Training For a Marathon is More Than a Plan
Why would I say that training for a marathon is more than a plan? Well, mostly because so many runners believe that a running coach is someone who provides a training plan. In the whole scheme of things, the plan only makes up about 30% of what goes into a successful marathon. There are so many other factors that play a part in a good training block. Coaches provide knowledge for nutrition, rest and recovery, strength and conditioning, sleep, weight loss or gain, race strategies, and more. Perhaps the most important aspect of coaching is having the foresight to see what a runner is truly capable of and in-turn convincing them they can achieve what they never thought possible.
A training plan is important. It provides structure and some semblance of guidance for an athlete. However, a generic plan off the internet, although it can be successful for the right individual, it offers no flexibility. There’s no room to adjust when things don’t go as expected. What happens when niggles start creeping in and the athlete just runs through them? A coach will change things up, move things around, make the most of the current situation.
Additionally, a coach will double down on the athlete’s strengths, improve on their weaknesses, all while keeping the fundamentals required for success. It’s often hard, over the course of a 16-week or 20-week training block, for an athlete training for a marathon to remain focussed on everything. Let’s look at nutrition for example. Many times a runner will neglect putting any focus whatsoever on how they fuel their body day to day. This includes how they balance macros over the course of the week. Timing is important and when to consume protein, carbs and fats matter almost as much as the quantity of each. Consuming the right combination at the right time will aid in performance, recovery, and in overall energy levels. Keeping good nutrition and hydration habits can often be the difference between smashing a marathon goal and missing it by a wide margin.
Key Factors for Successful Marathon Training
Let’s look at injury prevention as another example of why training for a marathon is more than a plan. A coach will see the signs of an athlete tipping into an injury risk potential. We all know prevention is better than cure, so why do runners constantly run through situations that cause an injury, when changing things up would have prevented it? It’s because they have a generic plan that tells them they have to. There are no options. There’s more than one way to reach the start of a marathon in peak condition, but none of them include standing on the start line with an injury.
Some best practices like varying paces and running surfaces, having a shoe rotation, and ensuring rest days are strategically included go a long way. A successful marathon training block requires the athlete to be recovered and ready to tackle the next hard session, the next long run, and ultimately the marathon itself. The only effective training is the training the athlete recovers from.
Regular strength and conditioning workouts also help with injury prevention as does stretching and mobility routines. Very seldom are these included in a generic plan, and even when they are, they aren’t geared towards the individual. These don’t have to be gruelling gym sessions for the athlete and can be customised to suit the individual, and a coach is well suited to do this.
A generic training plan won’t hold an athlete accountable to ensure they are prioritising good, healthy habits and even creating these habits in the first place. A solid structure around sleeping habits are a key to setting up the athlete’s day and ensuring they have high energy levels to meet their training demands.
A Positive Mindset is Another Key to Success
The running world is laden with examples of athlete’s who have excelled in our sport and credit self-belief and a positive mindset. When runners like Eliud Kipchoge and the late Emil Zatopek firmly believe this is the case, who are we to disagree. We see examples of this everyday in other sports so why should running be any different. As a matter of fact, running is such a mentally difficult sport, it’s no wonder that a strong will and positive outlook plays a big part in success.
I have seen this firsthand and I make this a fundamental part of my coaching. Athlete’s work on building their mental strength every bit as much as physical. Whether that is in the form of pushing through tough sessions or practising visualisation exercises in the race phase of the training, mental prep plays a big part for athletes.
Training For a Marathon is More Than a Plan
Training for a marathon is more than a plan. If an athlete is going to put in the work to run a marathon, it is worth going for it. There is nothing quite as rewarding as putting in 16 weeks of focussed training and reaping the rewards on race day.
Anyone who has run a marathon knows that it is a transformational experience. It is the culmination of at least four months of hard work. The only thing better than putting in the work, is getting the best possible result on marathon morning.
After all, training for a marathon is not about running a marathon, it’s about becoming the kind of person who can.