More and more people are running a marathon these days. But many of them are struggling to complete the event. Selecting the correct training program to follow is a very important factor in deciding how well a runner will finish the race.
Marathon training category.
Many marathon training programs have different mileage programs for each level of training. Before selecting a training program, choose your category:
– First time marathon runner
– Beginner: one to three completed marathons
– Intermediate: four to ten marathons
– With experience: more than ten
– Elite: competitive runners, marathon times under 2:30 for men, 2:45 for women.
If you feel like you’re borderline between categories, start with the hardest one, and if it’s too stressful, go back to the easiest option.
Here are the key factors to look for in your training program
* Review daily runs and weekly mileage. Your schedule should follow the hard day/easy day approach on alternate days and weeks.
* The overall program should not be too long (or too short). I find a 14-18 week program to be best, depending on your current level of running. First time and beginning marathoners may need more.
* The best schedules have a suggested daily and weekly goal. The schedule should be well designed and easy to track in your performance log.
* The program must be flexible. I think you should be free to change your long run day, take an extra rest day, etc. without compromising the overall results.
* It shouldn’t get you too high a weekly mileage (except elite runners). Around 45 to 65 miles is the highest weekly mileage you will need. Beginner programs will be on the lower end of the scale.
* The training program should have a gradual build up to your weekly long distance run. This long, slow run is the cornerstone of your marathon training, and you need to develop the ability to complete your long runs without overloading your body.
* Avoid long runs of more than 20 miles. Unlike shorter races, you don’t have to run beyond the race distance during training. You don’t even need to run 24 or 25 training miles to have a good marathon.
* You should also avoid following programs that have too many 20-mile runs. One or two should suffice for the Beginner to Intermediate categories. Three 20 miles is normally enough for the experienced marathoner. In the elite category you decide!
* Speed work! For beginner and even intermediate categories, I don’t think it’s necessary to include this type of training for a marathon. Increases risk of injury. If you run two or three races during your training period, this will suffice. More advanced runners will want to do some type of speed work to increase the intensity of their workouts.
The bottom line is to choose a program that matches your skills and follows the guidelines above. It’s easy, especially for beginning marathoners, to get drawn into training programs that are really too ambitious for their level of experience. This is true even for those people who can run fairly fast 10K races.
