Advice for Running a Marathon

Running a marathon is no joke. It takes a lot of preparation and practice in order to even attempt this giant feat. There are many plans you can follow to prepare you over the next months for your adventure. The most important thing to focus on is what your end goal is. Whether you want to finish first, or 457^th, the goals is to finish. Here are some great ways Hitch Fit can help you get ready.

The Finish Line

What shoes are you going to wear? What routes will the marathon cover? Before you start committing to a fitness plan, check out what’s going to happen at the actual event. The more you know ahead of time, the more you can plan for. If the marathon route takes a couple of hills, you’ll be able to run a route that also has some hills. Don’t be caught by surprise!

Try running at the same time every day as well. If the marathon is going to take place at 10 AM, train at 10 AM as often as possible. This gets your body into a great rhythm, letting it know what to expect, and helping you find the idea of running 26.2 miles just a tiny bit easier.

Another area to consider at the end of the event is your finish time. You need to start working up to that goal. We know that you aren’t planning to win the first marathon you run. Or, maybe you are! Either way, have a good idea of how long you want your marathon to take. With that in mind you can work up to that quick pace. Additionally, a few weeks before the actual event, it’s a great idea to run the last few miles at a faster pace than you plan. This helps you get into a really good rhythm, and prepare your body for just how tired you’re going to feel.

Race Beforehand

Run a half-marathon a month or so before your event! This gets you prepped for not just the running portion of the event, but also for how running in an event actually works. Running alone and running with 1,000 other people is completely different. This will also give you a chance to work on your pace-setting.

Drinking is Your Friend

The thought of drinking as you run may seem a little difficult, and like you just might not be able to keep it down! Practice ahead of time, since you will most certainly need every second of running you can stand. Find out how often drink stations will be placed along the marathon route and practice drinking at that same pace. This way, you’ll be prepared to wait the distance between stations, and you’ll know how much you have to drink in order to stay hydrated the entire time.

These are just a few of the ways Hitch Fit suggests training for a marathon. If you’ve run one or ten marathons, leave us your most helpful tips in the comments below! We’re always happy to pass on great advice.