If you decide to run a marathon, we recommend that you do it either in your hometown, or in a city that is as close as possible to your permanent place of residence.
Marathon Level
There are three levels of marathons in total, which one suits you-decide for yourself, based on your free time and finances:
- The simplest ones are with a sufficient level of service so as not to be disappointed in the time and money spent on registration. The“ starter package “ that marathon runners receive at competitions of this level includes: a convenient registration system with electronic payment and booking confirmation, an automatic timing system, chiped starting numbers or simple chips that are attached to the runner’s ankle, a starter package with small gifts from sponsors, souvenirs in the form of a commemorative T-shirt, medals at the finish, official photos from the race.
- Individual Russian, as well as a large number of European and world marathons that have a long history, a good organization, having the „silver“, „bronze“ or „gold“ status of the IAAF (International Athletics Federation), which is awarded to marathons that have repeatedly proven the high quality of their conduct.
- Super – marathons, some (for example, the Boston Marathon) have been held for more than 100 years. It is extremely difficult to get to such marathons because of the large number of applicants from all over the world. For example, 1.2 million running fans claimed 40,000 seats at the 2018 London Marathon. A place in the starting corridor can be obtained through a lottery or by participating in a donation collection program from numerous charitable foundations. To run your first marathon on the „major“ is an incredible success and a fantastic memory for a lifetime.
If an unprepared person was taken on poorly, does he have a chance to run a marathon distance?
First of all, you need to understand what the basic physical form of this person is.
There was such a case a few years ago. At a drunken table, they argued that a person would run a marathon. There were about two months left, the man ran, but after that he was taken away by ambulance. You can overcome muscle pain, but the most dangerous thing in such a „race“ is heart problems. Muscles can be treated, and if you break the heart, the consequences can be the saddest. Therefore, it is possible to overcome such a distance, but this overcoming will be harmful to health.
What do I eat and how much do I drink?
The day before the start is the so-called long carbohydrates: starchy foods (pasta, rice, porridge). Potatoes are undesirable: there is a lot of starch, but there is also a lot of fiber. For this reason, a lot of green salad is also not very good, because there is a lot of fiber in it, and it causes unnecessary urges of the body. Meat, if you really want it, is low-fat and not fried. To reduce the load on the digestive tract, the dishes should be simple. The most marathon food is pasta.
In the morning on the day of the start-porridge or toast, or something similar. It should be a familiar food, in which a person is confident. And without a lot of sweets. It is necessary to finish the meal about three hours before the start. And just before the start, you can eat an energy bar to prolong the supply of carbohydrates. But here carefully – it is in the last minutes before the start, and not for 15-30 minutes.
Does a beginner need a heart rate monitor?
More likely yes than no. This slight discomfort (usually the heart monitor looks like a strap encircling a person in the chest area – „Match TV“) due to the device is justified: with increased emotions, it is extremely important to ensure that you do not exceed the pace and maintain a normal pulse. Runners don’t always calculate the time correctly: they think that if they reduce the time in the first half, they will have more time in the second. And this is one of the main mistakes. The more uniform the tempo, the better the result will be shown. And the heart rate monitor allows you to feel it to the best extent.
You can run both by pulse and by pace. But a good coach can accurately predict what pace an athlete is ready for, and even then it is not up to seconds. You can navigate by time if you already have some experience. And it is better for beginners to focus on the pulse during their training runs. This is especially important in the first half of the distance: if you exceed it, then you will not be able to find energy for the second part. People just switch to a step, at best, at worst – it reduces their legs