Marathon Training

Although I've heard the term "masters" before, I'd never really put much thought into it. That is until I posted on my podcast training group that I had just completed my last run of my 30s and someone responded with, "Welcome to the Master's Club!" Huh. It definitely sounds cooler than it is...really it just means I'm getting old. But then I reframed my thinking and thought, "Hell yeah!" I would've never envisioned I'd be...

Almost every (dare I say, every...) marathon runner deals with some form of discomfort, nagging pain, or injury at one time or another. It really just goes with the territory. But this doesn't make marathons dangerous or even risky, it just means most runners need to be better about the process that's usually an afterthought. And that's recovery. There are lots of types of recovery that runners should be engaging in, but...

Perhaps the scariest thing about running a marathon is wondering how in the world you're possibly going to make it the entire way without walking or even stopping altogether. The last thing you want is to spend all your precious disposable time training for a marathon only to not even be able to finish all 26.2 miles. And even though walking is still a worthy way of earning that shiny finisher's medal, many runners who are...

I know this isn't common practice, but I've rarely used a training plan for races of distances 13.1 miles or less. I just ran a lot of easy miles, made sure to get in some speed work, with a good average of running days per week. For the most part, it's worked for me. The marathon though? It's a whole different animal. Training for a marathon without a plan can be disastrous. Googling for a plan will pull up names like...

One of my non-marathon running friends recently asked about "hitting the wall" in the marathon wondering if it's a real thing. (Where you feel the sudden onset of fatigue.) I told him that unfortunately, it is very real. I've spent time strategizing the best ways to avoid this from happening, and want to share it with all of you. Because hitting the wall is not fun! So let's find out why hitting the wall in a marathon...

Anyone who has trained for a marathon will tell you it's no joke. Whether they felt prepared or not, the process takes a physical and mental toll. When I put it like that, it sure doesn't sound that enticing, but honestly, that's what makes completing the marathon such an achievement. Because in the end, it's not just about the marathon. It's everything it took to get there. Which is what everyone always wants to know: How...

The weekly long run is incredibly important during marathon training. Since it's an endurance event, you're going to need to build yours up. The best way to do that is incorporating one long run per week into your training. These can be daunting, but with the right preparation, they'll go so much better! Preparing for a long run during marathon training is your first line in getting it completed successfully. And who doesn't...

Most non-runners don't even know how long a marathon is let alone how long it takes to run one. Once I tell them it takes a few (or several) hours, they usually look at me like I'm crazy and say they could never do that. But, I  believe almost anyone can run a marathon which I wrote about here. Some will be faster, some will be slower, and most people will finish in a time somewhere in the middle. Most recreational...