3 Marathon/Half Marathon
Success Secrets
Running Tips from the Fit School
Training for a marathon or half marathon is an exciting adventure. Having trained hundreds of runners to injury free, successful races, I have found 3 key strategies to racing success.
1. Increase your weekly mileage by only 10% or less. Most people get excited about their goal to run a marathon or half marathon and go all out. If you stick with the 10% mileage increase or less, you are more likely to avoid injury and enjoy the training process.
2. Eat foods, gels, and/or sports drinks that you have used during training. Keep your eating consistent with what you always eat before and during your regular training runs. If you always eat a peanut butter and banana sandwich one-hour before your long training run and drink a certain brand and flavor of sports drink during your run, do the exact same thing on race day. (I've learned this from experience!)
3. TAPER! I am a big fan of tapering. Having fresh legs and replenished body fuel is a key component to having a great race. When training for a marathon or half marathon, your longest run should be three or four weeks out from race day. Two weeks before your race, your long run distance should be half of your longest run. One week before your race, your long run should be one quarter the distance or less of your longest run. This allows your body to replace all glycogen stores and your legs to feel fresh on race day.
Lastly, remember to enjoy your marathon or half marathon. You may make some mistakes, but being part of an event, pushing yourself to your goal, and enjoying the experience is what it is all about.
Let’s do this!
Coach Carol Frazey
The Fit School, Inc.
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