Common Mistakes When Training for the Full or Half Marathon

After racing, some individuals assume they have made every potential mistake in training for a full or half marathon. Even though some of these errors are obvious in perspective, while training hard to achieve a huge goal, you might lose perspective and make dubious judgments.

In this article, we’ll talk about the full or half marathon five common mistakes when training.

1. Making Easy Days Difficult

One of the most challenging things was figuring out how to make easy days actually easy. Did you know that some top runners do up to 80% of their training runs at a leisurely pace? Slow running requires a lot of guts. When your training plan asks for it, be assured in full or half marathon training to run slowly and efficiently.

Running simply and allowing for active recovery allows you to perform your long and hard runs more effectively while training. Those easy run speeds will gradually rise, allowing you to run faster with less stress.

2. Forgetting to Test Running Clothes and Shoes

If you have never run a half or full marathon, it is critical to understand when to get new shoes. Most standards describe 400 to 500 miles as the wear-and-tear threshold. However, some athletes need to be updated more frequently. In addition, make sure you have the right running shoes for your feet and form, ideally by getting a gait analysis, and then change them as needed leading up to competition day.

Nevertheless, what you wear above your feet may make or break a race. Chafing is a concern for marathoners and certain half marathoners. Check the news forecast ahead of time to choose an outfit that you will be comfortable wearing on marathon day, and wear it at least once on an intensive training run. 

Remember that it’s comfy, and apply glide generously before the race if there are any chafing areas. If you don’t wear your racing outfit on race day, you’ll have a really uncomfortable shower.

3. Changing Hydration and Nutrition Routines

During your race preparation, test your hydration and food plan early and frequently. Choose different long runs on your schedule and drink and eat like you would on race day. On your special day, the last thing you need is for there to be a problem with your stomach or for you to get dehydrated.

Additionally, if you practise race-day eating and drinking throughout your training runs, your mind and body will get used to consuming the specific gels, liquids, or foods you provide. Once you’ve found foods and drinks that work for you, stick to them throughout your training and don’t stray from the plan on race day.

You could be encouraged to try something new during the race or the expo, but you should always remember the golden rule: never try anything different on competition day!

4. Forgetting Proper Pacing

We’ve all been guilty of rushing to the start line, believing we can maintain a speed we’ve never achieved in training. During the first few kilometres of a marathon, runners may start to entertain grandiose illusions of breaking unreachable personal records.

However, these fantasies may quickly transform into terrifying nightmares by the time they reach the halfway point. There is a rationale behind why you should be training at a certain race and tempo pace.

Your body must know what speed you want to run on competition day. It should be practised before being performed in competition. Speed calculators may assist you in determining the appropriate speed and time for you.

5. Overtraining

Select and keep to a strategy that works for you. When preparing for 13.1 or 26.2 kilometres, social media has a lot of excellent and inspiring impacts. Don’t fall into the trap of observing what another athlete does for miles and believing you should too. Maintain trust in your strategy and follow it each week to prevent injury. The first aim is to get the location where we started.

Every runner is unique, so you won’t know how much distance you can handle. Pay attention to your body, and learn to know yourself well enough to determine whether you’re too much.

While one athlete completed a personal record in the Birmingham half marathon with a long run of 18 miles and weekly mileage of 50 to 60 miles, another would be able to do a long run of 22 miles and weekly mileage of 70 to 90 miles. Both options are highly useful and appropriate for those runners because of their characteristics. Experiment to determine your high mileage threshold, and then stay to it.

Furthermore, overtraining signs include injury, emotional instability, exhaustion, decreased speeds, and inability to raise your heart rate. If you have had these signs for more than three days, you should take as many as three days off. You’ll be surprised at how awesome you feel when you get back into racing after a nice break.

A full or half marathon takes a substantial time and effort investment. Avoid those above five common mistakes to ensure you get to the starting line prepared to accomplish your objectives.