Putting Mileage in the Bank

There are many things to concern yourself with when training for a marathon, but if I had to pick one single thing that is most critical to your performance, that would be your training.  Training = putting in your mileage.  Running a 26.2 mile marathon is not a natural thing to the human body.  Our bodies weren't really hammering our joint over 26.2 miles of concrete for 3 to 6 hours or more.  That ain't exactly the best thing to do to your body.

So the best thing you can do is gradually get out there and start training.  Not too much, too soon.  Start out slowly.  Start out walking/jogging if you need to.  You don't want to get injured right away.

In April 1993 I had never run a 5K race, let alone a marathon.  I decided I wanted to do the 1994 Los Angeles Marathon.  It was baby steps at first.  I remember running one block and my knee or ankle would start hurting.  So I stopped and walked the rest of the way.  Tried it again the next day and lasted 2 blocks.  Before I knew it I was able to run without stopping as my body adapted to the pounding.

As I train for the Santa Barbara International Marathon these coming 7 months, I will continue elaborating on the importance of putting mileage in the bank!

There are hundred of books on training for a marathon out there.  Years ago this Hal Higdon book was the one that I enjoyed the most, found most easy and enjoyable to read and was most helpful to me.

Making the Commitment to Run a Marathon

Today I committed to run the Santa Barbara Marathon in 7 months.  I had been procrastinating the decision for a few months but something finally clicked when I looked the course.  Not too hilly, finishes at the ocean, in December (cool temps no doubt) and in Santa Barbara, one of my favorite places. 

Making a commitment is pretty much the first step one needs to take in running a marathon (other than perhaps getting a physical exam to make sure your doctor is cool with it...not that I've ever done that :>).

Even as an experienced runner with over 15 years of regular running under my belt, the commitment to training for and running a marathon is not to be taken lightly.  It takes a lot of focus, perseverence, determination and consistency to train for a marathon...or at least to train for it the right way.

The fact that I already have weekly base mileage of 30 to 35 miles per week under my belt makes it easier for me to start ramping up the training.  Some of you may be complete beginners at running and are looking to run your first marathon.  After you commit, your main goal should be to get out there and start gradually building up some mileage.  We will get into that later.

Make sure to commit or you may just quit!