If you run already, you are ready to start adding miles to your weekly run. If you do not run, start out slow and gradually work your way into a routine of weekly running. About one year required time if you do not run and about four months of training if, you do. Timing is crucial when you plan to run your first marathon.

Running a marathon takes time to build up to distance. You cannot just go out there and think you can run 26.2 miles off the bat. Since starting a running schedule calls for adding miles to your run weekly, end you first week at 2 miles. The next weeks after that add one mile a week until you reach twenty miles a week. You may have to stay at the same miles one week depending on your body condition.

Some very important tips to remember when training for a marathon are your base training period, building mileage, strength building, speed training and the tapering time. In the weeks leading up to the marathon run and knowing what to do in the days before the marathon run are important facts for all runners.

Weight training should be a part of the training to help build upper body strength and lower body conditioning. Abdominal weight training supports the back. Plan for an every other day weight training program. On days, that you weight train; run after the weight training session. Weight training two to three times a week and running four to five times a week. You pick the days, but only allow two rest days for one given week.

Running four to five days includes rotating long and short runs. You should have two long runs every week with two short runs alternating between days. Your body needs to rest between long runs and this way you still run daily but allowing for rest with short mile runs. Never run four long runs in a row. Your body needs rest if not it wears down and will not recover without ceasing the run in order to recuperate.

Always stretch and loosen up your body before running or weight training to prevent injury. After your run you need a cool down of a slow run winding down to a walk, this makes a great cool down after an intense run. This type of cool down helps the muscles relax and prevent cramping. While running remember to drink plenty of water to keep you hydrated.

Now that you have established a running base, you now start training for the marathon. It starts four months before race day. This is where you will start building up miles to reach a goal of 30 miles. Since you have developed a base of twenty miles a week for a base runner, you now take steps to build up endurance and raise your carbohydrate intake.

Keeping up with the long and short runs still apply when training in your last four months. You now need to start adding more miles to your run achieving a goal of a t least 30 miles. Thirty miles is the realistic goal for the marathon training even if the run is only 26.2 miles long. This will also be your starting period for speed running and building more endurance.

Heart monitors may help you with your long runs and running the recovery runs. This monitor gives you an idea if you are running to fast or to slow for what type of run you are running. The type of run needs to be run the way they are meant to be run, not running at the required heart rate for the run can defeat your running schedule you have set.

A training routine consists of a hard week and an easy week. This helps build endurance and allow the body time to rest while still training for the run. Following this schedule will help you build up running miles while performing weight training as well. Do not try to be the clock by training less time than what you need; this could cause injury resulting in an end to your running.

In the last weeks leading up to the marathon you will start tapering off, running will still be done, but at different intervals than what you have been doing leading up to this point. You are now getting ready for the race, which starts in one week from the tapering off week. Here is where your body stays ready for the run, but has a little rest from the long stretches of distance runs.

The day before the race is a short run. The night before the race, you need to have at least eight hours of sleep, wake up fresh, and do a little stretching to loosen your body up. Eat a good breakfast while drinking plenty of water. The race you have trained for as arrived. Eat a little snack thirty minutes before the race and drink water up to fifteen minutes before start the run. Try to stay off your feet as much as possible before the start of the race. The race is here, everything you worked hard for this last year. Take your place and start your run, do not start out like gangbusters, start out at a moderate speed and work up to the speed you trained for in this marathon race.

Distance runners who incorporate weight training into their fitness regime enjoy many benefits.

Total body conditioning provides an all around toning of the whole body beyond the sport.  By adding free weights or resistance machines (Nautilus and Cybex are two popular ones), or both, to their program, runners enjoy strengthening of not only their legs, but their cardiovascular system as well.

Additionally, they increase their strength all over and are less likely to be injured.  When they are also spending adequate time practicing their chosen sport, distance running or whatever, their endurance for their sport will be improved with strength training.

Benefits to the Whole Body
The body is broken down into three specific regions, the upper body, abdominals or core and the lower body.  Each region has a purpose and supports the total body function.  Therefore, each region needs to be conditioned.

Upper Body
When a runner runs, his or her arms swing.  This is a natural movement in running and
runners adapt this motion and use it to their advantage as a method of propulsion.
Therefore, a runner with a strong upper body is more likely to run faster and more
efficiently than one who is lacking in upper body strength.

Abdominals or Core
The abdominal area is the core of the body.  Strength in this region aids in protecting the
back while it helps the runner maintain his or her proper form.  This helps them to
perform more efficiently.  This protects the core from injury.

Lower Body
The lower body region is the part that propels the runner.  It is also the part of the body
that the runner uses most, but there is some imbalance in the muscle groups that develop.
The runner’s hamstrings and calf muscles develop faster than their quadriceps and shins.
A good weight training program helps to counter this imbalance.  As an added bonus,
strong quads and hips help to protect the lower body from injury.

Benefits Beyond Running

By employing total body conditioning, the runner will experience other benefits.  A leaner body due to increased fat burning capabilities occurs.  The benefits extend beyond improving the runner’s abilities.

More Efficient Fat Burning
The more muscle that a person has, the more efficient the body is at metabolizing
glucose.  In short, more muscle means less fat.  The body becomes a fat burning machine.

Change in Body Composition
As the body ages, its composition changes.  Lean muscle decreases while fat deposits
increase.  Weight training and strength training slows this process.

Bone Protection
This benefit is particularly vital to women.  Weight training helps to protect bones.
When the muscles tug on the person’s bone structure during weight training, the result is
a facilitation of bone regeneration.

Reduction in Other Health Risks
Weight training is believed to reduce the risk factors for health conditions such as adult
onset diabetes and heart disease.

Weight Training Guidelines

There are a few standard rules that should be followed when establishing a weight training program.  For instance, when working out it is best to work the upper body one day and the lower body the next, allowing a full 24 hours for one muscle group to rest before training it again.  The abdominals can be trained every day, without any breaks.  It is best to use lighter weights with more repetitions as opposed to heavy weights and fewer repetitions.

When using the weights or resistance machines, use slow, controlled movement when executing the motion from the starting and when returning to the starting point.  Use light weights with many reps.  Doing greater weight with fewer reps adds bulk and strength.  While the strength may be good, bulk will slow down a runner.  In distance running, this can be a great disadvantage.  Running is one sport where extra muscle bulk is not desirable.

Working the major muscle groups and achieving full body conditioning helps the body avoid late race fatigue.  It also allows the runner to run faster during the first ninety-eight percent of a distance race.  By getting stronger, the runner is better protected from injury and better equipped to handle the stress that a runner puts on his or her body.

Upper Body
•    Bench Press
•    Push Ups
•    Barbell Row
•    Back Extension
•    Dumbell Military Press
•    Front Raises
•    Concentration Curls
•    Kickbacks
•    Dips

Abdominals/Core
•    Basic Crunch
•    Crunch on Exercise Ball
•    Half Curl
•    Reverse Crunch
•    Crossover Crunch
•    Plank
•    Side Bends
•    Weighted Curls with Medicine Ball
•    Cable Crunches

Lower Body
•    Barbell Deadlift
•    Barbell Squat
•    Plie Squat
•    Lunge
•    Straight Leg Raises
•    Straight Leg Hip Flexion
•    Hamstring Rolls

Fat vs. Muscle

Fat does not turn into muscle.  This is a physical impossibility yet many people erroneously believe it can be done.  A fat cell is always a fat cell, no matter what is done.  Fat cells do not go away, but they do decrease in size when the body’s energy it expends exceeds its caloric intake.

While a runner may take in more calories, he or she will increase muscle mass, especially is weight training.  This increased muscle mass does result in a lower body fat percentage.  However, the scales may not reflect a reduction in numbers.  This is because the lost body fat is replaced with muscle and muscle weighs more than fat.

Don’t Forget to Stretch!

The final element to a successful total body conditioning program is to round out each weight training session with some good stretches for the muscle group that is being worked.   Each workout session should be started with some stretching exercises, but after the workout the muscles should be stretched again.

Some simple stretches can accomplish this, but for a more rounded program it may be a good idea to incorporate yoga, pilates or ballet into the overall program.  This will offer the distance runner a true total body workout with stretching, cardio, sport training and weight training.

Running track requires a focus on speed but not so much on strength. The cross training done during the winter months is sufficient for strength training. Once the track season opens, you should have a base for strength and now start working on your speed.

After a few weeks of speed building runners start to work on training for pace. The longer the distance the slower workout that develops. The pace should get faster as you progress towards the final race. You need to have consistency when running track with intensity not quite as important with this type of running. Warm-ups with proper rhythm results from stretching and then a slow jog with established strides in place.

Core Training

The core training requires building a posture suitable for improved flexibility and change body position to run track with speed. Balance in high levels provides structure and builds muscles. Body conditioning provides endurance and power behind the runner. Sit-ups and back extensions provide the necessary conditioning. The muscles need to be strong enough to hold the posture to form when running in a track event.

Running on a Hard Surface

Running track is preformed on a hard surface and requires many considerations for training. The shoes and the speed determine if you succeed or fail. Speed workouts allow you to get accustom to a hard surface while building up the speed and endurance needed to run safely to prevent possible injury. Once you begin training, your speed should increase as you run everyday.

Proper Shoes for Track Running

Track shoes have spikes and most are lightweight. The spikes generally screw into the bottom of the shoes to maximize running performances. The spikes at the front part of the shoe help with gripping and traction. The heel needs protection with cushioning and no spikes are in the heel area. The type of event determines the type of shoe. The different shoes are distance running, sprinting and field.

Running on a hard surface such as a track, your feet may become sore and painful if the proper shoe is not worn. You need to provide the proper cushioning for the foot and leg to prevent injuries. Injuries from improper shoes results in fatigue, knee injuries and foot problems. The proper shoe for the surface you are running on helps with running and safety.

Track Running Movements

If you run with good form, speed and endurance come hand in hand. If running indoors on a track, your body does not have to contend with the atmosphere outdoors. A steady pace with your arms moving at a steady back and forth movement done on any surface needs an upper body strengthening, therefore, an upper body workout incorporated into a daily workout routine benefits the runner.

Proper Training Tips

When performing track racing or any type of running, you need to start the day with a breakfast that provides the need carbohydrates and protein. Lack of the needed glucose tends to slow the body down as the energy level decreases.

If you run early in the morning and do not have time for a big breakfast, you will want to have a big dinner the night before consisting of the needed carbohydrates and protein. A healthy meal and a snack before bedtime will provide the same as a breakfast.

The morning before you run then may consist of a small snack to before the run. You always need something before running. Running on an empty stomach is not recommended. A banana or some toast will help before a run.

After the run, you need to replenish your glucose supply by eating carbohydrates, which in turn helps you recover from the running routine. This is not only beneficial for the rest of the day, but also prepares you for the next day.

A warm bath, allowing the body to soak in the warm water to get the blood flowing and circulating through your muscles helps to relax you and enables you to sleep well rested. It is important to complete a good night’s sleep uninterrupted before the next run.

Rotating different training strategies by increasing speed for one minute and then slowing back to your comfort pace trains you with the ability to distinguish between quality running and running that may exhaust you. You never want to run on a depleted glucose supply. This will cause some serious injuries to the body. Always keep your glucose level high for running.

The stride helps with faster paces. Your entire body under goes a complete change. Your tendons, muscles and neuromuscular system learn to work together to become more efficient in running. The stride allows you to run faster and cover more distance.

Two different types of strides, the general and the acceleration stride. The general is a mile pace and allow the beginner to become familiar with speed racing. The acceleration stride starts the runner with a general stride at a mile pace and towards the end of the run, accelerates into a faster pace.

General strides should be done three times a week while the acceleration strides are done twice weekly. This offers rest periods after the long run. Do strength building on days of the general stride runs. The days of the acceleration strides need to be done without any other workouts that day. Warm ups and cool downs before and after for injury prevention, always need to done.