5 Tips for Marathon Success
Approaching the marathon is like studying for an exam. Sure, some can rock up on test day without having studied, and pass with flying colors. But the majority of test-takers will need to spend ample time going over their notes, rewriting their lesson plans, and taking practice tests in order to do well. Same goes for the physical effort needed to succeed in the marathon. It’s imperative to train smart.
As a coach, I work with athletes who spend years training for races - acquiring lasting fitness takes time. My favorite quote on the subject, “confidence is born from demonstrated ability” underscores that in order to feel like you’re ready to toe the line, you have to prove to yourself that you can first. The more you show up, the more data you give yourself that’s proof you can do “it” - whatever that it is for you.
As the marathon season approaches (typically in the fall) here are a few strategies you can use in preparation for your race.
“Confidence is born from demonstrated ability”
# 1: Pay attention to your mental space
Take stock of where your heads at. Are you noticing that you’re anxious before 90% of your runs? If so, it might necessitate backing off your training plan for a few days in effort to reinvigorate some of that passion. If you’re feeling (debilitating) anxiety before every run, then something isn’t quite clicking, and your body will not perform at the level it needs to. Take some time away from running and let your mind reset. Maybe spend some time in front of your journal doing a brain dump - allow the thoughts to flow organically, and see what comes up. Maybe this isn’t the right goal, but instead a trail race seems more appealing. As best you can, try to approach this activity with a sense of curiosity and neutrality; your brain is trying to communicate to your body. Listen to it.
#2: Drink chocolate milk
Training for a test of endurance like the marathon is about pushing your body to its limits. You can’t do that if the tank is empty. Drinking chocolate milk after your workouts is an awesome and incredibly easy way to refill your tank so that your body is getting enough energy to repair and restore from the hard efforts. If you don’t drink dairy milk, try to find a 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio that’s easy, portable, and tastes good to you. Seriously prioritizing your post workout recovery will go a long way in your ability to recover faster, and more efficiently so you’re ready to go for your next workout.
#3: SLEEP
It’s such a boring training tip, and for many parents this may feel absolutely impossible. Getting in at least 7-8 hours is imperative for the body’s ability to take in all that hard work, recover from it, and make the necessary adaptations to get stronger from it. If you’re not sleeping in enough, it almost doesn’t matter how hard you push in a workout. Sleep is a crucial part of physical fitness and should never be overlooked.
#4: Invest Energy in Cross Training
You certainly don’t need a gym membership or elaborate pieces of workout equipment to be smart about cross training. But you do need to do it. Spending time researching bodyweight strength workouts is a great way you can focus on strengthening your core, balance, and proprioception such that you become less prone to injuries through your build up. And any good run coach will build this in for you. I have my athletes cycle through various bodyweight isometric, single leg, and core workouts to ensure they’re firing both small and large muscle groups in conjunction with their hard run workouts. Yes, injuries happen, but if you’re adequately cross training you diminish those adds tenfold.
# 5: Work with someone!
Having an objective lens into your training can be an incredibly beneficial tool if you’re pressed for time, not sure where to start, or nervous about doing it “wrong.” As an anti-diet coach, my philosophy is centered around giving my athletes the tools they need to appropriately listen to their own bodies. It certainly doesn’t mean my workouts are easy, in fact, a lot of the feedback I get is that they didn’t know they had it in them to push as hard as they did.
My final piece of advice for marathon training (or any formal race) is this; spend time thinking about why you signed up in the first place. When you take time to strengthen your “why” it becomes a lot easier to focus on even when the training (and life management) gets tough.
