5 Common Marathon Training Mistakes
5 Common Marathon Training Mistakes
Training for a marathon (whether it’s your first, second, or twentieth) is challenging, both physically and mentally. It’s also a huge time commitment, so you’ll likely want to get the most out of your training sessions so you can make it to the starting line (and through the finish line) healthy and injury free.
I ran my first marathon in 2011 (the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon) and, looking back, can see the mistakes I made throughout my training and the race itself. Come to find out, many marathoners who have gone before me made some of the same mistakes and more.
It’s true what they say - experience often makes the best teacher. But experience doesn’t have to be the ONLY teacher!
So I hope you can save yourself the heartache by learning from those who learned the hard way, by taking a look through these 5 Common Marathon Training Mistakes.
Mistake #1: Not Building A Strong Base
It’s all too common for runners, especially those running their first marathon, to head over to Google and download a free online training program. They typically range anywhere from 12 to 20 weeks long and start around 25 miles per week, give or take.
While that may be a reasonable amount of mileage for someone who’s been running consistently, those who have taken large amounts of time off or are brand new to running may need extra time to build a solid mileage base. That being said, building a base isn’t just about increasing your mileage. While base building, you’ll improve your aerobic efficiency (aerobic = with oxygen, the system you’ll use for 99% of the marathon) and increase the durability of your muscles, joints, and ligaments to handle the load of long, hard training efforts.
To give you an example of what base training can look like, I’ll share my personal experience -then and now! I’ve been running off and on for close to 15 years while running consistently for only the past 3 to 4 years. In the past, I’d decide to run a Half Marathon or a Marathon, choose a training plan and go. I was almost always exhausted, rarely performed well, and knew I wasn’t giving myself the chance to reach my full potential.
Now, I maintain a base of about 20-25 miles a week, spend 4-6 weeks before each upcoming training cycle to build my mileage (up to 35-40 miles a week), and follow a race-specific 12-week marathon plan. This allows me to maintain a strong base, while also giving my body the break it needs to handle another training cycle. I might also add tempo work and hill training toward the end of my base building, but that’s another post entirely.
So if you are new to running or haven’t been running consistently, give yourself a good 6 to 12 weeks to build a strong base. It’s going to come in handy! You might even want to hold off on the marathon and run shorter races first, so you can build mileage safely, get stronger, learn to pace, and practice good form.
If you’re starting from ground zero, start by running 1-2 miles, 2-3 times a week, at an easy conversational pace. In a couple of weeks, you should be ready to increase to 2-3 miles, 3-4 times a week, and continue working your way up every couple of weeks. For those more advanced, you can build your mileage in the same way while also adding in one day a week of moderate hill sprints, tempos, threshold pace intervals, and even some 100m reps (6-8) every other week to practice good turnover in your legs.
For both novice and advanced runners, I’d recommend adding in cross-training 1-2 times a week as well (cycling, elliptical, swimming, etc.) to take the stress off your body and continue building your aerobic base.
Mistake #2: Not Fueling Properly (Or At All)
One of the things that make fueling so challenging is that it’s so individual. What works for one may not work for another and, while there’s a lot of information available on the topic nowadays, it can be confusing. You might be tempted to skip it altogether and rely on the aid stations at your next race, so let me remind you:
You are about to run a marathon, meaning you are an athlete. And because you’re an athlete, you need to fuel, hydrate, and take care of your body like an athlete!
A quick disclaimer before I continue: I’m not a nutritionist nor a dietician, so I’m not going to get into too much detail here on recommendations. Seek out an RD RD who specializes in sports nutrition so you can learn more, or work with them one-on-one to really dial in your training and race day nutrition.
When I started running, sports nutrition was new to me and intra-fuel nutrition (fuel needed while running) was not as widely accepted as it is now. I knew I was supposed to eat a huge plate of spaghetti the night before I race, but that was about it (I clearly had a lot to learn!). I’d often head out for long training runs with plain water - no fuel, no electrolytes. It’s no wonder I struggled to keep going most of the time. I somehow made it through my first few long-distance races with little to no fuel, but am grateful that sports nutrition has now come a long way - as well as my own willingness to learn and try new things!
If you’ve never tried fuel before, or have struggled with it, here are a few suggestions:
Know what you need. The general recommendation is 60-90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and your sodium needs could run anywhere from 300 mg to 1,200 mg per hour (varies greatly depending on weather, humidity, and whether or not you’re a salty sweater!). Again, these are just general starting points - be sure to check the end of this post for RD recommendations.
Sample a variety. In order to know what your body handles best, it’s important to try different types and flavors of fuel. You might also find you handle a certain gel well through miles 1-20, but can’t stomach it past the 20-mile mark. At that point, you’ll want a different type of fuel on hand to maintain your glycogen stores to finish the race strong! If you have an upcoming race, find out what type of fuel they’ll be offering at each aid station. I do recommend bringing your own to be on the safe side, but in case you drop one and need an extra - you’ll know whether or not your stomach can handle what they offer. Practice with the hydration/electrolyte drink they plan to offer as well.
Train your gut. Just like you train the rest of your body to run 26.2 miles, you need to train your gut to handle the amount of carbohydrates and liquids you’re consuming. The best time to do this is when you start running longer distances (while base training or during the first few weeks of your marathon plan). Practice fueling every 30 minutes (or every 45 minutes, then work your way down) on runs that are 90 minutes or longer.
Mistake #3: Training Too Often At Your Goal Race Pace
“How will I be able to run x:xx pace for my marathon, when I’m only running xx:xx in training?”
Your training as a whole is preparing you to run the distance you’re training for at a particular pace, not each individual workout by itself. All types of training runs are important, so while you do need to be running some of your mileage at race pace, you shouldn’t be running all (or even most) of your mileage at race pace.
In the plans I create, I will often add race pace mileage in intervals into long-distance runs. Typically, race pace mileage will add up to 7 to 10 miles, while maybe 1 or 2 workouts will add up to 12-13 miles at race pace (depending on the runner’s experience and goals). I might also include some race pace work during the week on shorter runs.
But that’s about it at race pace! Some workouts (very little) might include intervals faster than goal race pace, but our bodies need the slower-pace runs to recover from those hard efforts! Think 80% easy, 20% hard.
The key is to trust your training. Remember that all your training adds up and every single one of your workouts has a purpose - race pace or not. Have confidence in both yourself and the process. Fight the urge to prove your pace and leave your race in a workout.
Mistake #4: Stressing Over A Bad Workout (Or Not Hitting Goal Paces)
While training for a marathon, you may find yourself struggling through some of the workouts.
It’s easy to let those days derail you, and have negative thoughts about how you’re training, how you’ll perform (or not), and if you’ll be able to handle upcoming workouts and the race itself.
It’s so important to know that it is completely normal to have bad days! If you’re experiencing bad workouts day in and day out for more than a couple of weeks, then it may be worth your while to stop and evaluate what’s going on (Are you giving yourself enough time to recover? Are you racing your workouts? Are you eating or sleeping enough? What other types of stress are you under?). But if it’s a workout here and there, hasn’t been going on for an extended period of time, and you don't see a clear reason why you might be struggling, you likely need to write it off as a bad day. Be sure to have some recovery weeks built into your training schedule so your body can absorb the fatigue you're experiencing, and do what you can to minimize any additional stress. You might even take an extra day off or swap out an easy run for cross-training (cycling, swimming, elliptical, etc.) if you think your body needs a break.
Remember that you’re training to work up to hitting your goal race pace AND cover the full distance. It’s going to be much harder to maintain that pace and feel comfortable in the middle of your training block. Come race day, you’ll have physiologically peaked (hopefully!) thanks to all of your training combined, recovery, tapering, carb-loading, etc.
You’re not supposed to be in your best shape throughout the entirety of your training…your training toward being in the best shape for race day!
Mistake #5: Neglecting strength training
You are about to put your body through a lot while training for a marathon. You might even think you’re doing enough already and, following the principle of specificity (training for your activity of choice with that same activity), can’t see why you would add anything else. Clearly, running is the priority! You won’t make it through a marathon without actually running.
However, adding strength training can take your running to a whole new level. It can help prevent injuries from occurring or re-occurring, improve running efficiency, increase speed and overall performance, increase mobility and range of motion, and give you a stronger kick at the end of your race.
If you’re new to strength training, don’t start too heavy or you may not be able to run the following day. At the same time, don’t be afraid of lifting some real weight. Try it before a rest day, and leave the workout feeling like you could do 10 more reps of any one exercise. Consider joining a gym or hiring a trainer who’s familiar with running, so you can have a program that supports all your running endeavors.
At a minimum, aim for 20 minutes of strength training, 2x per week. Here are some exercises you might include: squats, goblet squats, deadlifts, lunges, rear-foot elevated split squats, kettlebell swings, landmine shoulder press, pallof press, push-ups, planks.
So there you have it. 5 common mistakes I hope you can avoid repeating! Although if you do, don’t feel bad about it. Most of us have jobs, families, and an entire life outside of running, so it’s understandable when we let things slip or fail to prepare how we might like to.
And no matter how much you try and learn ahead of time, you’ll still learn something from your own experience. All of our stories and experiences are different, and that’s one of the many things I love about this sport.
If there’s one final piece of advice I could give you, it would be this - get out there and HAVE FUN! Remember why you chose to do this, especially if you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the training and things you need to do to prepare for race day.
At the end of the day, most of us are in this for ourselves and for our own enjoyment and experience - including the hard lessons we might have to learn on our own. They sure make good stories.
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