(cheerful motivating music) - Whether it's part of
a distance triathlon or a stand-alone event, completing a marathon is
a significant challenge. Running 26.2 miles, or 42.2 kilometers, does require some structured
training and planning. - Yeah, and it also requires
quite a bit of respect. Because although we can get
away with completing a 10K, or perhaps even surviving a half-marathon on minimal training, a marathon is an
altogether different beast. So if you've run a marathon,
and you've got any experiences, please drop them in the comments below and share them with some others. - So we're gonna be covering
all aspects that you need to train for a marathon, whether it's your first
ever marathon event, or you're returning back to distance. We're gonna be helping
you to reach your goal. (groovy synth music) - You need to allow
yourself plenty of time to train for a marathon. If we rush things, it's simply going to predispose us to some injuries, or it's just not going to
leave us with enough time prior to race day. So, start by choosing
a race that suits you, considering your location,
the terrain of the event, even things like the cost of entry, and also the time of year. Because you need to allow yourself a good few months to
train prior to the event. - Yeah, and once you've
got that date in the diary, you can then work backwards from there. And it does obviously depend on your base level of fitness beforehand. But say you're running
several times a week, and maybe you've already done a 10K, or a half-marathon, then 16 weeks should be an
appropriate amount of time in which to gradually
build up to those miles. If, however, you've got a very good base, you can probably get away with 12 weeks. (groovy synth music) - Now, for this video, we're gonna discuss using a 16 week training plan. Now, don't panic. Although four months may
sound like a really long time, it actually just gives us plenty of time to build our training
up at a sensible rate. Along that note, try and
think of the 10% rule, which basically means that we're trying not to increase our training by any more than 10% each week,
being that time on our feet, or the mileage that we're running. And this just allows our body to adapt to the training load that
we're putting it through, and also hopefully avoid injuries too. - Yeah, training for a marathon obviously requires a lot of running, and therefore quite a lot of time. Aim for five to six sessions
per week, time dependent. If you do have more time, and your body can actually
absorb that training, then consider doing seven sessions a week, but make one of those
days a double-run day, so that you still end up with a rest day. - Now, base your plan
around six runs a week, which would consist of one long run, one tempo run, and interval
or speed type of run, one to two zone two runs, and then the remainder of your running is coming from easy, aerobic runs. - Yeah, and the biggest difference between training for a
marathon, compared to a half, or a 10K, is going to be the increase in your overall mileage, and also, in particular, your long-run. The other sessions will
increase a little bit in length, but not so significantly. (groovy synth music) - Now ideally, you want
to be able to reach 20 to 22 miles for the
duration of your long run. So hopefully you're able
to start comfortably from 10 miles or thereabouts. And if you can then increase
that by a mile a week on your long run, then by 12 weeks, then you're going to be
up to the 22 mile points, which gives us a few weeks of wiggle room, and also allows us to taper off as well. - This session is all
about miles in the legs, time on the feet, and pace
isn't really too important. Ideally, you want to try
to hold a consistent pace throughout the whole run, and imagine that you're
running with someone else who can maintain a
conversation throughout it. And it's also an ideal opportunity to practice your nutrition. You've got several attempts to replicate what it's gonna be like on race day, so you can really work out
what nutrition works for you. So, for this you might need to
consider being able to carry some fluids, and some nutrition, whether it's in a backpack, or, if you're running loops in your training, you could maybe leave it
somewhere, hide it in the hedge, then you can come back and
have your nutrition then. That's not only going to become essential as your runs start to get longer, because you need the fuel
to be able to complete them, but also it's going to aid your recovery if you've been fueled well throughout. - Yes. Now, on that point of recovery, it is very much worth
thinking about the day after this long run, because as these get longer, they're definitely going to start taking their toll on the body. So thinking about what
you're gonna do that next day is really crucial. Ideally, some sort of easy
run, or cross-training, like, say, a swim. And to do that the very
next day really does help, although it is nice to think
about having a full day off. But we'd suggest, have that
full day off the next day. (groovy synth music) - This session is key
to marathon training. It's when you get used to running at your planned marathon
pace for chunks of time. It can be mentally quite tough, but you will see significant improvements in your fitness. - Yeah, so as a standalone session, we can do a nice and
easy 15 minute warmup, and then building, over
another 15 minutes, up to that chosen marathon pace, and then holding it for,
starting off at 20 minutes, and then just building that up slowly over the weeks, to as much as an hour. - And alternatively, you could actually incorporate this type of session within your long run. It's something that my
coach has set me recently. And an example would be seven lots of two-K at your marathon pace, with a rest of a one-K
thirty seconds slower, and repeat that seven times. But when you're just starting out, keep that at three to four to start with. (groovy synth music) - Interval sessions are a really nice way to mix up your training, and it's a great way
to start working harder than you are at the marathon pace. Now, we have got some options here for the type of training we can do. And in the first half
of your training block, you can focus on hill reps, as this type of session. A really good example of that might be five to six times three minutes
of hard, uphill running, with a nice, easy jog
recovery back down the hill. And you can increase those number of reps and/or the duration of the rep. - For something that's a little faster, look to doing one-K or one mile reps, at around your 10-K or
your half-marathon pace. A good example of this would be six lots of one-K with a
90 second jog recovery, but obviously start off with less, and you can actually aim to build it into a few more Ks as
your training goes on. (groovy synth music) - Now, the intensity of the
steady run is great for building aerobic capacity, and just getting miles into the legs. Now, it is a run that
should feel comfortable, but not entirely easy. And that should be an intensity of around about 3 to 4 out of 10 on the rate of perceived exertion scale, or, say, zone 2, and 70 to 80%
of your maximum heart rate. - Yes, start these runs at
around 40 minutes in length, but do look to increase them
up to as much as 90 minutes. And you can include these
runs once or twice a week. (groovy synth music) - Then the recovery run is easy, and pace really doesn't matter at all, as long as it isn't too fast, of course. Now, it should be a really
easy, conversational pace, with an effort level of 2 to 3 out of 10, and its aim is really just
to get the legs moving, get oxygenated blood
back into the muscles. And this really is a run
that I do look forward to, because we don't even
really need to have a watch. - Yeah, you can include this
a couple of times a week as a recovery run, or session. A good example would be, if you've done a hard
session the night before, you could put a recovery
session in in the morning, and then hope your legs get ready if you're doing a quality
run again that evening. As we mentioned earlier,
the recovery session is not exclusive to running you could swap it for a swim, an easy spin on the bike, or even using the elliptical
trainer in the gym. If you are going to stick to running, then cap it at 40 minutes, and if you're going to cross-train, then cap that at an hour. - Yeah, and what you can also do is add in some spikes of speed just to spice things up a little. Say, three to four sets
of 80 meter strides is a really nice way of just giving you something to focus on, and also stops you from
getting really sluggish. And also preps you for your next hard run. (groovy synth music) - Finding the right shoe when training and racing
this distance is essential. So, if you've got a shoe that you're happy with
for the shorter distances, it might be worth considering getting something with a
little more cushioning, but look for something with
the same amount of support that you've got already. And once you've found a shoe that you're entirely happy with, it's probably worth
investing in a second pair so that you can wear those
in over a couple of runs, put them aside, and you know that they're
there ready for race day, as you don't want to be
trying to buy a new shoe and finding out it's out of stock just a few weeks before your race. - As well as recording
your weekly run mileage, do pay attention to the wear
and tear of your trainers. Because most shoes are
designed to last for, well, somewhere in the region of three to five hundred miles,
or 450 to 600 kilometers, before they basically become,
well, less than ideal. So it's far better to
pay attention to this, and preempt any possible injuries that could come along. - And as we've already mentioned, you're gonna be doing these longer runs, where you need to fuel, and
to have your own nutrition, so it's worth investing in maybe a race belt or a running rack, so you're self-sufficient
for your training runs, and then, if you find it comfortable, and you want to use your
own nutrition on race day, you're prepared. (groovy synth music) - Now this leads us on to nutrition, including before, during,
and post your running, and becomes increasingly more important as you up the mileage. Now, though you need
to be adequately fueled before your longer and harder sessions, as the time starts to creep
over an hour on your feet, you really need to start thinking about how you fuel during the session too. - Yeah, obviously with race day included and your longer runs, you're gonna be running for
two, three, four hours or more, so it's important that you
find nutrition that you like, but also that your body can digest. So it might take a little
bit of experimentation to work out whether it's energy gels, energy blocks or bars, or something similar that works for you. And if you do struggle to
consume whilst actually running, then it's okay to factor in a short walk whilst you take on your nutrition, and you can even then employ that tactic when it comes to race day. (groovy synth music) - Now, you're gonna be putting
even more stress and strain through your body and
legs than in general. So strength and conditioning
becomes even more important. So, considering things like mobility, lots of stretching, even
some running-focused yoga might be a really good idea. - Yeah, so as well as
maintaining your flexibility, you also need to work on your strength. So, think about upping your core, and then including some
stability exercises, such as single-leg squat, that really get your glutes firing. And if you do have time
to head to the gym, then doing weighted squats or deadlifts, and even upper-body exercises, will all help make your body stronger and more resilient to these extra stresses that you're putting on it. (groovy synth music) - Now, stick to your plan
and don't try anything new. If you've consistently followed
the plan that you've had for the last four months, you will be well prepared for your race. Factor in a taper,
reduce your mileage down over the last two weeks, and you'll be good to go! - And still keep in some speed work, because it'll help your legs
to stay feeling good and fresh, but just add in a little extra
recovery in-between the reps. And then also concentrate on
having really good nutrition, and try to get as much sleep as you can. All that's left to say is
trust in your training, and go out there and reap the rewards for all of that hard work you've put in. And if you are currently
training for a marathon, let us know how that's going
in the comments section below. - Yeah, absolutely. And if you like the look of the jackets that Heather and I are wearing, then please follow the link to the shop. If you've enjoyed the video,
hit that thumb-up like button. Don't forget to click on
the globe and subscribe for all of our other videos. If you want to see a video about how to avoid runner's knee, you can find that here. - And if you've got a target time of running a marathon under four hours, then there's a video to help
you with that just here.
