Keys to Prepare for your First Marathon as a Professional

 

Someone once said, “If you want to know about the meaning of life, you should try a marathon”. Marathon running has become one of the dreams people in this generation are craving for, and an inspiration to living a purposeful life. Having said that, running a full marathon of 42.195 km is not all roses. There are hidden life lessons on every step we take as a full marathoner. Namman Muay has collected and compiled all the lessons into a training manual for runners whose dreams are to achieve a full marathon.

Namman Muay would like to be a part of all runners’ inspirations to reach this biggest dream of yours, a full marathon.

 

We have gathered essential pieces of marathon training tips from well-known coaches as your training guidelines. Let’s have a look at what tips professional running coaches have suggested.

Source: https://www.wellandgood.com/good-sweat/marathon-training-tips-best-running-coaches/

 

1. Keep Your Balance and Land on your Forefoot When Running

Dr. Nicholas Romanov, founder of the Pose Method website and a renowned professional running coach, suggests that when your foot hits the ground, you should make sure that it is landing below your body instead of in front of your body when training. It is also advised that you should run tall (an upright posture) with a slight forward lean at the ankles. These could help runners increase running efficiency and reduce fatigue as you perfect your foot strike and get your muscle balanced, especially hamstring which is an important muscle for running. Furthermore, you should point your feet straight ahead while running to keep weight balanced and lower the risk of muscle injury.

 

References:

- https://trailrunnermag.com/training/injuries-and-treatment/good-posture-for-runners.html

- https://trailrunnermag.com/training/injuries-and-treatment/good-posture-for-runners.html

- https://www.verywellfit.com/which-part-of-my-foot-should-i-land-on-when-running-2911127

 

 

2. Don’t Walk but Jog

It’s normal to be tired after a long run. Coach John Henwood, founder of TheRun, however advises that if you stop running and immediately change to walking, this then affects muscle strength and causes you to lose control of your legs while running. As a result, you can get more exhausted because more power and energy are needed to fuel your muscles to reach the same running pace. Therefore, you should switch from running to jogging instead of walking because your running pace then can be controlled and resumed easily and quickly.

 

3. Take it slow and steady

 

Coach Debora Warner, founder and program director of Mile High Run Club, states that every new runner usually gets nervous and impatient at a race. This impatience of theirs turns out to be their own worst enemy as they will try to speed up and overtake the others early thinking that if leaving some distance of the others at the very beginning of the race, it will be difficult for the others to catch up with them afterward. However, that is proved to be a big mistake as most of their energy is consumed from the start. Most of professional marathoners keep their pace slow at the beginning and gradually speed up in order to make sure that their energy is controlled and last until the finish line.

 

 

4. Practice Makes Perfect

 

Discipline and consistency are necessary and important for marathon training. Brian Rosetti, elite athlete and founder of The Run S.M.A.R.T. Project, suggests that a good marathon training program should focus on:

- Aerobic exercises to improve the strength of your heart and cardiovascular system

- Hamstring workouts

- Speed and Race-pace training to be able to control your pace

- Breathing exercises to improve your endurance and stamina

 

The tips given above are good marathon training techniques that Namman Muay has collected from world-renowned coaches for all runners to get yourself ready for your first or upcoming marathon. Namman Muay would like to be a part of all runners’ dreams to reach the finish line. Please don’t forget to apply and rub Namman Muay before and after running to prepare your muscles for another smooth long-distance run.