5 Mistakes Marathon Runners Must Avoid
The 5 basic mistakes that all marathon runners must avoid before and during race day. Every runner’s ultimate objective in the marathon is either to compete or aim to finish!
Whether you’re a beginner or a professional athlete, everyone wants to experience a marathon at least once. Unlike shorter road races, a marathon’s 42.195 km makes it impossible to finish “in passing.”
According to your theories, completing the marathon successfully requires long-term planning, smart strategies, and the best form on the correct day.
And there are numerous challenges on the way to this triumph. Numerous mistakes (no matter how tiny) might prevent one from reaching the objectives established, both during the marathon preparation—which starts around 12 weeks before the competition—and during the competition itself.
You should definitely avoid these basic five mistakes in your marathon. These principles are to be taken care off:
1. Incorrect self-assessment be sure of the distance before you start your training
You can roughly estimate the potential over the marathon distance using a tried-and-true rule of thumb. To calculate this, multiply the 10 km competition time by 4.67 or the half marathon time by 2.1. The timing across the 42.2 km is the result. However, a lot of runners go into the marathon with way too much optimism, like they’re going to break the next up on impactThe pace that is picked too quickly could ultimately ensure that the runner goes well beyond the potential time of 2:50 hours if the potential is for a time of 2:15 hours but the runner wishes to stay under 2:30 hours. Choose your goal wisely to be able to finish the race.
2. No specific training must be varied in all your training plans
Of course, the typical 8 x 1,000 m intervals are not bad training to improve speed. But in marathon training, such training has little effect. Typically, these 1000m intervals are completed at a pace slightly faster than the 10K race pace. However, since you are training for the marathon, a pace significantly above the marathon pace has hardly any positive effect on the performance for the marathon. This indicates that the training needs to be adjusted for the objective or distance. Therefore, a marathon runner may finish 20 x 1,000 m at a pace just a little bit faster than the marathon distance.
Additionally, one or more endurance events longer than 30 km shouldn’t be missed. A common mistake is using too few long units. Over two and a half hours or more than 30 kilometers should be covered during the long jog. These runs not only increase endurance but also train the body to burn fat while enhancing mental wellness.
3. Don’t take any nutrition that was never tested in training during the race day
The refreshment stations at the marathon tempt you to grab them indiscriminately. But that could well go haywire. It is therefore essential to simulate the desired nutrition for the marathon during the training runs. Any nutritional experiments are absolutely taboo not only shortly before the marathon but also during the marathon. If you always take normal water for all your long runs use that method in the race. Any new substance in your system may react differently and sometimes can be bad.
4. Planned your race before the start
Even professional athletes can make blunders during competitions. All races must have a plan in place and understand how to carry it out. Following other people’s pace could make it so you can’t finish the race. Major events frequently have packed parking lots, protracted lines for bib numbers, and even longer lines for the restrooms. Being late at the beginning causes unneeded tension. Get things done in advance of the race.
5. The wrong shoes and gear
Never buy new competition shoes before the marathon. In the marathon, it is essential to wear worn-in shoes that have successfully survived one or the other long endurance run. The running clothes should also be adapted to the weather. Choose your running shoes wisely to avoid any uncomfortable running style. Every new shoe that you wear gives you a new running style so be sure to use your new shoes at training before the race day.