When a group of experienced runners were asked to describe their rookie attempt to train for a 26.2 mile race, the majority said they were naive. Leo Spall highlights danger areas for anyone attempting the distance.
Too little speed work, exacerbating illness by training through it and way too much time spent at my middle-lane pace.
These are just some of the mistakes I made when I first trained for a marathon, having taken a magazine training plan and tried to tackle it all without support - and my approach was not unusually unsophisticated.
I asked other experienced marathoners - all on their way to completing all six World Marathon Majors - what their first attempt at the distance was like and 52 percent said they were naïve; just over a third (36 percent) said their training was researched and realistic, and only 12 percent were coached.
The marathon has become so popular that more and more people want to complete the distance. The growing number of races and charity places available at the biggest events make it very accessible to enter.
Increasing numbers of people will know someone who has completed a marathon and I suspect that can take the edge off how daunting it feels as a challenge.
In many ways, this is a great thing: getting more people active and interested in running has myriad benefits – and is something I’m passionate about.
But the tales of people entering marathons and massively underestimating the size of the task are legion.
I certainly made mistakes for my first marathon - and I had the benefit of access to occasional expert advice as a media entrant.
The fact that I’m a dedicated student of running helped inform my training, but the sheer volume of advice and number of contradictions on the web contributed to my training mistakes, including inappropriate pacing, poor recovery and a lack of variety.
Over the years, I’ve heard of plenty others faring even worse: a friend of a friend once sought my advice informally a couple of months before a marathon, having run no further than five miles in one go at that point.
His running load had been shockingly light and, even so, he had developed an injury. Beyond giving him the number of a good physio, it was hard to help him much for his race.
To avoid missing out on your goal race I suggest coaching support is by far the best way to go. I’m not saying marathon training is impossible without it – that would be patently incorrect – but having a coach takes the guesswork, doubt and a lot of the stress out of it; if done well it will make your first 26.2-mile race a much more enjoyable experience.
If you choose to go it alone, here are a few common pitfalls to avoid:
Fearing a marathon-training implosion at the loss of one or two sessions when life or an injury niggle gets in the way.
Training when injured or ill due to the fear described above because the plan prescribes a workout.
Going for an overly-ambitious time goal that leaves you dejected after missing time targets in training, over-reaching and possibly injured.
Adding mileage too quickly: ramping up your training in this way is usually counter productive and can lead to injury.
Under-training: when you fail to grasp the size of the challenge and get a bit complacent; proper, knowledgeable planning is required to enjoy the marathon.
Failing to focus on getting your fuelling and nutritional balance right: this can lead poor training and recovery and wreck your hard work.
Training hard at the same pace in every session: this leaves you one paced (and probably not at the speed you want), not making the improvements you could and potentially burning out.
Failing to taper adequately: you need to cut down your training volume over the last two-three weeks while keep some of the intensity but some runners fear all their hard work will go to waste and enter race day way below their best.
Not making or practising a race-day nutrition plan in training, leaving you with the potential for all sorts of trouble on the big day.
As you can see, it is easy to make mistakes when taking on the marathon. This list is by no means exhaustive, and there are the potential race-day problems to consider, too.
The idea of spelling all this out is not to frighten you, though. Like I said: I want you to run your marathon.
It’s certainly possible to take on the training for 26.2 miles on your own but it requires a lot of work in addition to the time-consuming physical effort you will need to put in.
If you accept at the outset that you will make mistakes and learn from them for the next time, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can be painful - literally - and sideline you for a long time.
If you're in a position to accept some assistance, you should. I would have loved to have had a coach when I started out - and your family might love you for getting in support, too, not least because it gives you another outlet for borderline-obsessive training talk!
A bit of help goes a long way in marathon training and will make it a much more enjoyable experience. It can even improve your chances of a big smile for the finish-line pictures.*
(*not scientifically proven :) ).
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