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It will take work, but you can do a marathon The months of April and May are marathon time for runners all over the world. I am continually amazed at how many participants in the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge® Series either have run in a marathon or aspire to complete one. Guess what? Even if you are a newcomer to running, and this year will mark your first JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge, you can make the transition from 3.5 miles to 26.2 miles. It won't be easy, but nothing worthwhile in life is. People are atttracted to the marathon distance because it is a test both physically and mentally. That is also why there are so many people out there who never get to the starting line of a marathon. They deduct that it is too daunting a task. But I bet some of you initially thought the 3.5 miles of the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge was daunting also. It's all about your outlook. I pesonally believe almost anyone can run/complete a marathon. It depends on whether they are willing to put in the time and not take shortcuts. My marathon philosophy is that you have to enjoy the process of training for the marathon. I know most runners do. It is like working on an interesting project. Since no training program is foolproof, I strongly recommed that you make your own adjustsments so it works for you and fit into your other obligations in life. Marathon training isn't very complicated, but it is not just miles either. You should have a solid base of about 25 miles a week before you start your marathon program. As a participant in the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge, 25 miles a week may be where you are at now. I have coached many through their first marathon and my experience is that you need three months to get ready. You should have a structured plan for this three-month period. You need to plan out how you will increase the weekly milage from 25 to about 45-50 at the most. You'll need to plan races you want to run to get ready for the marathon distance. (One tip here: Definitely run a half-marathon five to six weeks before your chosen marathon.) You should also schedule your long runs and how you want to build up to about 20 miles. These long runs - most runners choose to do them on the weekend -- are the backbone of your marathon training. You need a minimum amount of mileage and long runs to cross the finish line in comfort. If you train too little you won't make it to the finish line and if you do too much you you won't make it to the starting line. For most people it seems that their first marathon experience leaves them feeling that they can do almost anything. It is one of their highlights in their lives and they decribe their experience with great excitement. After my first one I swore to my husband/coach, Jack, "never again." Well, I went back plenty of times, but nothing quite matched the satisfaction of the first marathon. Finally some advice in picking your first marathon: Don't pick a hot one, a hilly one or one with few runners in it. You want to be relatively cool, on a forgiving course, with lots of company. And your only goal in this first race is to finish and feel good about it. I can assure you that there is nothing like that feeling when you cross the finish line of your first marathon. You smile, you laugh or cry and you know "You did it!" |
