First Time Marathon
Want to get ready to run your first marathon?
Maybe you have a friend or a relative who is a runner or at least you see people out on the street on a regular basis to know that crossing the finish line of a marathon isn't something you prepare for on a couple of rainy days. (thought it might involve getting out there while it's raining if you follow a strict training plan...) Marathon first timers often underestimate the distance. We often see images of thousands of people like you and me lining up at the starting-line of a marathon. But before you decide to run a full marathon for the first time, consider your level of stamina, your motivation, your time schedule, etc. It would not be a bad idea to train for a 5K, 10K, or a half marathon first before challenging a full marathon. Once you hit the wall around the 30 Kilometer mark and you're completely out of energy, it is experience and mental strength that supports you al the way to the finish line. This experience and mental strength is mainly gained through the many training hours you put into your marathon preparation. It is important to make your debut in marathon running a positive experience so that you will continue this sport to keep you fit and healthy. If you are unable to continue your first time marathon and are picked up by the sweeper bus, it might be hard to find motivation to run a future marathon.
Being fully prepared to run your first marathon you also avoid injuries. Running injuries come from untrained muscles and fatigued muscles. In either case you'll be in pain for some time, however, fatigued muscles who have undergone rigid training might be a better scenario than the untrained muscles injuries. In case of untrained muscles there will be less stability in the various joints such as the lower back, hips, knees and ankles. Strong muscles provide more stability in the joint areas so that the bones do not move outside of their usual range of motion. Under-developed joint muscles are a source of lower back pain and things like runners' knee.
First Timers Time Goal
Various marathon runners coaches have different opinions about placing a time goal on your first ever marathon. Here is ours: As you set out to finishing your first ever marathon you might have no clue about what time you could cross the finish line. However, in your marathon training you know which pace fits with you and comes with comfortable breathing (assuming you do carry a watch and know the total distance of your training runs). During training you have never run the full 26.2 Mile distance so you do not know when you're gonna hit the wall. But a time goal will help you on training days where you feel less motivated or more fatigued than usual to keep running strong. Set a time goal with room for unexpected things to happen. Your first marathon finish should be comfortable and leave you motivated to run a next race with a new goal.