Are you wondering how long would it take to train for a marathon? The marathon is not just a competition. It will be a personal challenge that you have to face as well. That’s because a marathon would provide you with the opportunity to test your personal limits. Along with that, you will be able to prove that you are a person who can go longer distances.
You will never be able to run a marathon without proper training or practice. However, you will come across a lot of questions at the time of training for a marathon. Time you need to train in order to run for a marathon is one of the most prominent questions out of them?
How Long Does it Take to Train for a Marathon?
If you are wondering the answer to this question I wrote a post about it back in 2014. It will take around 20 to 26 weeks for an average person to train for a marathon. However, you should also keep in mind that this time frame can get changed due to many different reasons. The amount of time that you allocate for practices on a daily basis and the training plan you follow are some of the most important factors out of them. You should be aware of those factors and proceed with training. Then you will be able to achieve quick results.
If you don’t have 20 weeks to practice for an upcoming marathon, you will be able to accelerate the things. This is where you need to take a look at the intensive marathon training programs that are available for you to consider. These are highly aggressive training programs. The will help you to train yourself for a marathon within 12 to 16 weeks. However, you will have to do many commitments while you are following such an aggressive training program. If you cannot remain committed, you are not encouraged to take a look at it. That’s because you will get frustrated with what you are going through and you will eventually give up.
Useful Tips to Train for a Marathon
Now you have a clear overall understanding about the time that will be taken when you are training for a marathon. Along with that, you should keep these basic marathon training tips in your mind as well. They can provide an excellent overall assistance to you while you are training for a marathon. Therefore, you will be able to receive outstanding results at the end of the day. Lastly, check out our beginner marathon training schedule post.
Make sure that you maintain a training log
At the time of training for a marathon, it is recommended for you to maintain a training log. You will need to record all the important details about your marathon training in this log. For example, you should record the run times, daily mileage, time and the race distance in the long. Along with these details, you can also include information on how you are feeling after the marathon.
You need to make it a habit to write down these details in the marathon log immediately. Then you will be able to make sure that you don’t forget recording them. When you keep maintaining such a marathon log, you will be able to learn out of your training as well. This can help you to reduce the overall time that you spend on training because you figure out what your mistakes are and you quickly overcome them. On the other hand, the marathon training log has the ability to keep you motivated throughout the runs as well.
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Increase Mileage Weekly
You should not run the same distance when you are practicing for a marathon every single week. It is better if you can increase the distance on a weekly basis. However, it is also recommended for you to increase the weekly mileage that you run by around 10%. Then you will not be putting yourself in ending up with a risk. You will be able to mitigate the risk factor by a great amount.
- Have a cut back week
It is better if you can introduce a cut back week while you are focusing on your marathon training activities. It is better if every third week can be selected for this. Then you will be able to refrain from accelerating with your marathon training. It will help you to cut back a bit. In other words, you will be reducing the total distance that you are running. You will be able to call this as an easy week.
Run 4 days a Week
You need to commit yourself in running for four days a week while you are practicing for the marathons. This can provide you with the most productive marathon training experience. During the four days, you need to assign one day for the longer run. You can have two shorter runs on two days. The remaining day can be used to focus more on strength training. The other days of the week can be used for providing rest to your body. Along with that, you will be able to help the body to repair on its own. This can further help you to reduce the risk factor associated with injuries.
- Take at least one day of complete rest
All the people who are training for marathons should completely assign one day for a full rest. During this day of taking the rest, you should not even think about marathons. That’s because you are assigning the day to recover your body.
- Keep an eye on your heart rate
All the people who run on marathons are strongly encouraged to keep an eye on their heart rates at all times. That’s where investing on a smartwatch may sound like a good thing to do. The smartwatch can provide you with real time information about your heart rate and how you are doing. As a result, you will be able to eliminate the risk factors you have to face.
Focus on these tips and you will be able to go through a faster training experience. How long would it take to train for a marathon is about trial and error. Find out what works best for you and continue to reinvent yourself. Find out what successful runners do and simply duplicate their work habits.
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