Marathoning for beginners – part one

You’re thinking of running a marathon. Maybe you don’t know it yet, but somewhere, deep down, you love the idea of being a marathoner. You’re thinking that everyone seems to be planning a marathon: badgering you for sponsorship, starting narcissistic blogs, swapping the pub for the gym and investing in high-vis lycra. You’re thinking that there must be something in it, if everyone’s doing it... Just yesterday yet another friend of mine asked me for advice on training for his first 26.2. He reminded me that making the jump from ordinary human to extraordinary higher being is as easy as completing 16 weeks’ training and enjoying a few hours’ ground-pounding and soul-searching on race day. So I'll try to write down some things I learnt from training for my first marathon and hopefully convince you that it's worth your time and effort...

Me looking rather pale, somewhere after mile 21 in Paris, the wrong side of the wall.

The reality check first: not everyone can run a marathon. It isn’t easy. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be extraordinary. It requires significant dedication to a demanding physical regime; sacrifice, hard work, and a certain willpower just to get to the start line. The race itself will be unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. It will probably be the best day of your life, but you will suffer for it. The pain is real, as every joint and muscle will ache like never before, ‘hitting the wall’ can make you want to stop existing, and (to me at least) the pressure to finish the race can be so draining it becomes almost unbearable.  However, for those who are willing to put up with this torment, the rewards are immense.

 Still sound like a good idea? You may just be unhinged enough to approach a marathon. In classic Blue Peter style, here are some things you’ll need before you start:

-          A pair of properly-fitted running shoes and a few pairs of running socks

-          A few pairs of shorts and T-shirts, ideally some specifically designed for running/sport, but ordinary cotton ones will be fine when you're starting out. You'll be much better off buying some good quality kit to race in, and it's best to do this at least a few weeks in advance so you get a chance to train in it and make sure it's comfortable.

-    Layers for the cold, and a lightweight jacket for the rain.

You should already be able to run or jog at a consistent pace for at least 30 minutes non-stop, without any pain in your chest or significant muscle pain. If you can't do this you'll find the programme below very tough going, and potentially quite damaging. If you've had respiratory problems in the past or serious issues with your hips, knees, ankles or feet you may want to have a chat with your GP to make sure you're in a good position to start training. (This is massively hypocritical of me, I love running too much to concede to doctors' instructions to stop or slow down...)

Next you need a plan for training. To prepare for my first marathon in Paris in April 2009, I started 'training properly’ in December 2008, following a 16-week training programme I lifted from a book. The schedule I worked to was based on running just four times a week: two short runs, one medium run and one long run. As you can see, this starts out at 3-4-3-5 miles and tops out at 5-8-5-18 miles. The long run is typically best placed at the weekend, allowing you to take a day off either before or after it (or both). 

Week	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Total
1	3	4	3	5	15
2	3	4	3	6	16
3	3	4	3	7	17
4	3	5	3	8	19
5	3	5	3	10	21
6	4	5	4	11	24
7	4	6	4	12	26
8	4	6	4	14	28
9	4	7	4	16	31
10	5	8	5	16	34
11	5	8	5	16	34
12	5	8	5	18	36
13	5	8	5	18	36
14	5	8	5	9	27
15	3	5	3	8	19
16	3	3	walk 3	26.2	35.2
Total					418.2

The first sixteen weeks of the rest of your life...

You'll notice that the schedule peaks in weeks 12 and 13, then tapers off. Tapering is just as - if not more - important than getting all your miles in, as it allows your body to recover and store up energy to carry you through raceday. Likewise taking proper rest days, and not increasing your mileage to fast or too soon, will give your body the best chance to deal with the increased demands you're going to make of it. Too many beginners (and experienced runners, come to think of it) do too much too early, and end up suffering overuse injuries or burning out before raceday. 

You might be surprised that the longest run in this plan is 'only' 18 miles. This is a major point of debate in marathon training circles - should your longest training run be 18, 20, 22 or even 26 miles? My advice is that 18 miles is enough, 20 would be good, 22 is probably too much and 26 is madness. This is because hitting the wall during training is miserable, and that if you push too far it will take you too long to recover and interrupt your training as a result. If you're new to running leave it at 18. If nothing else, you probably don't want to know the full scale of the pain that awaits you after mile 20... Bear in mind that the atmosphere and vibe of the race is likely to carry you at least a couple of miles further than you can comfortably run in training.

There's the basics - get some kit, make a plan, follow the plan as best you can and enjoy it. In part two I'll go into more detail on training advice and what you can expect during the race, as well as musing on why marathoners are very different people to the rest of the population...

Happy training!

Dave