Learning about going from a 5K to a Marathon

There come a time in the life of every 5k runner (or even jogger!) when he thinks about going on to the next level of running. That level is the 10k and then the half marathon. The ultimate goal is to run a full marathon. You may be able to run the marathon, but don’t make the mistake of thinking it only about increasing your stamina so that your body can handle the demands placed on it by the really long distance to be covered. The switch from running 5k to running a marathon involves a whole new technique of running, a far greater commitment of the sport, much longer and more arduous training and a completely different mindset.

If you are thinking of stepping up from 5k to the marathon, the first thing to do in consult your doctor and get his clearance that your body can accept the strain and demands that will be placed upon it. Although there is not age bar to running a marathon, the older you are, the more careful you need to be.

If you have decided to try moving from 5k to the marathon, here are some factors you need to keep in mind.

• You need to have been running 5k for at one (preferably two) years. The marathon places huge stresses on your body and unless your body has been conditioned over time to accept the 5k stress, you will not have a base on which to build up to the longer distance.
• Step up from 5k in stages. Do a few 10k runs and then a few half marathons to accustom your body to the demands of the distance.
• At least 3 months before your first marathon, you should be running at least 25 miles a week to condition yourself.
• Read up about the mental conditioning a marathon runner requires. Talk to people who are running the distance. As a beginner you will be running the race in times of over a lonely 3 hours. The mental effort involved in this kind of effort is enormous – its easy to fall into a trance like state and lose track of what is happening in the race.
• Make sure your first race is under the right conditions. It should be in the same climate and on the same kinds of surface where you have been doing your 5k running. Your body will be used to the conditions and the strain on it will be less.
• Be sure in your mind as to why you are running. If it is to test your body and face up to the challenge, that’s fine. If it is only for bragging rights or to lose weight (it won’t happen – marathon runners need a high calorie intake) don’t even bother to try. With that kind of motivation all you will be doing is torturing yourself.

Remember that running a marathon is not just about dragging your half dead body over the finish line.  If that happens, your motivation to run the distance again will evaporate. You need to be both mentally and physically prepared to run the race so that at the end of it, irrespective of where you finish, your body may be feeling tired but still feels good. And your mind should feel that it is something you want to do again.