The “Pre” Marathon Training Program
The “Pre” Marathon Training Program
By Eric Roberts, MarathonMethod.com contributor
Marathon training can be broken into two categories. The first is preliminary marathon training, and the second is actual marathon training.
Preliminary marathon training is the time period before you take up your actual sixteen to eighteen week marathon training program. What preliminary marathon training does is it helps you build a base. If you’ve ever talked with experienced marathon runners about their marathon training, they may have referred to a specific marathon training program that they use. These marathon training programs are usually about sixteen to eighteen weeks in duration.
These marathon training programs prepare runners for a marathon. Note the term runner. Before a runner starts a marathon training program they’ve been running for a while. Usually this means five out of seven days a week and anywhere from fifteen to twenty miles a week.
A marathon training program is designed to add miles to the distance that a runner is already running each day in preparation for their long training runs and eventually the marathon itself. If you aren’t yet running five out of seven days and fifteen to twenty miles a week, then you aren’t ready to start marathon training. WELCOME to the club of future marathon runners who need to start with preliminary marathon training. Around 40 percent of people who run marathons every year start out in this position.
Of course before you can even start preliminary marathon training, you need to check with your healthcare provider to make sure that running is a challenge your body can handle. Then your preliminary marathon training should be designed to get you to that baseline level of fitness needed for the actual marathon training program.
Depending on your perspective eighteen weeks may seem like a short time or a long time for marathon training. Be aware that your preliminary marathon training may take the same amount of time or even longer. You need to be running at least six miles comfortably on a regular basis for about two months before you should even consider starting your marathon training program. A preliminary marathon training effort is just that, preliminary to your actual marathon training program. You need to make sure to take the time to reach the level of fitness required to successfully complete your marathon training and your actual marathon.
Creating a solid base for your marathon training is very, very important. It will ensure that you are strong enough to begin adding miles and building miles when you start your marathon training in earnest. Remember you are ultimately shooting for a run that is 26.22 miles long. It is a marathon and it required true marathon training to be able to achieve. You will never achieve this goal if you do not properly prepare. It is important that you take the time required to prepare to ensure that you are healthy and truly ready for your marathon training program. Take the time and enjoy a preliminary marathon training program. That is what a preliminary marathon training program is. It is a program that will get you where you want to go in safe manner.
