Hey, it’s January! So if you’re planning on running a marathon this spring/summer, what that really means is:
It’s time to get serious about your training.
I’ve got some good news for you, if you’ll be running a marathon this year and looking for some help when it comes to what to do and how to take care of yourself (more about that below).
First, we wanted to share with you what you should be doing RIGHT NOW if you’re training for a marathon, say, in April… (just to pick a random month out of the blue).
Base Mileage
What is base mileage? Well, base mileage is what you should be running before you start your proper ‘training plan’ and usually includes two short runs and one long run, three times a week.
If you’re planning to run your first marathon in this year’s London marathon, by the end of this month you should really be able to run six miles happily (more or less). If you’re hoping to up your game this year, by improving your time, that should be more like 8-10 miles on your long weekend run.
Thanks to Michel from Thrive Fitness for that helpful tip (who is also a certified running coach).
Check Your Shoes
Before you put your head down and dig in, it’s a good idea to head to a local Sweatshop or Runner’s Need and get your gait assessed and buy the right shoes for your feet. At specialty running shops like these, they video you running on a treadmill and suggest the correct shoe for your gait.
Yes, I’ve read Born to Run, and yes, I agree that in an ideal world where we didn’t all spend 99% of our waking hours in shoes that we should be able to run ultra-marathons in plimsoles. Unfortunately, our bodies adapt to our environment, which for most of us is a lot of time sitting and a lot of time in shoes that don’t stimulate our foot muscles. In that case, you’ll more than likely have a less-than-ideal footfall that will need to be supported with the correct footwear.
If you have had the whole running assessment for the right shoes, that’s great. Just make sure it was relatively recently, as it’s suggested to get new shoes about every 500-600 miles.
Want to know why? Here’s a good article from Greatist that goes into a little more detail.
So, there are your 2 things to work on in January to start training for that marathon.
Now, what’s the news?
Oh, yeah.
Well, we’re putting together a bunch of resources, like training and nutrition guides and planners, all based around training for a marathon. That will be coming out in a couple of weeks. To help make sure we include everything YOU want, I’ve put together a short survey.
