Earlier this year, 98 year old Fauja Singh became the oldest someone to faultless a full marathon; he decided to take up running at the age of 89 after a five decade gap and says he now aims to run until he dies. He ran with friends from a religious running team 'Sikhs in the city' with which he has raised huge amounts of money for charity. Organisers of the New York City marathon have offered him 0,000 if he can faultless their marathon aged 100.
If a 98 year old can run one, so can you. You may not like the idea of running 26.2 miles in one go but each year millions of habitancy of all ages and abilities take part in marathons all over the world. The key is in the training; if you have never been one for exercise, you will need more than a few months jogging to prepare. Plan to run the marathon the following year and give yourself enough time to ease yourself into training and lose any unnecessary weight. Drink less alcohol and stop smoking completely, if you can't give up smoking then you have already lost the battle.
Begin by consulting your doctor, make sure you don't have any underlying medical conditions that could influence your training or prevent you from competing. Value your diet, begin by getting rid of any fast food or unhealthy snacks, your training will mean nothing if you eat a take away pizza every day and this is one of the hardest thinking tasks of training. Phase out your unhealthy diet for healthier options in the spoton portions. There is no harm in getting complicated in some light exercise while doing this, obviously the more the best but you don't want to put yourself off the marathon by training too hard too early.
Once your diet is sorted, begin a training regime, if you are fully out of shape you will need to turn excess fat into muscle and begin to tune your body in to the idea of quarterly exercise. You may find that a heavy gym session or lengthy jog will put you out for a concentrate of days, this will change but you have to be determined. You should focus primarily on running and jogging as this is what you're aiming for but any other cardio activity is beneficiary, if you want to build muscle that is up to you but that's a whole other fitness regime and will take up a lot of time and cause you to gain weight.
Build up quarterly exercise over a concentrate of months to three times a week. In in the middle of your exercise days go for a light jog, to help your muscles create a faster salvage rate. exercise 6 days a week but only train hard on three of those days, have a faultless rest day on the weekends but if you feel like it, go for a casual swim or walk.
Six months before the race, turn your attentiveness mostly to running but keep some other cardio activities. This is vital as it is not just about your fitness but also the use of acceptable muscle groups and strengthening your joints and feet. Make sure you run 6 days a week and change your rest day to a Monday as you will need the weekends for your lengthier runs if you work. Run about 5 miles per day on average and 10 miles at the weekend. Don't drink any more alcohol until after the race, but feel free to socialise, you may find that not drinking in establishment for a marathon is a conversation starter. If you do get bored of running make sure you vary the distance and route of your runs. If you have ever watched a marathon on Tv you will notice that practically every particular someone in the crowd presses their watch when the gun fires, they are timing themselves to assess to their personal best, this is a big part of marathon running as it will give you the motivation to ensue and help you keep track of your training. Invest in a stopwatch and begin to time yourself, note down these times against the distances you run and aim to beat your times each week, map out a chart as a optical reference is very motivational.
In the final three months leading up to the marathon increase the intensity of your training, run an average of 8 miles per day Tuesday to Saturday and in the middle of 10 and 20 miles at the weekend with inclinations each week. On any particular Sunday, run a half marathon at race pace, this will give you an idea of how you will feel at the event. In the last three weeks before the race run an average of 6 miles including Sunday and take two rest days, in your final week run 3 - 4 miles on three of the days, taking three rest days but not the day before.
If you are going to buy new clothes for the race make sure you use them before to make sure they are comfortable, then wash them! Many habitancy find their nipples rub, if yours do use plasters or Vaseline. Have your race trainers at least three months before the event but if something happens to them and you need new ones buy the exact same pair to avoid discomfort. Sip water usually from the moment you wake up to fully hydrate, don't eat for the last two hours before the race. Don't drive to the race as parking will be microscopic and traffic will be heavy and these are stresses you can do without. Arrange to meet friends/family away from the finishing line to avoid congestion and stand a chance of spotting them. Finally, don't forget to set your alarm clock on the day.
From Scratch - A 12 Month Beginners Guide to Training For a Marathon
