How Not to Train for a Marathon

Recently marathon running has experienced an influx of individuals training to complete the 26.2 mile distance. More marathons with bigger venues, the opportunity to raise money for charities, and a general if-Oprah-can-do-it-I-can-do-it attitude have all contributed to this increase.

There are hundreds of marathon training tips, books, and schedules that offer advice on everything from the kind of shoes to wear to the number of miles you should run in a week. What many of these resources lack, however, is a list of things to avoid doing while training for a marathon.

I have compiled a list of several mistakes I made while training for my first marathon or two, and have created a list of how NOT to train for a marathon. You can fail to adhere to one or all of these points and still run a marathon. But, if your goal is to run injury-free and have a good marathon experience, you will find these tips useful.

1-Do not run a marathon if you have been running for less than a year. It takes a long time to build the muscle and stamina needed to successfully run a marathon without being injured afterwards.

2-Do not ignore any injury. The chances of your making your injury worse are greater if you choose not to take adequate time off to heal. More experienced runners do not suffer from as great a number of severe injuries as newer runners, mostly because experience teaches you that rest is best.

3-Do not set a time goal. It is fine to have it in the back of your mind that you would like to run your race in less than four hours, but to aim for qualifying for the Boston Marathon your first time out may be a little lofty and set you up for disappointment.

4-Do not go into your long runs unprepared. Running for hours takes a lot of hydration and nutrition on the fly. You need to learn what types of fuel you can eat and how often you need to eat them while you run BEFORE the actual race.

5-Do not train on route that is very different from the marathon route. If your marathon of choice is Big Sur (lots of hills), make sure to incorporate hills into your training. Likewise, if you are running a relatively flat marathon (like Chicago) then you will be using the same muscles over and over again, and will want to train for this on a flatter course.

6-- Do not forget to replace high mileage shoes when necessary. While it varies from person to person, the typical life of a running shoe has little more than 300 miles in them. Marathon training entails high miles, and sometimes several pairs of shoes. Worn shoes can create injuries (see tip #2).

7-Do not hesitate to find a group to run with. They can offer encouragement on longer runs and advice on how to better achieve your goals.

8-Do not run your marathon unless you have had at least one (preferably two or three) runs of at least 18 miles. It is also important not to increase the length of your longest run by 10% each week. You are setting yourself up for injury otherwise.

9-Do not run your marathon unless you are prepared and injury-free. For this reason, wait as long as possible before paying your entry fees (which are generally high and non-refundable). This will stop you from being tempted to run when you should not just because your entry fee will be wasted.

10-Do not let anyone tell you that running a marathon is something you should not or cannot do. We are not all built to be world-class runners, but running a marathon is a goal for which most of us can strive.

Marathon training takes a lot of time and effort. However, it often takes a lot of restraint as well. Waiting until you are strong enough to start a training program and taking off the time you need when you get injured requires patience. With these tips, and a little perseverance, you will be well on your way to completing your first marathon!