running tips

40 Tested Marathon Training Tips for First-Timers

July 26, 2016 - By 

I’m about to start training for my very first marathon!  What a milestone to finally reach 5 years into my running journey!

My first marathon was supposed to happen in 2012…instead, I had my worst half marathon ever.  But 4 years later, I’m a much smarter and stronger runner, I’m injury-free, I have a running coach, and I’m excited for all the hard work that lies ahead!

Still, I have so many questions about marathon training as a first-timer.  What have I gotten myself into??  If you’re going through your first round of marathon training, this post is for you!  I’ve rounded up some of the greatest training advice from experienced marathoners to motivate and inspire you!

I’m linking up with Patty, Marcia, and Erika for the Tuesdays on the Run Linkup!

I’m also linking up with Julie for the Best of the Blogs linkup, Annmarie, Nicole, Jen, and Michelle for Wild Workout Wednesday, and Susie, Debbie, Lora, and Rachel for the Running Coaches Corner! 

Disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links.

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Training for your first marathon leaves you with so many questions! Are you starting your very first round of marathon training? I am! And I've collected 40 marathon training tips for first-timers from your favorite running bloggers to help you on your journey! Get even more running tips at runwithnoregrets.com!

Ultimate Roundup of 40 Marathon Training Tips

prerace-selfie-kop

This August, I’m beginning training for my very first marathon, the Philadelphia Marathon on November 20.  It’s hard to believe that this moment has finally come!  As I prepare for this HUGE undertaking, I wanted to provide a resource of motivation, inspiration and useful tips that will not only help myself but anyone and everyone who is going through this for the first time.  We’re in this together!

I’m so grateful to have had several experienced marathoners and bloggers contribute to this post with their advice for running your first marathon.  They have provided advice on some of your biggest questions about training for a marathon based on their collective experiences.  You’ll learn what to do and what NOT to do!

Check out these tips PLUS a few blog posts on specific areas of marathon training!

Training

The biggest setback I see in first-time marathon runners is following a training plan that is too advanced for them. Following a training plan that is not conducive to your lifestyle can be a recipe for disaster. I always modify training plans to fit my life and never hesitate to take an extra day off if something feels off. Listen to your body and train accordingly! –Michelle, Fruition Fitness

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Trust the process. Follow the plan. It’s 12-16 weeks because you need that time to get ready. Don’t worry about the 20-mile run when you’re doing 10-12. You’ll get there and be ready when the time comes. Bonus tip: Make your long run at least 23 miles. –Marsha, Faith and Fitness with Marsha Apsley 

Easy runs are meant to be run slow and… easy! It can be tempting to go faster if you are feeling better, but it can cause an injury or even overtraining issues. When I trained for my first marathon, I ran these as fast as I could and it was a BIG mistake! If you have an easy run on the calendar, make sure you are running as slow as you can so that you are getting the miles in while giving your muscles a break. Trust me, the Kenyans even practice this! 🙂 –Lora, Crazy Running Girl

Slowly build your mileage during your marathon training. If you build up too quickly, no matter how much running you have done in the past you are more likely to develop an injury.  –Amanda, Positively Amanda

Listen to your body. When you need an extra rest day or to swap a hard workout for an easy run, do so. It’s better to reach the starting line slightly undertrained that overtrained – or worse, not at all because of injury or overtraining.  –Laura, This Runner’s Recipes

Cross-Training

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Don’t skimp on the strength training! It’s so important for injury prevention and goes a long way to help with both speed and endurance. Learning proper glute activation for any hills on the course will allow you to expend far less energy than if you were powering through with your calves, while lateral movements will help strengthen your hip and knee stabilizer muscles. –Becki, Fighting for Wellness

Fueling

From Lauren, Breathe Deeply and Smile
From Lauren, Breathe Deeply and Smile

Getting the right fuel is just as important as getting in the miles.  If your run will last longer than an hour, take in easily digestible carbs every 45 minutes or so.  Chews, gels or whole foods, like bananas and raisins, are all great options.  When you finish, get in a small snack (100 calories) filled with carbs and protein in a 4:1 or 3:1 ratio within the first 30 minutes.  After you’ve cooled down and foam rolled, get in a larger meal with more protein to help those muscles recover.  –Nicole, Fitful Focus 

Start fueling now! Most runners fuel too much in training runs and not enough on race day. You want to teach your body how to tap into its glycogen stores while also training your gut to handle fuel on race day. This takes practice, research (or consulting a coach), and trial and error. –Laura, This Runner’s Recipes

Time Management

The biggest tip I can give anyone training for their first marathon is to continue to have a life. Don’t worry about missing runs if life happens and don’t try to make up miles. Listen to your body and make sure you take time for yourself.  –Steffany, Run Steff Run

Race Day

From Coach Debbie Runs
From Debbie, Coach Debbie Runs

Definitely trust your training on race day-use the same fuel and gear you have through training and know that you can run 26.2 miles, even though you didn’t run that distance in training! Sleep and recovery are also really important in training and the key to arriving at the start line healthy and happy! –Lauren, Breathe Deeply and Smile

Start slow and finish strong. This goes for training and the race. Don’t do too much too soon.  Add .5 or 1 mile to your long run each week.  On race day, start slower than your goal pace and go faster in the second half. –Erica, Erica Finds 

Make a plan, do the training. NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY. (Nothing. Not socks, not undies, not gel, not hydration. You should test everything during your training.) On race day, HAVE FUN! You’ve got an automatic PR. Stop to pet the puppies. If you run into something bad or need to puke in a garbage can, consider it fodder for future funny stories. ENJOY! –Elizabeth, Train With Bain 

The Emotions/Mental Challenge

From Susie, Suzlyfe
From Susie, Suzlyfe

Have faith in yourself.  Ask a friend to run small sections of your long runs.  Make sure you bring fuel for those runs (I used the gu gummies!).  Listen to podcasts, nothing is worse than that voice in your head saying how much you are hurting, so don’t give yourself a chance to. Run on different trails, it makes the long runs more fun when you are exploring. –Hilary, Bakes by Ranchcookie

Keep a positive attitude. It’s so easy to stop one of the long runs half way, but remember why you’re doing it and how amazing it will feel to cross the finish line!
–Amanda, Positively Amanda

Know that you are capable. Mental limits will hinder you far behind physical limits will. Trust your training, trust your body. –Laura, This Runner’s Recipes

Last Words/Bottom Line

From Wendy, Taking the Long Way Home
From Wendy, Taking the Long Way Home

My biggest tip for first timers is to set only one goal – to finish. Marathon training is hard and the first is the hardest without having a big goal to contend with too. –Toni, Running, Loving, Living

I think that for a first marathon, the goal should be to have fun. That was my goal but I had a time goal as well and was disappointed when I didn’t meet it. The disappointment didn’t last long but I wish I’d just never put an arbitrary number in my head to start with! –Courtney, Eat Pray Run DC

Enjoy the journey! There will be difficult training runs and tough portions of the race, but truly enjoying the process and finding happiness and self-fulfillment in the miles will get you through the bad and good miles alike. –Laura, This Runner’s Recipes

Are you training for a marathon?  If you’ve run one before, what advice would you give to a first-timer?  

67 Comments on “40 Tested Marathon Training Tips for First-Timers”

  3. Bookmarking this! As you know I’m also training for my first marathon (NYC) so I’m definitely going to need to refer to this post a lot to help keep my motivated!

    Reply

  8. You’ll do great!

    The advice I make sure to give my runners when they’re embarking on a new distance is to remember that this is the first time, it’s new, and to keep an open mind. I wish I had someone to tell me that before all of my “firsts” because it would have been so helpful to take the pressure off.

    Reply

  9. Great way to put it all together. Thanks for including me! I’ve done 14, and every one I feel like I’m doing my first. Each training cycle is a little different, but as my tip suggests, trust the process. I’ve been through it enough to know that when I’m running 7 or 8 miles in summer heat and dreading the 18 and 20 mile runs to come fearing that I won’t be able to do them because 7 was hard that day, I remember that I get those long runs done, and they never seem as bad as I feared. Trust the process! (And a few prayers along the way never hurt ;-))

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much, Marsha, I really appreciate your advice considering all of your experience! My coach has had to tell me to “trust the training” on more than one occasion for half marathons, so she may need to remind me a few times for full marathon training, lol!

      Reply

  11. I can’t wait to check out the other posts! Such a great round up, and thank you for including me!
    Best of luck with marathon training–as you know, it is my favorite thing!

    Reply

  12. Loved all these tips and the ladies who shared them! Thanks so much for compiling them in an easy-to-use format. Done so well, it could even motivate me to run, and I’m not a runner!

    Reply

  13. Thank you for including my tips and linking to my blog! These are all such great and useful tips, I wish I had this resource when training for my first marathon. Good luck on training for your first marathon – it sounds like you’re already set up for success with a coach and all these tips!

    Reply

  14. Thanks for asking us to help 🙂 It turns out that a bunch of heads ARE better than one. I should have given the advice to listen to the Runner of a Certain Age podcast ha ha! (Available on iTunes and Stitcher.)

    Unrelated question, what plug-in are you using for the subscription box on your blog? (I mean the one that is a semi-pop-up.)

    Reply

  16. Great list!! Keep these in mind, and you’ll do great!
    Plus, for your first marathon, just have fun, its already an automatic PR! 😉

    Reply

  20. Great post! My tip is to do your best with your training and when race day comes, be flexible enough mentally to go with whatever the day brings. Remember the race is a celebration of all your hard work.

    Reply

  21. This is an incredible Roundup! I’m training for my 3rd half marathon in September, but when I eventually plunge into a full marathon, I’ll definitely need this!

    Reply

  22. Great post! I love that you included mental/emotional training as it is just as important as physical training. 26.2 miles is a long way to go and if your brain is not ready, it can go to some dark places!! Best of luck on your race, thank you for sharing 🙂

    Reply

    1. Thanks a lot, Angela, I’m glad you like it! I’ve definitely had some mental challenges from training from half marathons, so hopefully I won’t be struggling twice as much for the full! I have to remember to keep things in perspective!

      Reply

  23. What an amazing resource! Thanks so much for including me! Being able to ‘talk’ to veteran marathon runners is such a valuable tool…there is so much to always learn.

    Reply

  24. This is amazing! Love the collection of thoughtful tips 🙂
    Go get it girl!! I am glad to hear you are injury free. Best way to start!
    I would like to train for Richmond(Nov.), but I am not sure if it will happen. I have a progressive disorder with my feet and I am not sure if I can last that many hours running. For me, the battle will be physical if I get to try. I got the mental part covered 🙂
    I spent July trying to build my endurance and my foot is sore right now…. trying to ride it out!

    Reply

  26. Keeping positive is so right on with marathon training. As soon as you doubt, you are in trouble. Our bodies can handle the distance; it’s out minds that get us into trouble.

    Signed,

    Headcase Runner 😉

    Reply

  29. Hey Janelle, as a veteran of 13 marathons (6 of them at the Philly Marathon), I can say this is an excellent resource for first time marathoners, so great job compiling this and putting this out there for everyone. I’ve already posted the link to this post in a few Facebook running groups I’m in.

    If it’s ok, I’ll leave a link to a topic I wrote about last winter, about embracing the pain in marathon training (the good kind, not the impending injury kind). http://ithoughttheysaidrum.blogspot.com/2016/02/embrace-pain.html

    And if you have any questions about marathons or especially the Philly Marathon, I’d love to help out! Good luck as you start your training!

    Reply

    1. Hi Scott, thanks so much for sharing this post with other runners! Being new to all of this, I was hoping to be able to create a resource that first-timers can look back on when they need some encouragement. Thanks for sharing your post – I’m about to check it out! And I would love to pick your brain about the Philly marathon as we get closer to the race. I really appreciate it!

      Reply

  32. Such awesome tips!!!! There are definitely a few things I would change if I decide to train for another marathon. Fueling really was my biggest issue during training and on race day!

    Reply

  35. Echoing what others said, I would encourage first timers to use ALL long runs as opportunities to test out your race day apparel and nutrition. If you want to use the Gatorade that the race will have on course, buy some and test it out on your long run! Don’t wait until race day to try it out. Same thing for clothing … try it out on your longer runs to find out what chafing spots you might have, and figure out how to address that (body glide, different clothes).

    Good luck at Philly!

    Reply

  36. I appreciate the advice about starting slower than your goal pace on race day. I’m running my first marathon in August with my sister and I want to make sure I’m prepared for the big day. It’s probably a good idea to get over the mental challenge of breaking through running.

    Reply

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