You may have spent years thinking about running a marathon, but when are you actually going to get on and do it? To run a marathon, you need incredible levels of fitness, and you have to take care of your wellbeing more than ever, which is why you can be put off from reaching that finish line. However you try to justify it, you’re never going to be able to say you did it until you, you know, actually do it so here are a few running rules to get you started:
1. Start now. As much as you think about doing it, you’re never going to think your way to that medal so the important thing is to just start! Once you grab your running shoes and go for your first jog, you’ll start to get more and more into the idea, notice how it’s affecting your wellness, and you’ll be more encouraged to continue your training. You can’t become a marathon runner over night, but you do have to start somewhere, so start here!
2. Build up slowly. If you expect to complete the marathon without keeling over and dying, building up slowly is a must. You may want to push yourself to ensure you’re “ready” but it’s actually far better to be under-trained that burned out or even injured. You need to elevate your fitness levels before you can build on the intensity and distance of your runs. Start training at a level where you can still hold a conversation, and finish when you’ve got enough fuel in the tank for another run.
3. Avoid injury. This seems like a silly thing to say, but you have to be very careful to avoid injuring yourself when training for any endurance event. Common sense will only get you so far; you need to learn how to side step the pitfalls of high impact running. This begins with the right shoes for your feet, which any sports shop can help you find, but you also need to develop the proper form; landing on your fore-foot while running, with a slight lean forward, and keeping your body relaxed at all times. Make sure you only ever run on concrete or tarmac surfaces, and jog for 10 minutes before and 5 minutes after a run.
4. Run for longer. If you want to run long distances, you need to start running for long distances. Beginners need to get used to being on their feet without giving up, so don’t stop for two, three or even more hours. Every week, try to increase your mileage by about 10%, and then cut back again after two to three weeks of this so that you can recover before starting the build-up cycle again.