Running your first marathon can be daunting, especially if you haven’t been training for years already. If you have questions, you’re in the right place!
There are many reasons why the marathon is more difficult than other races:
- the sheer distance of 26.2 miles is challenging
- it favors more experienced runners (because of the length of the race)
- your body doesn’t have enough carbohydrate to race 26.2 miles
- pacing mistakes become magnified, making one small error into a potentially big problem
First-time marathoners who experience doubt, anxiety, or even good old fashioned fear have plenty of reasons to feel this way!
Thankfully, the marathon is not an unsurmountable challenge. It doesn’t defy human endurance.
In fact, about a half a million runners finish a marathon every single year in the United States (and most of them – nearly all of them – aren’t elite athletes blessed with marathon-friendly genetics).
The marathon can be conquered. Success over 26.2 miles just needs a more strategic plan than your neighborhood 5k.
Thankfully, we have two of the most popular running podcasters on the planet with us today to share with you these training, race, and mindset strategies.
Put them into practice and you’ll finish your first marathon with a smile on your face 🙂
Angie and Trevor from Marathon Training Academy
Angie and Trevor Spencer are the hosts of the Marathon Training Academy podcast and have helped thousands of runners over the years successfully run their first marathons.
Angie ran her first marathon in 2008, promptly got injured, but turned things around in a big way: since then, she’s run 51 marathons and 4 ultras with not a single injury (!). A Registered Nurse, she also has USATF-Level 1 and RRCA-Level 2 coaching certifications.
Trevor followed in his wife’s footsteps and went from couch potato to marathoner in just a few short years. After his first marathon in 2011, he’s since completed 14 marathons, 15 half marathons, and a Spartan Trifecta.
They’ve both joined me on the podcast to talk about the subject of “Couch to Marathon” or how to:
- Transition from sedentary to marathon with as little injury risk as possible
- Differentiate between training to finish vs. training for performance
- Marathon training mistakes that are common among beginners
Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or Google Play.
Show Resources & Links:
- Marathon Training Academy
- MTA Podcast
- MTA on Instagram
- Related: how to rush marathon training
- What to do after a marathon
- When are you ready to run a marathon?
The marathon is a fickle beast that requires taming. Don’t miss all of our marathon articles here!
