You Can Run A Marathon
If you can run two miles you can run 26.2! So heres how it goes. I remember about 8 yrs ago I used to smoke heavily and decided I was going to quit. I started to exercise and run to help get over the bad habits I developed.
I started running one mile and soon that became two. 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. You ask how does 2 miles compare to 26.2? This is how this works.
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.
In your firsyt month try to build up to 3-5 miles for a good start. As you approach the second month increase this base run to about 4-6 miles a day 4 -5 days a week. By doing this you will have a good base to start from. It is not necessary to run fast. If you need take 30 seconds to 1 minute in between each mile then do so, the goal here is to finish,
As you start to get up in mileage hydration and nutrition is very important and must not be forgotten I will discuss that in the next article. Now that you have a nice base run of about 20 miles per week you can build on this over the next 12 weeks.
Month three begin to build on your run lengths and intensity. You will need to add one “hill” work out and one “speed work” exercise to your routine along with adding one long run to your weekly mileage.
As yo enter this stage of your training this is an example of what your routine should 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 6-8 miles 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 runs at an average intensity of 3-5 miles and then take some rest on Friday and Saturday before the race.
Happy running and good luck! Try this and you will finish your first marathon.