The Olympic marathon, whose distance is 42.195 kilometers, is a serious test for both beginners and trained athletes with good experience in sports running. However, this is only the official conditions of the marathon, which today is customary to name any long runs on rough terrain or in special conditions, including life-threatening ones. The first advice comes from here - before registering for your first marathon, you should carefully familiarize yourself with its conditions and possible dangers. 42 km 195 m is a lot, to overcome this distance you need to be prepared. About all the nuances of the race and preparation for it, read the article.
Marathon: world record
For the first time, a world marathon record was recorded at the Olympic Games in Antwerp in 1969. It was installed by an Australian named Clayton, having overcome 42 km 195 m in just two hours, eight minutes and thirty three seconds. For a long time nobody managed to break the record. And this despite the fact that traditionally every year a marathon is held. The world record of 1969 was broken only in 1989. The difference was only in minutes - 2:06:32 (Sammy Vanjiru). And the last world record was recorded in 2008 - 2:03:59. Installed by Hail Gebreselassi.
Training Basics
So, the Olympic marathon, the distance of which is already known to you, is not so easy to run. You must have good athletic training in a simple long distance run. Beginners of a marathon are, as a rule, experienced runners or advanced athletes who have mastered the “toe” technique, have developed their own rate of fluid intake and know how to properly monitor the pulse during exertion.
How to run a marathon for a beginner? The first and main principle is to devote enough time to preparation. Even professionals do not shy away from practicing in advance and gather enough information about the upcoming race. Therefore, the first thing you need for a marathon is to make a training plan. It entirely depends on the type of terrain that is selected for the upcoming race.
How to run a marathon without training? Unfortunately, nothing. Be sure to prepare! As a test run, it is recommended to choose a distance in the same or similar conditions, 10 km long. This is the most favorable option for a sober assessment of your own potential before you run 4 times more.
Body preparation
How to run the first marathon? The maximum result can be achieved only with a responsible approach to training, but we must not forget about the adequacy of the loads. The closer the day of the marathon, the less the distance of the next race should be. Entering the competition in a squeezed state with a high degree of probability will not bring a treasured victory.
A good dream is the key not only to a healthy lifestyle, but also to a successful marathon. Rest should be clear and balanced, strictly on schedule without deviations.
Every competent runner knows what is the main fuel for a particular engine in a car called the body. It is nothing but glycogen. This substance is a product of the processing of carbohydrates from food. Their presence in food is a must. Large reserves of this substance will ensure the best possible well-being during a long distance run.
How to replenish glycogen in the body? Despite the fact that carbohydrates have been mentioned, do not rush to happily clutch at all the sweet and starchy foods. This is all very tasty, but not at all so useful, because there are fast and slow carbohydrates, and you need the second group. You can find them in any food that is recommended in a normal balanced human diet, i.e. various types of meat, fresh fruits (except bananas), vegetables, cereals, dairy products, lard, eggs and more. Simply put, slow carbohydrates is any food that is slowly absorbed and processed by the body. If you can’t do without a piece of bread at the table, you can switch to cereal or any “black” or “gray” baking.
Pasta, an Italian pasta dish, was especially popular among runners. However, given the fact that it is slow carbohydrates that are needed for a successful run, it is necessary to choose products from special varieties of flour. A wide variety of recipes allows you to mix it with all the products necessary for a normal diet and a special diet for a marathon. Real Italian pasta is made from durum wheat and is included in the diet of the marathon diet a few weeks before the start.
Psychological self-training
So, the training schedule has already been drawn up, information about the terrain has already been received, the strategy for overcoming the distance has already been drawn up, everything seems to be ... but something can be missed - the mood.
How to run a marathon? Psychological training for the race plays the same important role as physical. A special mood and a specific mindset distinguishes a professional from an amateur. Indeed, even for the most experienced runner, overcoming the marathon is a very big difficulty.
If you are prone to stress, you must do everything possible to eliminate this factor on the day of the race. Stress, like a match caught in a gas tank, instantly burns all energy reserves and leads to a shameful result when running a long distance.
So, you are prepared. Here came the day of the race. How to run a marathon? First you need to arrive at the start place as early as possible, calmly warm up, not forgetting the breathing technique, and then slowly go through the registration procedure. Also, you should not forget about a delicious breakfast of pasta, this is the best relaxant on the day of the race.
A thorough study of the route is also an important element of psychological preparation. When you imagine in advance what will await you, a good basis for maintaining confidence throughout the route appears. You can also plan the regime of water consumption so that there is no internal conflict with yourself, when is it better to do it. If you pre-determine the most difficult stretches of the path, the psyche will be in full combat readiness, and will not fail at a crucial moment.
Secret of Endurance
So you want to run a marathon. How many kilometers will need to be overcome - you already know. Agree - this is a lot. That is why you need to train endurance. In order not to get hung up on the fatigue and difficulty of overcoming the distance, you can divide the entire route into equal sections, relying on the various landmarks that are located on it. Thus, a person pays less attention to a high load, and concentrates more on jogging. Running strategy is a very important element in achieving success, it is with its help that athletes apply a rational approach to the distribution of forces.
A marathon is always a race through beautiful and picturesque places, if you feel that you are under stress and despair, you can always be distracted by the surrounding idyll and forget about gloomy thoughts.
Very valuable advice for beginners - keep yourself in control at the start, never take an example from those who are trying to take urine away from the starting line at the speed of a 100-meter champion. The winner is the one who knows how to smoothly flare up and use forces at the crucial moment, which most often falls on the last stage.
Those who know firsthand what a marathon is are very familiar with the state that comes after the completion of a 30-kilometer stretch. At this point, the body begins to communicate more loudly about its fatigue through pain and increased sensitivity to discomfort. Then you need to remember your desire to win, no matter what.
How to run a marathon
What should be the running technique? A marathon cannot be overcome if you do not own it. This is the main part of all the preparation for the race. In this aspect, there are many pitfalls that become an unpleasant surprise for those who have not previously traveled long distances.
There is a big difference in the effectiveness of a particular running technique over long and short distances. The habit of landing on the heel in front of you may not interfere at usual distances, but at a distance of half a marathon it will lead to unexpected pain or even inflammation of the knee joint.
Many people think that for a proper run you need a special physical. training that provides great leg strength, good abs and flexibility in ligaments and joints. However, in fact, almost anyone can reach this level.
The basic functional minimum of the marathoner includes:
- Well prepared caviar.
- Strong lower back, buttocks, hips.
- The presence of the press.
The above set of muscles forms a special corset during running, which does not allow a person to bend or incorrectly bend his back while running. A protruding pelvis is the main sign of unpreparedness to overcome long distances.
Based on the foregoing, a simple conclusion can be made - stoop is unacceptable during running. It leads to a shift in the center of gravity, which seriously spoils the technique of running, complicates the work of the respiratory and cardiovascular system. Stoop can be eliminated only by strengthening the back muscles by means of wide push-ups or pull-ups on the horizontal bar.
Body level
When it comes to flexibility, it is not necessary that the athlete has the opportunity to sit on the twine. It is necessary to achieve a good balance between muscle length, elasticity of ligaments and the functioning of the nervous system. The required joint amplitude is achieved only by special training and does not require extra effort and many years of work. To organize sufficient mobility of the hips, knee joint and foot, it is enough to regularly engage in gymnastic stretching or Pilates.
With sufficient flexibility, the amplitude of the hips increases, the step becomes wider, throwing and landing of the leg is also facilitated. The athlete runs much faster and becomes more resilient. Dynamic stretching can be carried out during a warm-up, and static stretching will be most effective after training on heated muscles.
Marathon: running speed
There is a special running technique at a marathon pace (M), which all professional athletes try to adhere to. The method is very flexible and does not contain clear boundaries, each approaches it in its own way, but on average, it is recommended to run so as to run 25 kilometers for 90-150 minutes.
The most prepared for running at this pace are those who specialize in distances of 800 and 1,500 meters, which can reduce the duration of such a run to 40-60 minutes. During training using this methodology, it is very important to work out all the details of the upcoming competitions, find your own schedule for consuming water, carbohydrates or energy drinks.
It should be noted that the pace of running at a marathon is faster than jogging, but competent training involves the effective combination of these two techniques. More intensive is used to prepare for the upcoming loads, and a lightweight running technique is the main way to maintain the achieved shape. Also, the M-pace is not suitable for training in bad weather, since a serious level of intensity will quickly overload the body under difficult conditions for normal breathing.
In general, with material preparation for the marathon there should not be any special difficulties, since a long time ago athletes came up with a number of simple recommendations that everyone should adhere to unconditionally.
The basic set of the marathon runner
Obviously, the choice of shoes will require the most attention. And no matter how tempting a new pair of sneakers is, you should hide it away. Any shoes with low mileage is considered new, which means that it has not passed the “combat” test and is a pig in a poke. For a marathon, only shoes that are familiar to him, which are well adapted to the foot, are suitable, perhaps its size will even be slightly larger than the size of the foot. In the last 10 kilometers, this aspect is very evident.
It is worth thinking about clothes only a few days before the race, since its selection depends entirely on the weather conditions that are scheduled for that day. During the run, a person experiences an incredible hot state, so you can not worry about the possibility of freezing. In extreme cases, you can plan the transfer of unnecessary things to attendants, which is not always possible. Headgear is a must-have item, regardless of weather.
The number plate must be tightly fixed to the clothes. Otherwise, she will get tired very quickly and reduce the effectiveness of running. The room itself must be fully protected from water, otherwise a number of formal problems will arise. The easiest way to laminate or process with tape.
Given the specifics of overcoming the marathon distance, the number of things should be as limited as possible. In most cases, the mandatory list is:
- Water and nutrients.
- The most lightweight and comfortable player.
- Pulse meter
- Napkins in a small supply.
- A patch for blocking calluses, which can occur with a very high probability.
Before the start, almost all runners resort to the standard procedure - vaseline lubrication of all problem areas of the body that make themselves felt during training.
How to behave at the finish?
This question is also important. Regardless of how the athlete finishes, first, tenth, etc., it is important not to immediately stop the enormous load that the body is experiencing. In order for the cardiovascular system to be rebuilt and breathing to normal, in no case should you stop immediately after the finish.
When crossing the finish line, it is necessary to gradually slow down the pace of running and go to a quick step, then, after a slow walk, during which you need to restore breathing, you can gradually stop. Water should be drunk in small sips, gradually saturating the dehydrated body.
Well, you have learned what a marathon is, how many kilometers you need to overcome, and how to prepare for it. Good luck in the race!