Autumn Marathon season is upon us.
Well, the training part of it anyway, not sure why you started so early or need some
motivation to really get that kick started.
We have got you covered.
Oh yes, if you've got an autumn marathon booked and you haven't started training yet, stop what
you're doing right now and download our marathon training plan to kickstart that training and
help you reach your goals.
You won't regret it.
Starting early gives you plenty of time to research what's out there to find the perfect
plan for you.
It means you can compare the recommendations that they give to things that you've done
before or your current level of fitness.
And there are tons of training plans out there for every kind of runner.
Those hardcore runs smash out of PB or really any kind of runner just wants to
fit running around their own schedule.
But what they'll all give you is sensible progression, structure
and a real sense of accountability.
So funnily enough, The Running Channel has its very own very versatile marathon training plan
that you can download too.
It's my favourite.
I'm a little bit biased.
So if you want to learn how actually following a training plan works, well
we made a series with Sarah as she trained for her first marathon using this exact
training plan. Absolutely.
And stick around to the end.
Don't skip, watch what we've got to say because one lucky viewer will have a chance
to win a pair of trainers that Sarah did her marathon in. Not the actual trainer she
ran in a nice shiny new pair in your size for you.
So you've had time to research and you know what your training is going to look like.
But what are the actual benefits of starting so soon?
Well, it takes 21 days to build a habit.
And running is a little bit different because you wouldn't just go out from nothing and start running for 21 days in a row.
So you need to give yourself some time to build up, slowly building a habit when it comes to running.
It's all about consistency. Yeah.
And this takes time and maybe more time than you would think.
But the longer you have, the easier it is to build that habit.
Sure, If you're already running frequently, then you know, you probably can get to marathon fitness quite
quickly, but you might not perform on race day as well as you could if you've given yourself more time.
Plus it is always nice to have a few buffer weeks on the plan just in case you have to adapt a training plan if you get
ill or a little bit injured.
It's always handy to have some in the bank.
So there is no denying that running long distance is a real mental sport when you have
to overcome all the things that your mind, puts in this way, the wall, the
fatigue and everything.
But training, putting in those miles again and again can really help you overcome it.
Now there might be times when you think I can't run another step is this even worth it?
Are my feet ever going to recover? And that's totally normal.
But it's better for you to be able to do this during training than to hit your mental
roadblocks on race day itself.
So the longer you give yourself to train the more likely it is that you can overcome these
mental tough bits during the training itself.
And the longer you have the more opportunity you have to build that real mental strength.
I cannot count the amount of times that come race day, I'm pulling on that mental fortitude that I
picked up during training and the more time you have, the stronger you're going to get.
Do you have any tips for your fellow runners from your training?
If so let our community know, drop them in the comments.
The more miles you run, the more your body can get used to running those longer distances, you'll build
muscle memory and soon get used to the rhythm of running those
longer distances
and the longer you run the stronger your legs get, the stronger your legs get, the
more miles you can put in without fatiguing, which will really come in handy when those
26.2 miles come along.
Plus, if you give yourself longer to train, then you'll be able to fit in a few more
longer runs into training before you hit the taper and therefore your body can get
used to what those long distances feel like.
But there really is no shortcut to building strength and stamina, the only way through it is time and miles.
Building strength and stamina isn't the only thing that takes time, letting your body learn how to recover
well, can also take a bit of time when you first start training, you might find
that your body's got a few grumbles and aches as it starts to get used to your new routine.
But as you begin to run more consistently, you'll find that your body learns
how to recover from them.
So over time you start to bounce back quicker and you'll experience less of
those awful domes and actually you'll start to learn what your body needs to rest and recover.
Is it a stretch?
Is it a foam roll or is it just a really nice hot bath?
Nice warm bath for me for sure.
What about you? Same.
Yeah, but everyone's different.
And giving yourself more time to practice means that you can really work out what's best for you to
get maximum gains come race day.
There is nothing better than running miles and miles to really get to know yourself.
When I ran my first marathon, I remember seeing something on social media that says you'll find out
more about yourself in the 26.2 miles of a marathon than you ever thought possible.
And to be honest, I thought that was a load of rubbish.
But actually running gives your mind that time to think and
space to be away from the chaos of the world and actually, you'll probably find that your mind does wander.
You will find out a little bit more about yourself.
And you might be surprised by what you find. So many of us find things that we didn't even
know about ourselves when we undertake a challenge of this kind of magnitude.
You might find mental toughness that you never knew you had.
You might even find you can get out of bed in the morning for a run.
This is one of my favorite things about running.
You think you know yourself, But actually there are layers and layers of stuff that maybe you haven't unpacked yet.
And it's this curiosity that you can develop during your training period.
So the longer you have to train for, the more time you can go over these things in your
mind and then come race day, you've got one focus, which is that finish line.
Right! And now it's shoe time.
Do you want to win that pair of shoes the same that Sarah ran her first marathon in, let us know in the
comments what your bucket list race is and we'll pick one of those is the winner?
So as soon as I crossed the finish line of a marathon, I love looking back at all the training that went
into that race.
Everything that led to the finish line feeling and weirdly kind of wish I could
start all over again.
Yeah, I kind of get that.
So many of us do wish that we'd given ourselves more time to train.
And this is a message from future you to the you of today.
I've just finished and I wish that I'd done more training.
So, you know that video that you watched about getting ready to train for a marathon and how
you should give yourself enough time, turns out The Running Channel, do know some stuff and turns out you should download
that marathon program right now and get training.
So we hope we've given you some motivation to get started or to get you through those early runs. Absolutely.
So please do tell us in the comments below what that bucket list marathon is.
And don't forget you could win a pair of jazzy shoes
and good luck with the rest of your training.
And we'll see you on the start line.