So you want to run a marathon…

I’ve helped a lot of runners tackle their first marathon over the years, and I know that it can be an exciting but also a confusing journey. You’ll have a lot of people telling what you should and shouldn’t do – from quitting running altogether because it’s bad for your knees to how long your longest run should be and everything in between.

We’re all different and there’s no one set way to train for a marathon. There’s a lot of rules that should be applied – for example upping your distances gradually and allowing adequate recovery – but what this looks like in practice varies from person to person. So for someone already running 30 miles per week, upping their mileage looks different to someone whose weekly mileage is closer to 15 right now.

Being informed, listening to your body and trusting your instincts are key to a successful marathon training cycle. Ultimately, the decision about whether you should run today or would benefit from an extra rest day, and how long your longest run will be is yours and yours along.

Over the past few months, I’ve been working on a something to help guide runners through their marathon training. It’s not a training plan, it’s a training companion to be used alongside your existing plan to help you understand why you’re being asked to do certain runs, and to make better decisions if something doesn’t feel quite right.

It’s based on working with hundreds of runners over the past few years, and addressing their fears, concerns and questions about running a marathon. From helping them understand their training plan to planning the practicalities of race day. It’s all covered in this guide.

You can find out more info about the guide here. And, as always, if you need a little extra help with your training, you can email me to discuss my coaching options.