The desire to run a marathon is something that many people have, yet very few of them actually manage to pull it off. This isn’t because running a marathon is impossible. Sure, it’s challenging but it is very much within the realm of possibility for anyone that’s willing to put in the work in order to get there.
The reason that most people only dream of running a marathon is because they either lack commitment or they have some type of inflated idea about the ease with which they can do it. The moment they find out that it’s actually far more difficult than they had anticipated, they have a tendency to give up on the idea altogether. If you follow the steps listed below, you’re a lot more likely to realize your dream of running a marathon as opposed to giving up in frustration.
Start Out Small
Marathons are long. No one is contesting that fact. The very idea of being capable of running a full marathon when you haven’t been training for any length of time whatsoever just might border on the brink of insanity. However, if you start out small and work your way up, you can realistically expect to successfully run a marathon.
At first, don’t even worry about distance. The first thing you need to do is find a way to alternate walking and running in very small increments, gradually increasing the increments that involve running every couple of days until you reach your goal. This might sound hard, but the reality is that you can realistically do this in a matter of months.
Have Realistic Goals
One of the biggest problems with the idea of running a marathon is that people think they’re going to be able to get out there and run several miles without much difficulty. Unless you’ve been running for quite some time, this isn’t realistic in any capacity. The ability to run that far is just like anything else. You have to build up your capacity to be able to do it. Having realistic goals will keep you in the game as opposed to allowing you to become so frustrated that you quit.
Try Running a Mini Marathon
One of the best ways to train for a full marathon is to train for and then run a 5k. If you do this a few times, you’ll start to develop the capacity that your body needs to run a marathon in its entirety. This is also a smaller goal that you can achieve more realistically when you’re just starting out. By the same token, it keeps you motivated because it doesn’t seem like such a daunting task. After you have a few of these types of races under your belt, that full marathon won’t seem like it’s so far out of reach.
The most important thing to remember is that you should be realistic about your current abilities and then form a plan to get you from where you are today to where you want to be within a reasonable amount of time. Stay focused but don’t try to push yourself to the point that you could injure yourself or even become so burned out that you no longer care about doing it. It’s important to have fun and you can enjoy your experience in a marathon if you approach it in the right way.