By Cameron Pound
The Memorial Marathon this past weekend brought thousands of people from many backgrounds to run for a cause, but how many of them actually prepared for the event properly? Many people hate running, while others run for fun, but whether you enjoy the idea of long distance running or not, a benefit marathon or running for a cause can make you change your mind. There are many people who like the idea of running a marathon but once they do it they realize that they aren’t prepared for it. I am going to provide you with some helpful hints to preparing to run a marathon and not hurt yourself or not be able to finish.
1. The proper diet is important, and hydration is considered to be equally as important, but these two things don’t put one foot in front of the other.
2. The mileage you put in during the preparation is of vital importance. Gradually increasing mileage each week is an important step in training. With this gradual increase, it is not necessary to run more than 20 miles in one day. This can cause overtraining and injuries that can sneak up on you and only hurt you in the long run.
3. Though you increase the mileage each week, make sure to taper off in the last week or two leading up to the big day in order for your muscles to recovery enough to perform at your greatest capability during the run.
4. Recovery is a must; ice and stretch out any soreness that may occur, with the knees and shins being the main focus.
A full schedule of marathon training, week by week, can be found here. This website will give you information on any and everything you may need in order to prepare and perform a marathon. Even if you aren’t fast enough to win, this is one grueling but incredibly helpful way of improving your fitness in the most extreme way!