10 steps to prepare a marathon: The "long run"

Running a Marathon should be as simple as that; I put my shoes on and step on the Start line.

But before toeing that line you better make sure you are ready for it.

Here are 10 steps to prepare your marathon so you can enjoy it.

1.  1.Picking the right Marathon

It looks like this is the easy part; but you better think twice before making your decision.

If it is your first marathon, you’ll want to check the elevation chart to figure out the up and downs of the course.

Actually, you better pick a flat one (or as flat as possible) so you won’t have to struggle with uphills and downhills.

For instance, San Francisco Marathon is a very nice one; but the course is really difficult with a lot of hills (300m uphill right after the start; there are better ways to “warm up”); it is not recommended as a first time marathon or to beat your PR.

It all depends on what your goals is.

Also, running the big marathons (Berlin, London, Boston, New York and so on), is very rewarding and fun.

The problem is, you might have to run slow or even walk the first miles, since the way out is very crowded.

I remember an athlete who walked 20’ to reach the…start line, at the New York Marathon; then she struggled to make her way through the swarms of runners for several kilometers.

In the end, she was far away from her PR.

So if you are not an Elite athlete who can have his spot to start, you might want to run those races for fun; but not to PR.

Yet, some marathon organizers make sure now that you can fit into a group with “pace rabbits” (like pros) setting your goal’s pace.

It is a good way to be on the right pace from the beginning; those groups starting one after the other, you have the opportunity to “run” from the Start to the Finish line, and to be with other runners going for the same goal.

You then might check if the race is providing those pace setters.

Otherwise you can look for a local Marathon with a flat (or close to) elevation chart (under a hundred feet is good).

www.marathonguide.com is a good source to find out what the elevation chart is if you want to run a marathon.

This will also gives you a good overview of the race and determine the strategy you want to set (see chapter 8 coming soon).