A Marathon Training Program is Essential to Finishing!
Most marathon training programs have a fairly consistent theme — increase mileage gradually and rest regularly. Rest is almost as important as shoes for keeping you injury free.
***Quick update*** I got my bro to start training for his first marathon! ... and I'm joining him! We're doing the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon on January 17, 2010! Follow us as we train -->Bromates.
As I said before, if you’re not comfortable with starting out with a 6-mile long-distance run, then please start out with the
marathon base building
program.
Beginner Marathon Training Program
Congratulations! You’re now ready for the main event! At this point, you will have accomplished a few things: - Read through the shoes section and selected a very comfortable pair (not based on brand or color)
- Finished the base training program if you needed too Great! Let’s get started. But first, another tip for the
beginner running tips
list: - The early runner usually runs. Meaning, if you put off running until after work, you will have a better chance of blowing off your runs and your $100 entry fee will be wasted. It took me a few weeks to realize that if I ran in the morning before work, not only did I go to work feeling accomplished… when I came home I wasn’t dreading a long run after a long day. Also, last time I checked, marathons don’t usually start at 7 p.m… they start at 7 a.m. The quicker you start training your body for early morning runs, the better off you’ll be on race day… but I digress. You are now ready for your 18-week marathon training program. Each week you will have two rest days, four run days and one recover/cross-train day. Here's an overview of each day in your marathon training program: Rest is Good
During your two rest days, you will (you guessed it) rest! Even if you’re chomping at the bit to run another few miles—don’t! You will get yourself off your training routine, over work your muscles and potentially put yourself at risk of injury. Fun Running Long Runs
As I mentioned, run early in the morning if possible. Stick to your schedule. If it says 2 miles, run 2 miles. No more, no less. It is very important you run your weekend morning long distance training runs. You are basically pushing your body to get better each week. If you miss a week, then you’re a week behind and it’s tough to gain it back. Recover/Cross-Train
After your weekend long run, make sure to not sit on the couch all day. You need to get up and walk, bike or do something light for 30 minutes. This helps get all the bad stuff out of your body (lactic acid). It’s the stuff that makes you really sore the next day if you don’t work it out. Here's the full 18-week training program by trainer extraordinaire Hal Higdon:
| Week | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
| 1 | rest | 3 | 3 | 3 | rest | 6 | cross | | 2 | rest | 3 | 3 | 3 | rest | 7 | cross | | 3 | rest | 3 | 4 | 3 | rest | 5 | cross | | 4 | rest | 3 | 4 | 3 | rest | 9 | cross | | 5 | rest | 3 | 5 | 3 | rest | 10 | cross | | 6 | rest | 3 | 5 | 3 | rest | 7 | cross | | 7 | rest | 3 | 6 | 3 | rest | 12 | cross | | 8 | rest | 3 | 6 | 3 | rest | 13 | cross | | 9 | rest | 3 | 7 | 4 | rest | 10 | cross | | 10 | rest | 3 | 7 | 4 | rest | 15 | cross | | 11 | rest | 4 | 8 | 4 | rest | 16 | cross | | 12 | rest | 4 | 8 | 5 | rest | 12 | cross | | 13 | rest | 4 | 9 | 5 | rest | 18 | cross | | 14 | rest | 5 | 9 | 5 | rest | 14 | cross | | 15 | rest | 5 | 10 | 5 | rest | 20 | cross | | 16 | rest | 5 | 8 | 4 | rest | 12 | cross | | 17 | rest | 4 | 6 | 3 | rest | 8 | cross | | 18 | rest | 3 | 4 | 2 | rest | rest | 26.2! |
Return from Marathon Training Program to Marathon Training.
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