There are many different plans out there for runners who want to run a marathon. Each plan varies in intensity and complexity. If you're considering a training plan, it's important to listen to your body and be aware of injuries. It's also important to eat properly and to hydrate well.
A well-chosen running watch can be a valuable training tool. They can track your distance, speed and pace, help you set goals and become your trusted training companion. Some even offer motivational features like virtual partners, virtual races and personalized challenges to keep you engaged and accountable during long sessions. During your workouts, however, it is important to limit how much you look at your watch. Not only will this conserve mental energy that you can put toward your effort, but it will also help you avoid getting distracted and losing focus. Many top-notch runners, including world champions like Eliud Kipchoge, run without a watch during their races.
Running watches also provide some helpful recovery tools, such as recommendations for how much rest you should take after a training session. These insights are important, but they can be misleading if used to replace your own subjective judgment. For example, one runner found that his watch predicted he needed to recover for longer than his own experience told him. Garmin's state-of-the-art GPS running watches are an integral part of any
Marathon Training Plan. Featuring long-lasting battery life, advanced tracking capabilities, and plenty of running-specific features, they're designed to help runners of all skill levels train at the most optimal time of day and maximize their performance.
Once you've chosen your race and set it on your compatible Garmin watch, a new training widget will populate with your plan, complete with training phases, a workout schedule, and a race prediction chart that pulls in your past data to estimate your final finish time. To get the most accurate results, make sure you wear your device as much as possible (including while you sleep) and sync it frequently.
The marathon is a difficult distance for most people and requires a significant time commitment. It is important to choose a training schedule that fits your lifestyle and abilities. Many plans have a high ramp up of mileage and long runs in the weeks leading to race day. These can be dangerous for novice runners who aren't accustomed to the demands of the marathon distance.
A good marathon training schedule should provide a mix of threshold intervals, aerobic endurance base miles and pacing workouts. It should also have a built-in taper (a drop in mileage in the days before the marathon) to help your body repair for the big day. A quality marathon training plan should also allow you to access your workouts anywhere and at any time. This can be useful if you're working or have kids with busy sports schedules. Most importantly, it should be easy to stick with the plan by providing daily reminders.