The Guide To running Your First Marathon

Saturday, June 27th, 2009 at 4:17 am  
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by Steve Persipidus

If you can run two miles you can run marathon! So here’s how it goes. I remember about 8 yrs ago I never thought I could run a marathon. I started to exercise and run to help get over the bad habits I developed and as I did I felt energized.

I started running one mile and soon that became three and then five As I read books and learned how to expand I decided to run a marathon. My first was the New York City Marathon in 2003 and my goal was to finish.

The first step is to find a marathon and sign up for it. This will show your personal commitment and will help you knowing that you have a goal. Look for one approximately six months out from the beginning of your training. Take the first month and start running 3-4 days a week being sure to stretch before and after your runs. Stretching will help prevent injuries and promote long term health.

Use this first month to build a base run of 3-5 miles a day. As you approach the second month start to increase this base run to about 4-6 miles a day 4 -5 days a week. At this point it is not necessary to run fast. The goal here is to finish, if you need take 30 seconds to 1 minute in between each mile.

I will discuss hydration and nutrition in the next article as this is very important as well. Now that you have a nice base run of about 20 miles per week you can build nicely on this over the next 12 weeks.

Starting month 3 begin to build on your run intensity and duration. You will need to add at least one “speed” work out and one “hill” exercise to your routine and also one long run to your weekly mileage.

Here is an example of what is can look like. Monday run 3-5 miles at an average pace. Tuesday run some hills (8-10 times up a hill that is approximately 100meters in length at a brisk pace and slowly jog down) and take Wednesday off and then on Thursday run a brisk 4-5 mile run. Friday try some speed work and then Saturday off. And last try a long run on Sunday of about 7-9 miles that are at a slow pace. As you do these routines add mileage to your long run every other week by 2 miles, your mileage will increase dramatically along with your stamina until you reach around 20 to 22 miles on your long run.

The last thing to do is the taper. Three weeks prior to your planned race you need to taper off the long runs and decrease your mileage by fifty percent. Cut your long run in by a third at the first week of your taper and then run an easy 10 miler the weekend before the marathon. The week of the marathon try a few short 3-5 milers and then take some rest on Friday and Saturday before the race.

Try this and you will finish your first marathon. Happy running!

Marathon Running, Weight Loss and Fitness – How You Could Lose Up To Two Stone Per Marathon

Saturday, June 6th, 2009 at 9:44 pm  
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running weights Marathon Running, Weight Loss and Fitness How You Could Lose Up To Two Stone Per Marathon
On Sunday, I watched the Flora London Marathon 2008 on DVD. Thirty four thousand people crossed the finish line. Sadly I was not one of them, having failed to secure a place in the race. When I lived in London, I was able to cheer the runners on from my garden, and have dreamed of running the race ever since.

I had a friend who ran a gym and told me of the many people he knew who had permanently injured themselves as a result of running a marathon.

I also know many runners who have run marathons and done so without long term negative health effects.

So, on Sunday, I dusted off my trainers and went for a run, and as I ran, I wondered just how good is running a marathon for you?

Getting out a calculator, a pen, some paper, a sixteen week marathon training plan, and a calorie guide, I worked out the following.

• If you do a 16 week marathon training plan, you can expect to run about 600 miles over those 16 weeks.

• Running 600 miles is the equivalent of doing about 23 marathons.

• If you run at a four hour marathon pace (about 9 minutes a mile), 23 marathons will take you 93 hours

• That is about 5,600 minutes.

• 5,600 minutes of running at 9 minutes a mile will burn about 88,000 calories. • Burning 88,000 calories is the equivalent of losing 25lbs in weight.

• Training and running a marathon will help you lose between 1 ½ to 2 stone in weight!

The benefits to me of losing this sort of weight, is that it would take me down to my ideal weight. How would losing 1 ½ to 2 stone benefit you?

Are there any other benefits to running a marathon?

Yes there are. Here are just a few of them.

• Increased self esteem.

• Increased fitness.

• More social contacts.

• A lasting sense of achievement.

• Running is fun.

I really like the last benefit. I find running great fun, especially as I vary my running routes as much as possible. Varying your routes always gives you something new to see as you run.

What about injury?

I used to let the thought of injury hold me back. I have since learned that providing you are sensible, and don’t overdo it you should avoid injury. Many injuries result from overdoing the training. Another cause of injury is using poor or badly fitting equipment.

If you want to avoid injury, one of the key things to do when running is to listen to your body. Your body will know when it has almost had enough or when things are starting to go wrong, and it’ll warn you. If you feel pain, don’t ignore it – listen to it and figure out why.

Of course before starting any new system of exercise you should always consult your doctor before hand.

Running a marathon is not easy due to the time you need to commit to training. Powerfully Positive People know this, but have strategies to get past all the difficulties.

·         You need to have commitment, and want it badly enough.

·         You need to have a plan, breaking your big goals into smaller ones.

·         You need to have perseverance, pushing on to each successive goal, just like taking each step when your legs are tired and your feet are aching.

·         You need to reward yourself, patting yourself on the back each time you achieve a goal along the way.

I have shown the rewards in terms of your health, fitness, and mental health more than outweigh the effort you will have to put in to train for, and run a marathon.

Will you use a marathon to help you to achieve your health and fitness dreams?


Becoming a Good Runner, Starting Out Overweight & Totally Non-Athletic

Friday, January 30th, 2009 at 6:45 pm  
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runners advice33 Becoming a Good Runner, Starting Out Overweight & Totally Non Athletic
Runner’s Question: I’m 30 years old and about 25 pounds overweight. I’m 5’3.5″ and about 149 pounds.

I would like to start running but I’m not in very good shape. I walk a lot with my friends, typically about 6 miles a few times a week.

I would like to get some tips on how to become a great runner, how to best warm up, what kind of a schedule I should set in order to increase to potentially doing marathons a few years down the road… and how to go about getting started without buring out or getting hurt.

If I plan to start running in the mornings, early and before work, should I eat something beforehand and if so, what and how much???

All advice appreciated. Thanks.

Add your two cents! Answer this question (or check out the other answers) in the comments section below.

Long Runs During Marathon Training

Sunday, January 25th, 2009 at 6:49 pm  
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marathon training10 Long Runs During Marathon Training
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 20 weeks 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.


Stevie Ray's Marathon Odyssey: 2009 Race Schedule

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009 at 10:54 pm  
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Stevie Ray is… My Photo. Robert López: I am a 50 State Marathoner and Marathon Maniac #111. I have run 200+ marathons and ultras in 49 states, including 65 in 2007 and 41 in 2008. View my complete profile …

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Stevie Ray's Marathon Odyssey: 2009 Race Schedule

  
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