I am training for the Rotterdam Marathon. That race, held in The Netherlands, is scheduled for April 11, or 103 days from today. I will take you on that journey with me, and provide inspiration and practical tips along the way.
I have run marathons before. This will be my 12th, not including the five marathon distances I ran as part of an Ironman triathlon. Nearly anyone can finish a marathon (always check with your GP before starting any exercise program). The better you prepare the better you will do.
While my training for the Rotterdam Marathon specifically began two months ago, in November 2009, I have been training consistently as a runner, and previously as a triathlete, for a lot longer. In the last four years I have run seven marathons, with the slowest taking me 3 hours and 15 minutes and my fastest taking 3 hours and 7 minutes.
My goal for each marathon is to run it faster than I have before, in other words I am looking to set a Personal Best (PB) time. While my quest to get quicker is a large part of my motivation to keep training consistently five days a week, for about 50 weeks of the year, it is not the sole reason I run. I run because running makes me feel good, mentally and physically.
Marathon training is difficult but it is not as tough as you may think. You need patience and about 10 hours per week. I would also recommend an experienced running coach, who can give you a training program: one that challenges you but also keeps you healthy by aiming the volume and difficulty of training on your experience.
The running coach who writes my training programs has done so since June 2005. I rarely see him. He is based in Australia, where I used to live, and I am based in Canada. We communicate via email. When I told him I wanted to run the Rotterdam Marathon, he created a daily training program for me and emailed it to me as a spreadsheet. Every day I open that spreadsheet and do as it tells me.
I do not need to think about my training, I simply need to do what my coach asks me to do. I trust my coach and his knowledge. That is very important and the reason that he has remained my coach for so long. Since he began coaching me I have not been injured, which I am very thankful for. An injury caused by running too much too soon can take a long time to heal, and may prevent you from doing any training whatsoever.
My training session today consists of a so-called easy run of 1 hour and 20 minutes. Running easy means that my pace should be comfortable: the easiest way to know whether I am running easy is that I should be able to chat if I am running with someone else.
Today’s tip: set yourself a running goal.
If you have been thinking about beginning to run, then look for a local group and/or coach to do this with.
If you are already running, find a race you might like to do in spring and start planning your training for that, ideally with a professional coach or reputable running group.
If you are already a runner who thinks they might be ready for a marathon or has run a marathon before, then choose one that gives you at least six months to prepare. So you want check race calendars for the months June, July or August for a marathon that appeals to you.
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