The First 8 Weeks of Marathon Training Exercises & Preparation Tips for Runners

Series Summary

The name "marathon" has a legendary beginning. According to a Greek myth, a soldier named Pheidippides ran all the way from the town of Marathon to Athens without stopping to bring word that the Greeks defeated the Persians in the Battle of Marathon. Immediately after he delivered the message, according to the story, he fell to the ground, dead from exhaustion. When the first modern Olympic Games came to Athens in 1896, the marathon became an event and has since been popular among runners. In 1921, the International Amateur Athletic Federation declared that the official distance for a marathon would be set at 42.195 km, or 26.22 miles. Training for a marathon is, indeed, a rigorous activity—runners must condition their bodies to handle such exertion. Without the proper training, runners could suffer life-threatening physical effects.

In this free how-to video clip series, our expert informs us about marathon training. She covers the various aspects of how to train for a marathon, including scheduling, hydrating, nutrition and injury prevention, and she demonstrates exercises that build muscle mass and stamina for those brave enough to attempt this harrowing race.

Video Transcript

"Hi! I’m Angela on behalf of Expertvillage.com and right now I am going to show you how to build up to train for a marathon. The plan that I have laid out for you, I am going to go through the step one, the first eight weeks of training. This whole training process is a total of 24 weeks but during this eight weeks, this is a way to approach your steps. First, you want to lay down your foundations, your weekly schedule. Everyday put on the calender what the exercises are going to be, or if it is a day of rest to let your muscles repair. Gradually build up no more than 10% weekly. Make sure that no more than 10% or else you will injure your muscles. You want your runs to gradually extend to half marathon comfortably, after these 8 weeks, preferably even to 16 miles. If ever this section is cut short, you miss a day, you didn’t run as far as you were supposed to, don’t play catch up those next couple of days because you will injure your muscles by overexerting them and having neglected them those previous days."