Why a Marathon Training Schedule for Beginners Can Significantly Improve Your Chances of Success

Running a marathon is no easy task.  In fact, it’s true that only 2% of people who start a marathon training schedule ever get past week 2.

So what can YOU do to ensure that you don’t join the 98% who never make it across the finish line?  The answer is actually fairly simple.  Get yourself a good Marathon Training Schedule for Beginners and stick to it!

Click Here for my Recommended Marathon Training Guide

No matter how enthusiastic you may be at the beginning, once daily life gets in the way, it’s hard to remain focused.  You know how it is… work, kids, responsibilities…the list goes on.  There’s always something else that needs your attention.

You need to understand that successful marathon training demands comittment, focus, hard work and good planning.  Without a structured plan in place, you run the risk of failure, disappointment and even injury.  Taking a little time to think things through will definitely pay off.

There’s plenty of information available online about marathon training and it’s a good idea to read up on what’s being said.  The problem is that it’s often vague, ‘bitty’, and you’ll commonly come across conflicting advice.  So, instead of empowering you, this can leave you feeling confused and deflated.  Not good, eh?

I would recommend going for a comprehensive training guide such as ‘Marathon Training Schedule For Beginners’.  This is written by Jago Holmes, a certified Fitness Expert with over 10 years of experience.

He has personally trained hundreds of marathon runners and fully understands what it takes for a beginner to complete a training program successfully.

Marathon Training Schedule For Beginners is designed to give runners direction with clear goals and targets, so that real progress can be made in fitness and endurance levels.  It’s a step-by-step guide that’s really easy to follow and covers everything you need to know – effective running techniques, nutrition advice, information on injury prevention, methods for maintaining motivation and focus, along with a structured progressive training schedule.  It also includes lots of great tips for race day itself.

Whichever program you choose to follow, just stick with it.  It will be challenging at times, but if you follow it through, you’ll definitely see results.  Not only will you feel much fitter and healthier, but the satisfaction you get from crossing that finish line will make it all worthwhile.  I can promise you that.

Happy running!

Top Marathon Training Tips

Marathon training techniques have changed considerably over the years.  Manyof the older practices have been replaced with much more effective techniques to help build fitness levels and optimize performance.

However, as part of your marathon training schedule, it is still important to perform some longer runs at marathon pace.  These are required to help build endurance.

Here are my top tips to ensure that you remained focused and motivated during these longer running sessions.

Monitor Your Speed – For steady state marathon training you should be working hard enough that you start to sweat, but not so hard that you can’t hold a conversation.  You can monitor your speed, heart rate and various other statistics with the help of a wrist watch that is GPS enabled.  Alternatively, there are other inexpensive gadgets you can buy that will help to track your statistics.

Goal Setting – Running a long distance can seem rather daunting.  It helps to break it down into several shorter sections in your mind.  Once you’ve completed each section, you feel a certain sense of achievement and it helps you to keep going.  Try it!

Music – Listen to some music as you run.  This is something I find to be really motivational, especially if the music has a similar beat to the speed I’m running at.

Find a Running Partner – Running on your own can be lonely and it’s easy to lose motivation, especially if the weather’s not so good.  Having someone alongside you can be really encouraging and keeps you motivated.  It’s also safer.

Select a Variety of Routes – Running the same route can get extremely boring, so try to mix it up a bit.  This will help to hold your attention and maintain focus.

Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself – Never forget that it’s okay to walk.  There’s nothing to say you have to run the whole distance.  Combining running with walking will actually improve your endurance because it helps to relieve the tiredness that builds up with continuous running.

Whether you’re following a full or half marathon training schedule, these tips will help you get the most out of your training program.

Marathon Training Schedule for Beginners

Once you’ve made the decision to run a marathon, you’ll need to start training.

Make sure you’ve read through your Marathon Training Schedule for beginners and understand what’s involved.  This is a serious comittment and will definitely require some lifestyle changes over the next few months.  It’s important to be prepared for what lies ahead.

There’s a lot to think about and planning is absolutely key. Even if you’re relatively fit, a marathon training program will probably take around 6 months to get you fully prepared for the big day, so don’t put it off.

A good marathon training schedule should:

  • help you set realistic and achievable goals.
  • teach you how to build up your fitness and endurance levels using advanced training techniques.
  • provide a detailed step-by-step schedule of what to do and when, including rest days.
  • teach you exactly how your body changes from the start of your training to race day. You’ll then understand when and how to change your training to boost your progress.
  • help you spot the signs of overtraining, so that you can avoid debilitating injuries.
  • provide detailed nutritional advice to help you boost energy levels, so that you can run further and faster.
  • give advice on the correct clothing and running shoes.
  • prepare you for race day by explaining what you should do and when, to ensure peak performance.

If you don’t have a running partner, your marathon training schedule also works to motivate you when things start to get tough (and believe me, they will!). Most importantly, it will help you to focus on the job in hand and give you a structured plan to work with.

Every time you feel your motivation and energy levels are starting to dwindle, refer back to your Training Manual for a much needed boost!

Remember that perseverance is absolutely key.  The better prepared you are for the big race, the more you’ll enjoy the day.

Click Here for my recommended Marathon Training Schedule