Marathon
Coopah How To: Avoid These Common Marathon Training Mistakes
Jordan Foster
13/09/2024
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Over my years as a runner I have trained for and run many marathons (in fact this year will be my 7th London Marathon, which just feels wild) and whilst I can confidently say there have been times I have nailed it, I have also made a fair few mistakes along the way too. But rather than seeing mistakes as a bad thing, instead I look at them as something to learn from, and make sure I don’t repeat the next time.
Now don’t get me wrong, nobody is perfect, and it is very rare to train for a marathon without a couple of hiccups along the way, but today I am going to share some of the mistakes I have made in the past to hopefully stop you from making the same ones.
DON’T DO TOO MUCH TOO SOON
Repeat after me… you do not need to be doing your longest runs or hardest workouts in the first few weeks of marathon training. Yes I have spoken about this before, so without trying to sound like a broken record, this is a really important point to keep reminding yourself of during these early weeks of marathon training.
But look, I get it, and I have been there myself. Whether you are aiming for a big PB (personal best) or even just training for your first marathon, it can be really tempting to throw yourself in 100% at the start of your training, but I am telling you now, you do not need to.
And trust me, once you get to those peak training weeks (this will be where your volume and intensity are at its highest) in March, you will be glad you took it a bit easier at the start and not only will you feel able to push yourself more, you will have a great base fitness to build upon too.
How Coopah Can Help:
When you set up your training plan, Coopah will not only take into account how far away your event is but also your training experience, meaning that your plan will start at a point that is not just realistic for you, but will build you up in a gradual and sustainable way on the lead up to your event.
Download the app and use the code ‘CLASSOF25’ to start your personalised marathon training plan today.
PRIORITISE REST AND RECOVERY
Marathon training is hard work, there is no getting away from it. And for the majority of us training for a marathon we are also juggling this alongside a lot of other things; whether thats work, family life, or other big commitments, and guess what.. that can be pretty tiring.
So it is really important that alongside your actual training, you also prioritise looking after yourself and we would advise having at least one day a week where you rest and let your body recover. And spoiler alert, a rest day doesn’t just mean taking a day off from running. In fact you want to avoid any intense exercise, or anything that puts a strain on your body if possible.
Rest days really are where the magic happens, this is where the adaptations from your training take place, this is where your muscles grow and repair and also where mentally you can reset and prepare for your next training session too.
How Coopah Can Help:
No matter what your goal, every single Coopah training plan will have rest and recovery days incorporated into them, as we understand that to progress in running and ultimately achieve your goals, this is just as important as everything else. Coopah allows you to select which days work best for you, along with giving you the flexibility to adjust these as you progress through your plan.
Download the app and use the code ‘CLASSOF25’ to start your personalised marathon training plan today.
But I also understand that for a lot of us, daily movement is important, and by all means I am not suggesting you spend all day sat on the sofa. But instead of pushing yourself to do a workout, perhaps stick on your favourite podcast and go for a walk, or use the extra time to do some stretching and mobility that you have been promising you will do every week 😉.
TRY NOT TO COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS
My final, and perhaps most important point, is to not compare your marathon training journey to anyone else. Everyone who is training for the marathon will have different starting points, different goals and different training availability, so rather than worrying about what anyone else is doing, try to focus on what is best for you.
It doesn’t matter if Brian from your run club is already out running 20 miles every weekend and you’re only up to 10km.
It doesn’t matter if Danielle from work is running 6 days a week, but you can only fit in 3.
And it really doesn’t matter if Tom on Facebook is already running double the weekly mileage you are, he may have a completely different goal and base to build from.
If that is what is working for them and what they want to do, then great, but don’t let other people determine how your training should look.
I am not going to pretend that I have always found this easy, in fact just last week I found myself questioning my own training after seeing a runner post about theirs and it did make me worry that I was already falling behind. BUT, thankfully I have been running for long enough now to know what works best for me, how I perform best and most importantly, what I can realistically manage as a full time working mum. And as cliché as it sounds, I have also learnt that with marathon training, patience and trusting the process is key.
How Coopah Can Help:
With Coopah, you have peace of mind that your plan is tailored completely to you, so you know you are doing all you need to do to achieve your goal. But if you do need that extra level of support and encouragement to know you are on the right track, you also have 24/7 access to our team of coaches through the in app chat.
Download the app and use the code ‘CLASSOF25’ to start your personalised marathon training plan today.
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