You wake up one, beautiful morning and have decided, “Hey, I am going to start being healthy. I am going for a run.” You put on your jogger pants and running shoes and just started running then the rest will either be history or it ends there (sad but relatively true for some, don’t you agree?).
Running is one of the easiest and accessible activity that one can do almost immediately. The gears you would need will just be your running clothes, shoes and you are all set (Well, the Garmins and the Aftershokz will follow of course). But as you go deep in to the sport; when you start thinking that this may be something you would like to explore more and shine at, you will begin to focus on a game plan in reaching your target time or making a new personal record.
You may have crossed paths with hundreds of articles about running; like what to expect on your first marathon, how to survive your first trail run, what to do pre and post marathon from professional athletes, coaches, long time runners and well, people who just love to run; Consider me under the last 2 sources.
Like other runners world wide who looks at running as both their personal sport and something that their body is longing to do every single day, let me share you my top 10 Essential tips for marathon beginners:
1. Go for it!
You would probably expect this tip at the last part of every list. I think this is one of the first and important things a novice or an experienced runner should do and keep in mind. When you decide to run – either for fun, for your health or in preparation for your next marathon – just do it. You build your stamina by running everyday. You build stronger lungs and leg muscles by running consistently. Your body’s vitality strengthens if you use it regularly; Run 10km during days you are feeling fine, run 5km during “okay”days, run
3km if you are not feeling it, run 2km if its raining and you just want to sweat some. It’s true what they say, “Even a bad run is better than no run”.
2. Never, ever hit the wall
If you are a long time runner, you know what this term means. For our new friends who just read it for the first time, hitting the wall in any endurance sport mean you suddenly felt fatigue and there is an unexpected drop of your energy that makes you want to stop. This is a result from lack of hydration and fueling during a run or overuse of your energy. Make sure to run SMART all the time. Load what’s need to be loaded, do proper warm-ups and never go over your limit.
3. Slow is fast.
Yes! You read it just right. Unless it is sprint running, starting slow is always essentials for marathon running. If you are a seasoned runner and you have your pace planned, that is a different thing but if your just started running, it is better to run in a slower pace and increase gradually until you meet your normal speed then maintain towards the end.
4. Compartmentalize
In marathon and ultra marathon running, it is effective for me to divide the kilometres into sections. This give me the chance to plan when to re-fuel and most importantly psychologically helping me survive the entire marathon. As an example, if you look at 50 kilometres, you would probably feel the exhaustion already; so what I do is expect a finish line every 10 kilometres – hydrate on the 5th km mark, reload on the 8th km mark and crossing the finish line on the 10 kilometres then repeat. This definitely works for me, you can try this technique or find a way how you can make the 26.2 , 13.1 or 60km look like a walk in a park (a long park should I dare say!)
5. Find that TARGET
No! Not a literal target you will shoot. In long distance running, you must also pack your patience. If you do not have a running team, running alone means you must make sure your sanity during the race is well-ready. Don’t just count the kilometres, it might work if you aim to reach a certain target, like a lamp post 800 meters ahead or that stoplight 500 meters away, and after crossing the target, either slow down or notch it up a pace.
6. Don’t fret, its just a stitch
If you have started running, you may or may have not yet encountered that slight cramping on your abdominal side, but surely you will. This is what runners call a “side stitch”. This is just your body alarm saying, “Hey, your breathing changed. Let me adjust”. Don’t abruptly stop running; instead slow down, hold and slightly press your side where you feel the cramping and do deep breaths. Do this several times also making sure your pace is balance with your breathing. A little hydration after this breathing exercise won’t hurt also.
7. When it calls for it, shout a loud “HAAAA!”
Even hard core runners would have trouble breathing properly specially when there are unexpected elevation, change of weather or the body just screams, “I need more air”. When this happens, slow down to a jog (still not stopping), inhale deeply, holding it for 1-2 second and exhaling while somehow shouting a “HAAAA”. This exercise expands your lungs and by dropping your pace a bit, this will let you continue your movement to the finish line. This breathing exercise also works while at rest or doing any endurance sports.
8. That is where those CARBS went
Who does not love food? Part of why I love running is because I love to eat also; well it somehow balance it, right? Don’t get me wrong, it should always be healthy eating. Eating the right food – with high carbohydrates, low-fat and low fiber will surely assist you to cross that finish line safe and alive. You should always make sure to load properly days and day before every race. Do not worry about the carbs, you will burn it!
9. Music and lyrics and people
For some, the best companion in a marathon is a good music playlist with catchy and inspirational lyrics . I could not agree more, of course! Though you would also want to consider turning the music off for a couple of kilometres in the middle of the marathon and just listen to the people cheering, looking at the eyes of your co-runners who are also getting inspiration from other runners and so you can also ask “Hey, doing okay?” to your running mate.
10. Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game
This saying is overused, I know! But this is perfect for first time marathon runners. Several hard core runners would look at 26.2 miles as practice grounds for their Ultra, some long-time runners would look at 13.1 miles as a fun run but for those who are just about to do their first marathon, just crossing the finish line is a trophy itself. The kilometres seem so far but you will never go anywhere unless you take that first step.
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