If you have already run a marathon then you have definitely thought about how to run a faster marathon next time. On the other hand, you could be planning on running your first marathon and want to know more information. It doesn’t matter whether you have run a marathon yet or not, this article will absolutely be of use to you.
This article will talk about many different tips that you should know for you to learn how to run faster marathons.
Table of Contents
Set a realistic time goal
Setting a realistic goal for yourself is one of the best ways to start your marathon improvement process. Being able to analyse your weaknesses will let you create a much better training program. Also, that will help you target your weaknesses and reduce the impact your weaknesses have on your marathon running time.
You need to figure out where you are lacking and then focus on that. Being able to set realistic goals to shave off time on your marathon is key. Once you have improved upon one weakness, then you need to set another goal. And so on, start working to improve on that.
Remember to train at your goal marathon pace
When you are training for your long runs, you should be running at a slower pace than your ‘goal marathon pace’. You should train at your ‘goal marathon pace’ during the shorter runs. Training like this will help you improve your running efficiency and also help you figure out how much you need to improve by helping you judge your current running speed. Getting used to this kind of effort will help you prepare for your marathon.
Wear the correct gear
Getting blisters on your feet because you are wearing the wrong gear can slow you down and pile on time onto your marathon. You do not want to suffer from this problem on the day you are going to run the marathon. Make sure you are wearing the correct footwear and you have run in that running shoes before. If you plan on running the marathon using the gear that you train with and everything feels right, then great. If you are going to run the marathon in different gear, then make sure you have given it a try before the marathon to make sure you are comfortable, and everything feels the way it should when you are running.
Increase the number of miles you run in a week
Running more frequently will help you build up your fitness and shave time off your marathon. The difference will be less substantial the more runs you go on, for example, you will notice less difference if you increase from 4 runs to 5 per week than you would for 2 runs to 3 per week. Remember that even if the difference isn’t very noticeable, you will still be giving yourself a little boost and it could help take of minutes from your marathon run time.
One important thing to keep in mind is that you must not increase the number of miles you run or the number of times you run per week too quickly. The increase needs to be gradual and smooth. An abrupt increase could be detrimental and cause the complete opposite effect of what you want.
Run slower at the start of the marathon
This sounds like the wrong thing to do. Why would you want to run slower? But this is going to help you later on in the marathon, so it is worth it. Try to run slower than your ‘goal marathon pace’ at the start, this will help you avoid hitting a wall later on. So try to run the first couple of miles in the marathon at about 10 seconds slower than your ‘goal marathon pace’ per mile. Then you can increase the pace to your goal pace and just focus on finishing the marathon as strong as you possibly can.
Have a proper nutrition and hydration plan
To make sure you don’t waste time at pit stops you need to make sure that you are eating and hydrating properly during your marathon training so you are able to do exactly what works during the real marathon and not try something you haven’t done before as that can mess up your marathon run time.
You should research the proper way to prepare the day before the marathon. Listen to people who have more experience. They know the answers to how to run a faster marathon. This will give you the advantage and reduce your marathon run time, even if by a few minutes.
Research the course that you will be running on
Check the marathons’ website and learn as much as you can about the course you will be running on. Find out what you will be facing at each mile. Knowing there are a certain number of hills for example will help you prepare yourself beforehand. And also, it will let you deal with them better by pacing yourself before you reach the hills. If the marathon is local, then you can even practise running the course before the marathon date arrives. Proper research is key to learning how to run faster marathons.
Do not skip rest days
When you are trying to improve your marathon time, rest days seem like a waste of time. But these days are extremely important. Because they are necessary for your recovery and help prevent injuries you might get from overworking your muscles. Always make sure to take at least 1 complete day off from training each week.
During your rest days, your muscles will repair and rebuild themselves and become stronger. This will help you improve your marathon run time. If you don’t take rest days, your muscles will not have the opportunity to rebuild themselves stronger. This will be wasting your training as you will not be letting your body gain the rewards of all the hard work.
Summary
In conclusion, there are many ways that you can learn how to run a faster marathon. Using a proper marathon training plan and as many of these tips as possible will help you shave off the time of your marathon. It will take a lot of hard work to improve your marathon performance. But crossing that finish line after applying all these tips and having run a faster marathon is certainly going to feel great and worthwhile.
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