Tag Archives: Marathon Preparation

Training

There are a lot of information about training across the internet. Do remember to stretch before you start running and here is one of the sample of training schedule.

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run at a pace slightly faster than your usual pace around for an hour
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Run at a pace slightly faster than your usual pace around for an hour
Friday: Cross training, play your favourite sports
Saturday: The go all out day (this is the day whereby you will need to increase at
10% each week to train on your endurance for long runs)
Sunday: Rest or go for short run or walk to freshen yourself up (jog at your comfortable speed)

  • Increase the mileage of every week by not more than 10% to avoid over training.
  • Overtraining means you are stressing your body too much without proper and enough rest for the body to recover from the fatigue. Instead it will lower endurance and have a higher chance of getting injury.
  • To build up the core muscle, do consider to go gym like once or twice a week.
  • 3 weeks left before the maratho, it is normal feeling very anxious and motivated. Instead of going more and more intensive training in order not to lose the fittness, go for taper run which is running less and rest more. Taper run main role is to minimise fatigue before the marathon day. If you have put in all the works before that, you shouldn’t have a problem.

Why and when do I stretch?

When you stretch you are actually trying to warm up your body so that it get out of his resting state and prepare for some vigorous activity. If you are trying to push your body in a resting state, either you are unable to perform what you normally do or even worst you might get injured. There are a few major leg muscle group that you will need to stretch, calves, hamstring, quadriceps and hip flexors.

Do stretch after run as it helps to slow down the blood pressure circulating in your body. Sometime the sudden stop of vigorous activity might cause you to faint or light headed. Last but not least it helps to prevent delayed onset muscle soreness which is the muscle soreness after a day or so.

Why is gym training important?

Gym training actually helps to prevent injuries because it helps the strengthen the muscle group that is weak. Runners usually target light weights (able to lift not more than 15 rep) rather than heavier ones because they would want to strengthen their muscle group than to bulk it up. There are part of your body that you need to work on which is:

Upper Body – A strong upper body helps to minimise fatigue and soreness in your shoulders and arms which helps the runner to maintain a form late in a marathon or long run.

Legs – Running creates a slight muscular imbalance in the legs as the hamstring and calf muscles develop at a faster rate than the quadriceps and shins. Weight training helps address this imbalance. Additionally, strong quads and hips help protect these areas from a variety of injuries.

Abdominals – As your abdominal area supports your whole body, it is very important to train on your abdominal muscle. It helps to protect the back and most of all maintain a proper running form and posture.

Marathon Recovery

Do remember that marathon recovery starts upon when you cross the finishing line. Keep walking for at least 10 minutes to allow your body to return to its resting state as your heart rate and blood flow will slowly return back to normal. Restore those depleted energy by eating food that contains carbohydrates, protein and sodium. A nice old bathe will be good because it aid in reducing inflammation. Do remember to keep your body hydrated through out the day and last by not least reverse taper run is very important because it allows you to know how your body condition is like. If you are still feeling lingering aches and pain in your muscle, consider resting for a few days to allow the muscle to fully recover before going for any run.

Tips for 1st time marathon runner