A complete guide: How to run a marathon for the first time
Let me paint a scenario.
Imagine yourself at the starting line of your first marathon ever. It starts in 5 minutes. How does that make you feel? Are you nervous and unsafe, or are you excited and confident?
There is only one difference between these two possible outcomes: preparation.
Starting your journey here is the most effective strategy to reach your goal of running your first marathon in a healthy, powerful, and graceful manner.
Following are encompassed all the concepts you’ll have to grasp to guarantee success, including proper run schedule, nutrition, and mindset.
A few essential tips before you even set a date for your running event
It’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon. You should not be out of breath the whole time. An excellent tip I carry with me is to jog at a pace at which I can maintain a conversation.
You may feel like you are regressing when you see your speed go down, but it only is sensible that running longer distances implies you must go slower.
Don’t worry; you’ll regain speed with practice, and going for a jog will suddenly become much more pleasant, like taking a walk in the park!
Keep track of your mileage time
From one session to another, it’ll allow you to quantify your progress. More importantly, within a single run, you’ll know what you have left in the tank.
There are countless running apps you can choose from that will notify you every mile.
With a bit of practice, you’ll get to know your capabilities and adjust your speed in real-time to reach the finish line without feeling like your heart will jump out of your body.
For a first-time long-distance run preparation, I would advise concentrating on keeping that “conversational pace” throughout each session.
If it helps you stick to your training for entertainment, feel free to slip in interval sessions occasionally. One example would be to follow a cycle of 30 seconds of fast-paced jogging and 30 seconds of slow-paced jogging for 30 minutes.
Use proper form
It may seem stupid, but there is a correct way to jog. If you’ve never studied it (YouTube is a fantastic teacher), I guarantee you’ll be mind blown at how badly you are doing it.
Keeping those bad habits is comparable to pedaling on a bicycle without a chain; you are wasting precious energy.
Granted, it is very counterintuitive to change how you have been jogging your whole life. It is worth the time investment, though. Don’t worry; it will quickly become natural, and you’ll carry the benefits your entire life.
Don’t underestimate stretching
When engaging in any physical activity, pre- and post-workout stretches are primordial to ensure injury prevention and optimal performance.
Programming your runs
You probably expect a detailed all-inclusive schedule to follow. Here’s the problem: it’s impossible for me to know your fitness level. I will give an example of a program you can personalize and the essential information to help you do so.
Keep in mind, however close you want to get to perfection when it comes to scheduling, many roads lead to Rome:
It is very convenient to split your training into weekly mileage blocks. That way, even if you have an unexpected appointment or a hurricane happens on Tuesday, it will be easier to respect your schedule.
It’s not the end of the world if you don’t reach your weekly target. Don’t give up just because you hit a hurdle. You are responsible for your success.
If you are used to running 5 miles per week, set that as your target mileage for your first week, then gradually increase every week.
Every four weeks, you should have a setback week to allow your body to adapt to what you ask from it.
The length of preparation you need will vary depending on your level of fitness and the time you are ready to commit to that project. For most people, 3 to 6 months is a reasonable timeframe.
The longest distance I recommend running before race day is around 16 to 19 miles. You should perform it three weeks before the marathon. Cover the 26 miles of a marathon during this week.
Going out to jog 3 to 4 times per week is ideal.
Here’s an example of a schedule to follow for a complete beginner ( 6 months - 26 weeks).
Again, it’s not rocket science. Just open your schedule and lay out a progression that respects the conditions laid out here. Many daily premade plans are available online if it makes you feel safer.
To be as prepared as possible, know the course you will run.
Are there a lot of hills? What will the temperature be like? Is it going to be windy? What type of terrain are you going to jog on? Train in those conditions.
Nutrition
If one thing is different from one person to another, it is the nutrition needed to perform optimally.
This is a guideline to follow, not an end-all-be-all way to proceed. Which is to say, during your preparation, you will have plenty of opportunities to experiment and see what works for you.
Use it!
To ensure you’ll have a consistent energy level during the long run, you must give your body a good amount of food, water, and electrolytes. All three of those sources are primordial. With practice, you’ll know when to refuel on either of them.
Here’s what works for me. Start with similar practices, play around with them, and notice how you feel.
Food
Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy our bodies use when physically active. Your nutrition pre and during the run should be primarily carb-based. What are carbs? Fruit, grains, starchy vegetables, beans …
Pre-run:
I like to consume between 800 and 1000 calories 1h30 to 2h before hitting the trail.
A typical meal: two eggs, slices of tomato, rice, red beans, an apple, and a small bowl of oatmeal.
During the run:
I consume between 80 and 100 calories every 20 minutes.
The idea is never to have a full stomach but to have an energy source available continually. If I know I will be out for approximately 4 hours, I will bring 1200 calories with me — 3 x 100 calories each hour.
My favorite foods to bring are dates, dried and fresh fruit, fruit compote, running gels, energy bars, and for the longest runs, a snickers bar!
Water and electrolytes
Those two are highly related to the outside temperature. How much I sweat will dictate how much I drink and how often I replenish electrolytes.
I have a 2L camel pack that can last me from 1h30 to 3h. I use small packets of electrolytes that you can find at every pharmacy and Gatorade.
Again, you’ll have to experiment with it. If you feel yourself getting dizzy, you are dehydrated. You’ve waited too long before consuming water and electrolytes. With practice, you’ll notice early signs of weakness and adjust to maintain a steady energy level.
Mindset hacks
When embarking on a multi-month project, momentary motivation might not be sufficient to get you to the finish line, figuratively and literally. Here are a few tips you can try if you ever feel like giving up.
Motivation isn’t all. Being driven will carry you through hard times.
Take 3 minutes occasionally to remind yourself why you want to achieve this goal. Write everything that comes to mind, no matter deep or shallow the reasons are.
There is one book that helped me internalize that concept. For those interested, it is called Can’t hurt me, the autobiography of a guy named David Goggins. He is a savage.
Visualization is a powerful tool. Imagine yourself crossing the finish line and immerse yourself in the feeling of pride and joy.
Decomposing your objective into smaller, shorter timeline goals is an excellent way to acknowledge the progress you have already made. Every time you beat your personal record is an opportunity to congratulate yourself.
Get accountability partners; it’s always better to have friends and family to share your highs and lows. Even better, get someone to do it with you!
Conclusion
In my opinion, the best way to achieve a goal is to extract helpful information from experienced people, then apply it to ourselves and become knowledgeable through those concepts.
You now have every shortcut I wish I had when I started my journey of long-distance running.
I hope you feel pumped because you should!
It is a fantastic experience that will allow you to know your body’s capabilities better and extract great strength of character and confidence.
You might even inspire people around you to surpass themselves in ways they didn’t dare to imagine before!