How to Train for a Marathon
For many runners, the desire to do a marathon is about
personal challenge. You might want to test your limits or
prove that you can go the distance. Perhaps a friend has
talked you into it. Maybe you'd like to lose weight, get
healthier or raise awareness for a charity.
Whatever your reason, hold on to it and remind yourself of
it often during the months that lie ahead. When your legs
are tired or the weather is nasty, maintaining your
motivation will help you get out the door.
For an overview on how to get started in the sport—
including shoe selection, stretching techniques and proper
mechanics—see the REI Expert Advice article, Running
Basics.
Getting Started
Be aware of your limits. The 26.2 miles in a marathon put
you at a significantly higher risk for injury than your daily
neighborhood jogs. Consult with your physician before
embarking on any training program.
Start early: Conventional wisdom recommends that
aspiring marathoners run consistent base mileage for at
least a year before embarking on a marathon training
program.
One of the most common causes of injury is building
weekly mileage too soon, too fast—so don't underestimate
the importance of consistently running at least 20–30 miles
a week regularly before committing to training for a
marathon.
Start small: Running a few shorter races—5Ks, 10Ks, or
even a half marathon—is an excellent way to prepare
physically and mentally for a first marathon. For more
information, see our Expert Advice article, 10K and Half
Marathon: Training Tips and Exercises.
Choosing a First Marathon
Marathons range from quiet, low-key races on backcountry
roads to spectator-lined urban races with tens of
thousands of runners. To help you get used to the race
vibe and identify your preference, run a few shorter races,
cheer on a friend or volunteer at marathons.
Choosing a marathon close to home may offer a "home
field advantage" with the opportunity to run on familiar
roads; on the other hand, choosing a "destination" race
can really stoke your motivation fire in the months leading
up to race day.
The Four Building Blocks of Marathon Training
The primary elements of marathon training are:
Base mileage. Build your weekly mileage over time,
running three-to-five times per week.
The long run. Do a long run every 7–10 days so your body
can adjust gradually to long distances.
Speed work. Practice intervals and tempo runs to increase
your cardio capacity.
Rest and recovery. Adequate rest helps prevent injuries
and mental burnout.
Base Mileage
Most marathon training plans range from 12 to 20 weeks.
Beginning marathoners should aim to build their weekly
mileage up to 50 miles over the four months leading up to
race day.
Three-to-five runs per week is sufficient. The vast majority
of these runs should be done at a relaxed pace. You should
run at an easy enough pace to be able to carry on a
conversation.
When building base mileage, never increase your weekly
mileage by more than 10 percent from week to week.
The Long Run
Your next step is to build up to a weekly long run. This
should be done once every 7–10 days, extending the long
run by a mile or two each week. Every 3 weeks, scale it
back by a few miles so as not to overtax your body and risk
injury. For example, you might run 12 miles one weekend,
13 miles the next, then 14 miles, and then 12 again before
moving on to 15 on the fifth weekend.
Doing these runs at a substantially slower pace than usual
builds confidence, lets your body adjust to longer
distances, and teaches you to burn fat for fuel.
Max distance: Most marathon training plans usually peak at
a long run of 20 miles. So where do those last 6 miles come
from on race day? With proper training, your body will take
advantage of the peak shape your body will be in, the rest
you offer it during a tapering period, and the adrenaline
and crowd support of race day.
Speed Work
Speed work is an optional element to incorporate into your
training program. It can increase your aerobic capacity and
make your easy runs feel… well, easy! Intervals and tempo
runs are the most popular forms of speed work.
Intervals are a set of repetitions of a specific, short
distance, run at a substantially faster pace than usual, with
recovery jogs in between. For example, you might run 4 X
1-mile repeats at a hard pace, with 5 minutes of slow
jogging or even walking between the mile repeats.
Tempo runs are longer than an interval—generally in the
range of 4–10 miles, depending on where you are in your
training—run at a challenging, but sustainable, pace. This
kind of workout teaches your body, as well as your brain,
to sustain challenging work over a longer period of time.
Always allow your body to warm up and cool down with a
few easy miles at the beginning and end of any speed
workout.
Rest and Recovery
Rest days mean no running. They let your muscles recover
from taxing workouts and help prevent mental burnout. The
greatest enemy of any aspiring marathoners is injury, and
the best protection against injury is rest.
If you are itching to do something active on your rest days,
doing some cross-training is a great option. Cross-training
can include walking, hiking, cycling, swimming, yoga,
lifting weights, or any other active pursuit that isn't as high-
impact as running.
Tapering: In the two or three weeks leading up to your
marathon, scale back significantly on overall mileage and
difficulty of your runs to let your body rest up for race day.
Hydrating and Fueling on the Run
Hydration
Nearly all marathons include water and aid stations along
the way.
If you plan to carry some of your own water on race day,
buy a hydration pack or belt long in advance and get
accustomed to running with it. Never try something new on
race day.
While training, of course, you will be doing plenty of long
runs without the benefit of aid stations. Several tried-and-
true techniques to consider:
Carry your own water using a hydration pack or belt, or
with handheld bottles
Do long runs on a short loop course, so you can stash
water in one spot along the way.
Plot your long run route to pass water fountains (but
during colder months, make sure that they're turned on).
Stash water bottles along your route the night or morning
before your run.
Fueling
You've probably heard about the phenomenon many
marathoners experience right around the 20-mile mark,
commonly called "hitting the wall" or "bonking."
Your body can only store so much glycogen—its primary
source of energy during the marathon. As this level gets
depleted over the course of your marathon, your muscles
will begin to tire and feel heavy. While no amount of fuel
consumption during the race can entirely replace your
depleted glycogen, consuming small amounts of
carbohydrates can help prevent you from hitting the
dreaded wall.
Energy gels or chews are the easiest to carry and often
easiest to digest—but a few pieces of fruit or an energy bar
can also do the trick. For any run over 2 hours, aim to take
in about 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour.
As with everything, make sure to test out various types of
fuel on your training runs to see what your stomach
tolerates best, so you can fuel confidently on race day.
Race Day Tips
Don't try anything new on race day—no new shoes, new
shorts or a new shirt. Don't guzzle 3 cups of coffee if you
usually have one. Your long training runs are when you
should be fine-tuning your clothing, gear and fueling
strategies.
Before the Race
Hydrate well for several days leading up to your marathon.
Drink a big glass of water before you go to bed the night
before race day. Drink another one first thing in the
morning.
Eat a simple, high-carbohydrate breakfast several hours
before the start of the race. Bagels, oatmeal, bars and fruit
all work well.
Lather up with a little Vaseline or BodyGlide in any areas
vulnerable to chafing (you probably learned where during
training runs).
Get to the starting line early, and if needed, get in the port-
a-potty line 30–40 minutes before the official start time. The
lines may be long.
The temperature is apt to rise over the course of the race,
so don't overdress. If you're really cold at the start, wear an
oversize trash bag over your clothing to keep warm until
the starting gun goes off.
If you plan to run with music, check ahead of time whether
headphones are allowed on the course; not all marathons
permit them. Running with headphones can be dangerous
if you can't hear what's happening around you, particularly
if you're not on a closed course. Finally, there's something
to be said for not tuning out the sounds of the spectator
crowds and your fellow runners.
During the Race
Start slowly. It's easy to get caught up in race-day
adrenaline, but starting too fast is a big rookie mistake.
There will be plenty of miles over which to pick up your
pace if you're feeling great.
Don't blaze by every aid station or try to drink from a cup
while running full blast. Either practice drinking while
running before race day or just pull over for a few seconds
to drink.
Bathroom lines are longest at the first few aid stations. If
you can wait another couple miles without discomfort, it
may save you time.
If you have a friend coming to cheer you on, plan ahead at
which spots along the course he or she will meet you. A
friend along the way can be a huge boost.
Enjoy the energy of the spectators. However, ignore the
guy with the box of chocolate donuts. He's trying to be
nice, but chocolate-glazed donuts at mile 18 are not a good
idea.
Race Recovery and Beyond
Race day: In the immediate moments after your finish,
drink several cups of water or sports drink to nourish your
tired muscles. Walk a little, if you can, to let those muscles
cool down. Do gentle stretching. Eat some simple
carbohydrates, whether you feel like it or not.
After race day: Take at least a week off before resuming
any kind of regular running schedule, and even then take
your time easing back into distance and frequency.
Get plenty of sleep. Eat well-balanced meals. Take care of
any injuries or ailments you may have developed during
the race. Nourish your immune system, which will be more
vulnerable immediately after the marathon.
