEST run before the big event:. 20 miles. You never run longer than 20 miles. Even though you will have to stretch and add the additional 6.2 miles for the race event. This is one of the reasons marathoners tell you that a marathon is composed of 2 races. The first 20 miles, followed by the last 6.2. They require nearly equal effort.
On long runs, supplement with Gu, or other gel foods. If you’re into raw foods, check out this great power supplement I found. Pop a Gu every 7 miles. It will keep you from bonking. Hydrate with an electrolyte drink, like Gatorade. The loss of salts will mess with your stamina. Particularly on hot days. I like to dilute mine by half. For runs over 8 miles, carry a water belt. Figure out where to find water, stash some if you must. Don’t play with this stuff. It will make you very unhappy.
Here are some other vital things to keep in mind.
- You don’t have to have 4% body fat to run a marathon. Some pretty beefy people do just fine. They even have a name: Clydesdales. Don’t let extra weight be your excuse.
- Each mile you run burns 100 calories. If you run 12 miles, that 1200 calories. Pretty good. It doesn’t mean pizza every day, though. You will have no problem maintaining or gaining weight if you fail to remember this formula.
- Carbs are your friends. You need to load up on lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. This is what your engine needs to move. Ditch the Atkins bullshit. At least while you train.
- You can plot your mileage in the car. Drive your route. Add a circle here, a road there to build the mileage. Explore. Run places you’ve never explored before. Get to know towns you’ve never bothered with before. This is an adventure. For God’s sake, treat it like one.
- Your goal is to cross the finish line, not win the damn thing. It doesn’t matter how slow you feel you are. You’ve got plenty of time to finish the thing.
- You will not be shot if you stop for a walk break. Sometimes, all you need is one minute to swig some water, take a pee, or get your breath back. You will be able to carry on. You are not a wimp.
- During the summer months, the most common marathon-training season, you want to get your run in before the heat of the day kicks in. This means starting out at 5 or 6AM. This means going to bed at 9PM on a Friday night, instead of hanging out with your pals at that all you can drink Margarita joint til all hours of the night.
- On long runs, carry toilet paper. There’s something about pushing past 14 miles that loosens things up, if you know what I mean. Find a field, or a bush, and take care of business. Sometimes you have no choice. You’re becoming a warrior. Warriors can’t always locate toilets. Get ok with peeing and pooing outside. We’re big girls and boys. It’s ok.
- Use Aquaphor gel if you start getting rub marks. There are just certain places that tend to chafe. Between the thighs, under the arms, even your butt crack. I grease the hell out of the bottoms of my feet if I’m running long. It keeps my toes from sticking together. On hot days, my husband greases his pieces parts.
- Make sure you are running in shoes that are half a size larger than your street shoes. If you don’t, your toenails are going to take a serious beating. That’s why they turn black and eventually fall off. OUCH!
- If you have little kids and nobody to help with them, you may have to consign yourself to the treadmill on a really long run. Stick on video—like Gone with the Wind—and run until it’s done. It’s not ideal, but it’ll do in a pinch.
- Run road races as part of your training. In the beginning, run a 10k. The energy is great for you. Do a half marathon or two. It’s a great way to get familiar with the rhythm of running with lots of people. With aid stations. With the energy of a crowd. You’ll meet people with artificial legs, and old people who kick ass, and blind men with Seeing Eye dogs. You’ll drop kick your excuses like you wouldn’t believe.
- Know this. You are doing something that most people only dream about. You are doing it. You are bothering. You are sacrificing. You are heading out when the thing you want most to do is go and lay down. You are the elite athlete you’ve always admired. This time it’s you!
