Minimum Marathon Training

by Nicholas Panebainco, RRCA Certified Running Coach

Training for and running a marathon is not like studying for a final exam, you cannot cram the night before.

REMEMBER: Getting to the starting line is MUCH harder than getting to the finish line.

Running a marathon takes months of preparation and methodical training. You must SLOWLY build your mileage base so that you body can gain strength and adapt to the stress without injury.

How much should I be running?

Go to the beginning Marathoners calendar at: http://www.bbbsnca.org/rfk/Marathon-Training-Plan.html. Compare the current suggested weekly mileage to your own. If you are not at that level yet, devise a plan to slowly build your way to it, don’t just start running twice as many miles per week if you have not been training at that level.

How important is the weekly long run?

My veteran marathon friend Don Leeman explains it well at: http://www.bbbsnca.org/rfk/Leeman-LongRun.html. Check it out.

Am I on track with my training?

To run the Marine Corps Marathon in October, you should be able to run 12-13 miles by the end of July. A good checkpoint is to run the very hilly and challenging Riley’s Rumble on the last Sunday in July. If you can finish Riley’s at your training pace or a little faster, you are well on your way to a successful Marine Corps Marathon medal. You can read more about Riley’s at: http://www.mcrrc.org/racing/racedesc2.html#rumble.

If you have further questions, just ask at coach@bbbsnca.org.