How to Run a Successful Marathon

Have you ever thought of running a marathon? It takes a lot of training to run a successful marathon because it’s a long freaking distance! 42.2km (26.2 miles) is about the distance from my home to the edge of Vancouver, which can take almost an hour to drive. And despite telling everyone I’d never run that far, I’ve now successfully run three full marathons. Here’s what I’ve learned while training for and running all those kilometers. 

Never Say Never

When I started to get back into running I thought that I would be happy running 10km races. My close friends were training for half marathons and a few of the others we trained with were all about the full marathon. It took me a bit, but I came around to the idea of running a half marathon. 

It was difficult, especially because I didn’t actually do the best with my training. I missed a lot of the long runs, and my longest pre-race run was 15.25km. That meant that on race day everything past 15km was a new distance for me. It’s pretty nuts that I ran 6km further than I had ever run before in that race. It wasn’t pretty.

After that first race, I decided to do another and do better with my training. I was more consistent with my training this time, but the race ended up being much more difficult than my first one. I think it’s because I remembered the physical pain from before and paced myself too generously trying to avoid it. 

As I’m both a sucker for punishment and love to challenge myself, I signed up for a third half marathon. It was my best race ever, because I had good training, the right mindset, and I prepared my body with good fuel and a great night of sleep. So what came next? The full marathons, of course! 

10 Tips to Run a Successful Marathon

Thanks to my previous experiences, my first full marathon was a success – and yours can be, too! Here are my best marathon running tips: 

1. Start small(er). If you’ve never run in a race, don’t start with a full marathon. Start where you’re at and work up to it. This might mean starting with a half marathon or a fun run. You’ll get a feel for the training that goes into a marathon and learn if you even like big races. 
2. Decide for yourself. Before I ran my first half marathon, my running friends and people in my running groups would try and convince me to join them in one. I knew in my heart I didn’t want to, and I didn’t let anyone talk me into it. It takes a strong mindset to train for a marathon and if your heart isn’t committed, you very likely won’t succeed. 
3. Cross train. My most successful races happened when I incorporated strength training, pilates, running, and spin classes. 
4. Vary your runs. I learned that the long runs were important, and that speed work was necessary for me to know when to pace or push myself. 
5. Listen to your body. If you’re feeling under the weather you will benefit more from resting or getting extra sleep versus going out and forcing yourself to slog through your run. This will allow you to heal up faster and have stronger runs in your overall training. On the same note, if you start feeling aches and pains you should rest and/or see a medical professional. Visit a physiotherapist, RMT, chiropractor, acupuncturist, or osteopath to deal with the issue sooner rather than later. The root cause of running pain is usually an imbalance in strength or mobility. If it’s overlooked or ignored you can end up with an injury that could keep you from racing in the end.
6. It’s okay to miss a run. If you need to miss a run due to illness, injury, or a special event, it’s okay! You aren’t a robot and life happens. As long as you do most of your training runs, you’ll be fine for race day. 
7. Sleep! You’ll have more energy on race day if you regularly get enough sleep. If you’re still feeling fatigued during training with a good amount of quality sleep, you want to look at your nutrition. This brings us to number eight…
8. Fuel your body well. You will be hungry when training for a marathon and you’ll need to fuel yourself with well-balanced meals. This goes for before, during and after your runs. It is wise to test out fuel sources that can be used during a long run.  There are premade gels, gummies, and wafers that are easy to carry with you. Some people will make foods that can be easily eaten while running, such as yam or sweet potatoes, fruits etc. A Registered Dietitian can help you understand what your body needs (and in the right amounts) to get you to race day.
9. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. You sweat a lot when you run so you need to drink plenty of water, potentially with electrolytes to make up for the loss of salt when sweating. When you’re hydrated you’ll avoid muscle cramps, headaches, and fatigue. Drink water even when you’re not thirsty.  
10. Stretch. Running is tough on your body due to its repetitive nature. Take care of your tight muscles and make time to stretch. If you don’t stretch on your own, take a class. I’m partial to Pilates, but doing a yoga or pure stretch class is great, too. 

Training to run a successful marathon is a huge commitment. It takes time, planning, changes to your routines, and a strong mindset. The race itself is just one day, but the training takes months – so enjoy the process! A good way to stay on track and make training more fun is to get a running coach or join a running club facilitated by one. You can find me leading runs at Sole Experience, but there are lots out there. Now that you know what it takes to run a marathon, are you going to go for it?