Going the Distance
All about running those Marathons
Requirements for a Passion in Running Marathons
- Do you enjoy running?
- Do you want to stay fit?
- Are you actually crazy?
Start Line
Being a part of such a large crowd gives you a sense that you are part of something great. That you are running with thousands of other people that share the same interest as you!
Training
Keeping in shape is important and vital for running a marathon. You can’t just work out once a week, or just eat healthy. You have to commit to training at least 6 days a week, but you will get results fast.
Community and Fundraising
Burning those Calories
Training for a sport means having to condition and workout for most of your time. Marathon training is no different from that. You will have to train so that your body is prepared to take on all of those miles at one time. Your lungs have to be able to handle 26 miles of running, your legs have to be ready for all of that stress, and in general your other parts of your body should be physically fit as well. Obviously you can’t do just make your body perfect in one night. Months of training and conditioning go into this just like any other sport.
Remember to Stretch!
The most important thing to remember when you are going to start running is that stretching is key. You may think that stretching is boring or a waste of time. But in reality if you don’t stretch you will have a much greater chance of hurting yourself. Even doing one leg stretch will reduce your chance of pulling a muscle much more then not stretching at all. Some basic stretches that you will want to do, are the walking lunges, side stretch, calf raises, and stork stretches. The walking lunge helps warm up most of your muscles that are mainly used for running, and the motion is similar to how you would move your legs to run. The side stretch helps reduce the risk of getting side stitches while running. The calf raise help stretch out the calf muscle, which is used to help let your feet leave the ground. And the stork stretch helps open your hip muscles and quadriceps. Doing all of this as a minimum will reduce the chance of injury greatly, and it should all take about 5 to 8 minutes to do.
What to Wear?
When running, what you wear is a factor. It doesn’t matter if your outfit is flashy or not, what really matters is the material and how much it weights. The worst thing to wear for running is cotton. Not only is it heavy, but it will irritate your skin to the point of blisters, and it keeps moisture in. Coolmax or nylon is preferable materials. And this isn’t just for shirts and pants, cotton or wool socks are a no go. Finding socks specifically made for running, or physical activities are required. Hats might be a good idea if you are running a marathon and it is a bit chilly. But if it’s a warm sunny day, a hat might be a bad idea, since they are made to help keep heat in. Shorts are preferred for most running activities. And the biggest factor out of this entire list is what type of shoes you wear. You need to make sure that the shoe you use is comfortable while running for long periods of time. It has to be light compared to a regular shoe, and it needs padding/cushion to how you land your foot on the ground. Say when you land your foot, you strike most of the force on your heel. You will want a shoe that has a good amount of padding/cushion on the back side of the shoe. Your feed will be constantly hitting the ground. A good shoe will be the difference to your foot hurting majorly, or your feet surviving the marathon.