If you are going for a marathon and training yourself for the same then this blog is for you. A marathon is not easy and it needs a lot of practice. The Airtel Run For Education Marathon 2016 is only 12 days ahead. Lets figure out what should we do for a good marathon run!

1. Build your base first

First we should build our base. We can start running short distances first. We should not go for long distance in the starting. We should increase our pace slowly and steadily. If we gofor long distances in the beginning we will be probably straining ourselves!

2. Build core and overall body strength

The Strenght and core exercises should not be ignored. They are very useful for running long distances. The core strength plays a vital role in stabilizing the body during running by maintaining neutral pelvis and delaying the breakdown in our form when we are fatigued.

3. Move dynamically before the run

We must do some stretching before we run. This is very effective indeed. It helps to relax our muscles so that they do not get strained up easily. Thus stretching and plyometrics are very important!

4. Define your current fitness level

We should first understand our fitness level and then set up goals accordingly. It is very important that we first understand where we stand and then only we can understand our goals. The whole training cycle depends on our present fitness level.

5. Choose a plan based on your fitness level

Focused running is more important than long useless mileage. The longer events need more aerobic work then the shorter ones. We must log our workouts to access the volume week-by-week, month-by-month and year-by-year.

6. Set goals but be flexible

We always tend to improve our past performance by performing slightly better. This is no doubt a very good practice but at the same time we must also consider our present body condition. If we are not feeling that well to perform better then what we did before then we should not strain or over exhaust ourselves. We must be flexible while achieving goals!

7. Rest and Care

No workout is effective if proper rest and care is not taken. You should eat healthy food and have proper sleep. Over training is bad and make you fatigue unnecessarily. A proper diet must be maintained. In other words just running is not gonna help you until and unless you take proper care of yourself.

8. Managing Aches and Pain

The body always gives warning signs and we must be carefull enough to understand the same. If we feel  ache or pain anywhere then we should not run through it. We must understand how much our body can take.

9. Fuel and Hydration

The best way to fuel our body during a marathon is to drink enough fluid so that we can keep our thirst under control. We should consume atleast 60 grams of carbohydrates every hour. We must try to understand how our body responds to nutrition intake while running.

10. Time Management

Brianne Nelson, a professional runner for Adidas, finished second at Grandma’s Marathon over the summer with a 2:34.44. She’s a wife, a mom of two sweet girls and a full-time runner. So, how does she balance it all? “Time management is huge!” she said. Whether it’s treadmill runs or running around the park while her kids play, she gets in her mileage and training.