In 2011, Resolve to Run Your First Marathon!

Have you started thinking about your New Year’s resolutions yet? Now’s the time, since history has proven that coming up with your list of promises on New Year’s Eve during the countdown to midnight tends to result in failure. Start planning now, carefully working out which of your goals are the most feasible for 2011.

Of course, at MyRaceRagz we always suggest setting some realistic but challenging running goals! Have you run a few short races, but never “gone the distance”? You might want to consider spending 2011 training for your first marathon.

A marathon, for those of you who haven’t been introduced yet, is a grueling but utterly satisfying 26.2-mile race. Most of the more common marathons are street races, and are sometimes decked out with concerts, crowds, and family events. In spite of the use of the word “race,” this is not your traditional 100-meter dash; you’re not necessarily racing against your fellow runners. Instead, most runners treat marathons as a sort of personal milestone, a way to push and challenge themselves to be the absolute best they can be, to set and reach a goal that is truly fulfilling.

First of all, you will need to determine if you are ready to start training for a marathon. Have you run a few 5k races already? How about 10k? Ever done a half-marathon? If so, you’re probably in a good position to start thinking about marathon training. Of course, check out your overall health with your doctor and let him or her know your plans – a doctor can be an extremely valuable resource when setting up a training plan.

Next, research the various marathons that might be coming up in your area. If you’re a bare-bones beginner, or you’ve only run a few 5k’s, look several months into the future. If you feel you’re prepared to tackle something a little sooner, research accordingly. Be sure you select a marathon that gives you plenty of time to prepare your body and your mind for the grind. For an extra spiritual boost, sign up for a race that supports a charity you can really get behind.

Now…sign up! Go ahead and pay the registration fee, mark it on your calendar, and begin your planning stage. Divide up the time between now and then into individual weeks, and plan to gradually increase your daily mileage until you are able to run at least 22 miles at once. Make sure that you throw in a couple of low-mileage easy days every week, or you absolutely will exhaust yourself long before the sound of the starting pistol.

Once you’ve gotten yourself checked out, the hardest part is staying committed and wrapping your brain around the reality of the situation. Don’t just “hope” you’ll complete a marathon. Don’t “wish” you could run that far. Plan on it. Visualize that it’s already done, and that you feel great. Go to other marathons as a spectator and watch the looks on the runners’ faces as they cross the finish line. That will be you one day in 2011!

Happy Holidays from MyRaceRagz.com!

This entry was posted on Monday, December 20th, 2010 at 3:48 am and is filed under Marathon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.