Ready. Set. Marathon. Blog - Page 11 of 14

How Orangetheory Fits Into Your Marathon Training

I've been a member at Orangetheory Fitness (OTF) for about three and a half years. It was recommended to me by a friend, so I took a free trial class. My thoughts were, "I'm just going to do this one class for fun. I'm not going to join...I don't want to spend the money on it. I can run for free." Well, I ate my words, because I was instantly hooked. When I started training for a marathon in 2017, Orangetheory had become a...

10 Ways to Keep Boredom Away on Your Long Run

When my marathon training comes up among fellow runners who generally stick with shorter distances the top comments usually are, "I don't think I could ever run that far," and, "How do you not get bored?" I think it's very normal for a distance of 15+ miles to seem impossible when you feel out of breath after only a few miles, and I also understand that a long run sounds like it could be incredibly boring. So, how do you not...

Why Banking Time in Your Marathon is a Bad Idea

Whether you've run a marathon before or not, you're likely not new to the racing part of running. The feelings that come up as you await the starting gun are similar for every running distance. Maybe you're two parts excited, one part nervous (or the other way around)...and you have energy you're ready to burn. Seconds later the gun goes off and the adrenaline is coursing through your veins. Your watch beeps at mile one and...

Want to be prepared for your marathon? Run More Miles

Whether you want to run a marathon in the future or are ready to embark on your first marathon training cycle you're probably wondering what kind of mileage commitment to expect. As a seasoned runner you may be working toward a personal record and wondering if increasing your mileage will help you. Here you'll find out what kind of weekly mileage it takes in training to run a marathon well. The old adage of "you get out what...

Top 10 Marathon Runner Must-Haves

One of the biggest reasons that I started running was because it was fuss-free. I already owned a t-shirt, a pair of athletic shorts, and a pair of running shoes. And there was a sidewalk right outside my door that I could run on. This shortlist of marathon runner must-haves carried me through a lot of years of low-mileage running. But once I started focusing on getting faster as well as running marathons, the list of what I...

Running Shoe Weight and How to Choose the Best Option

If you're like me, when you peruse the running shoe aisle and pick up a pair that catches your eye, you immediately take in the weight of it. If it feels at all heavy, I for one, immediately put it back down. Why, after all, would I want to make my running any harder by wearing a heavy pair of running shoes?! There does seem to be a range of weight in running shoes, but how wide is it? After noticing that not all running...

The Best Body to Run a Marathon Isn’t What You Think

Every sport seems to have a body type that aligns with that particular activity. Some bodies are just more conducive to the athleticism involved in the specifics needed to be at that top level in certain sports. Swimmers are tall, lean, and broad-shouldered. Football players are tall, big, and strong. Jockeys are very short and lightweight. And what about marathon runners? Chances are you've already conjured an image in your...

The Dangers of Marathon Running and How to Avoid Them

Here I’ll outline risks associated with the marathon distance as well as what you can do to avoid them pertaining to:

Am I healthy enough to run a marathon?
Do I hydrate properly for marathon training?
What type of nutrition do I need to safely run a marathon?
Is it too hot to be running a marathon?
Am I running through injury when I shouldn’t be?

Keeping Up With the Kenyans – What makes them so fast?

It's no secret that Kenyans have dominated the sport of running in the marathon distance for a long time. At the time of this writing, the current champions of the Abbott World Marathon Majors for both men and women are from Kenya. That's not to say that people from other countries haven't had their moments to shine, but Kenyan runners, as well as other runners from neighboring East African countries, consistently stay at...

My Race Has a Corral Start – What is that?

For many races, you saunter up to the crowd hovering in front of the start line and pause to decide where you want to jump in. You might size up the competition a little bit..."he looks really fast, probably should stay behind him..." and "they're hanging towards the back so maybe they're walking..." and then you weave your way to the middle and wait for the race to begin. Chances are you'll pass quite a few people all while...