Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."
- George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian
"We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon."
- Emil Zatopek, 1952 Olympic Marathon gold medalist
How to train for a marathon? Well, the books, beginner marathon training schedules, half marathon training program, free newsletter, tips, and more on this site will be your guide to helping you learn how to train for a marathon or half marathon. If running a marathon is a long term goal, be sure to check out the 5K training and 10K training programs to get started running now.
5k training is a fun way to start running, lose weight, and feel great. It is also not as time consuming as marathon or half marathon training.
If you are new to running, then go ahead and get yourself a new pair of running shoes. I cannot stress enough the importance of having a comfortable pair of running shoes while training for a 5k or any other running event. They reduce the impact on your legs and joints while helping to avoid, or reduce, back pain. Visit your local running store to get fitted by experts. Having a good pair of running shoes will also make you feel like a runner which will give you added motivation during a 5k training program.
Below is a 5-week training schedule. If you are new to running, then the 5-week schedule is a safe program to get you started and prepare you for a fun 5k race.
5-Week 5k Training Schedule
Week 1:
Monday - Run/Walk 15 minutes, Tuesday - Run/Walk 2 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run/Walk 15 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run/Walk 25 minutes, Sunday - Off
Week 2:
Monday - Run 20 minutes, Tuesday - Run/Walk 2 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run/Walk 20 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run/Walk 35 minutes, Sunday - Off
Week 3:
Monday - Run 25 minutes, Tuesday - Run/Walk 2 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run/Walk 25 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run 30 minutes, Sunday - Off
Week 4:
Monday - Run 25 minutes, Tuesday - Run 2 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run 30 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run 45 minutes, Sunday - Off
Week 5:
Monday - Run 20 minutes, Tuesday - Run 20 minutes, Wednesday - Off, Thursday – Run/Walk 15 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday – Race Day, Sunday – Off
10k training is a fun way to start running, lose weight, and feel great. It is also not as time consuming as marathon or half marathon training.
If you are new to running, then go ahead and get yourself a new pair of running shoes. I cannot stress enough the importance of having a comfortable pair of running shoes during 10k training or training for any running event. They reduce the impact on your legs and joints while helping to avoid, or reduce, back pain. Visit your local running store to get fitted by experts. Having a good pair of running shoes will also make you feel like a runner which will give you added motivation during a 10k training program.
Below are two 10k training schedules. If you have already been running a little, then you can begin the 7-week schedule. If you are new to running, then the 10-week schedule is a safe program to get you started and prepare you for a fun 10k race.
7-Week 10k Training Schedule
Week 1:
Monday - Run 25 minutes, Tuesday - Run 2 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run 30 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run 3 miles, Sunday - Off
Week 2:
Monday - Run 30 minutes, Tuesday - Run 2 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run 35 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run 45 minutes, Sunday - Off
Week 3:
Monday - Run 40 minutes, Tuesday - Run 3 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run 40 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run 4 miles, Sunday - Off
Week 4:
Monday - Run 30 minutes, Tuesday - Run 2 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run 35 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run 60 minutes, Sunday - Off
Week 5:
Monday - Run 3 miles, Tuesday - Run 50 minutes, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run 35 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run 70 minutes, Sunday - Off
Week 6:
Monday - Run 20 minutes, Tuesday - Run 3 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run 20 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run 75 minutes, Sunday - Off
Week 7:
Monday - Run 20 minutes, Tuesday - Run 2 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Light 20 minute jog, Friday - Off, Saturday - Race Day, Sunday - Off
Following is a suggested beginner marathon training schedule. The schedule assumes you have been running for at least 6-10 weeks at can run for at least 30 minutes without stopping (See 26-week schedule).
16-Week Marathon Training Schedule Week Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Total
1 3 Rest 4 3 Rest 5 Rest 15
2 3 Rest 4 3 Rest 6 Rest 16
3 3 Rest 4 3 Rest 7 Rest 17
4 3 Rest 5 3 Rest 8 Rest 19
5 3 Rest 5 3 Rest 10 Rest 21
6 4 Rest 5 4 Rest 11 Rest 24
7 4 Rest 6 4 Rest 12 Rest 26
8 4 Rest 6 4 Rest 14 Rest 28
9 4 Rest 7 4 Rest 16 Rest 31
10 5 Rest 8 5 Rest 16 Rest 34
11 5 Rest 8 5 Rest 17 Rest 35
12 5 Rest 8 5 Rest 18 Rest 36
13 5 Rest 8 5 Rest 20 Rest 38
14 5 Rest 8 5 Rest 9 Rest 27
15 3 Rest 5 3 Rest 8 Rest 19
16 3 Rest 3 Walk 2 Rest 26.2 Rest 34.2
Heart rate monitor training allows you to keep a close watch on your heart rate (HR) during training will help tremendously. Use an HR monitor. This allows you to measure the intensity of your runs and to gauge your progress towards fitness and conditioning.
First, you need to determine your maximum beats per minute. The best way to accurately measure this is to test it out. After a light warm-up jog, run three ¼ mile sprints (as fast as you can run) with a 30 second walk between each sprint. Then check the beats per minute on your HR monitor. This will give you a measurement of your maximum beats per minute. Another way to measure your maximal heart rate is by using a simple formula: 220 – (your age) = Maximal Heart Rate. It should be pointed out, however, that using a formula like this is popular one is only an estimate and gives you a range you can expect to fall into.
As you move through training, you should begin to see the beats per minute drop while you are running the same speed as you did early in the training period. Polar makes excellent heart rate monitors.
As you train, your heart simply gets stronger and gets better at pumping blood, which produces more oxygen for the muscles. Thus, the more you run, the stronger your heart gets and the easier it is to run.
Your training runs should be at 70% to 80% of your maximal HR. Perform the test to determine your maximal HR and then monitor your heart rate to see that you are training at 70% to 80% of your maximal HR. This may be difficult at first, but stay with it and your heart will adapt, get stronger, produce more oxygen to the muscles, and then runs should become easier. As you move through training, you may find you need to pick up the pace to be at 70% to 80% of your maximal HR.
Heart Monitor Training for The Compleat Idiot is a good resource for learning more about training with a heart rate monitor.
留言列表
