Maintaining Your Momentum in Marathon Training

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Keeping good steady momentum is crucial to meeting your running goals.

There will be times when you might feel unmotivated or bogged down in your marathon training. In this post I will show you five great ways to keep your enthusiasm for running and exercise week after week.

Here is how I keep momentum…


Maintaining Momentum

  1. Look for balance.
    We all know that running is awesome. Nothing beats the feeling of having a good run. However it’s not ideal to be a one sport person. I’d like to encourage you to use focused cross training to become a stronger runner. Enjoying something other than running will help keep you balanced and decrease your chance of injury.

  2. Train for races.
    Never underestimate the power of a race on the calendar, especially one that you’ve paid to enter. Schedule at least one race in the spring and one in the fall. That will give you a goal to work toward. Don’t feel like you have to run marathons constantly if you don’t want to. The goal can be varied: trail running, building up your distance, increasing speed, or doing a warrior dash or other obstacle race.

  3. Connect with like-minded people.
    It can be easy to think that you’re the only one out there making the sacrifices to be healthy and dedicated to running. However you are not alone. There are many ways to connect with other runners. Join a running club (go to RRCA.com or your local specialty running store to find a running club near you), take an exercise class, or meet a friend to run. When you spend time with successful, goal-oriented people you are more likely to become like them.

  4. Mentor a new runner.
    Pass along everything you’ve learned and encourage someone else. Getting into any new sport can be intimidating. It’s nice to have someone who “knows the ropes” and can give you good advice and support. When people see the benefits that running brings to your life it’s very likely that they’ll want to experience this too. However I must give a little warning so that you’re not too pushy as you promote running. Most people need to find the desire within themselves first. Let people come to you with questions instead of backing up a truck of all your running wisdom and dumping it on them.

  5. Run because you love it.
    Don’t look at running as a chore. You can’t lose sight of the fact that running is a gift. Live in the moment. Make it fun. Be proud of your distances, times, t-shirts, and medals. Your physical health is something that you should never take for granted. Take good care of the body you’ve been given and work to meet your physical potential.


I hope that you can use these five tips! What else do you do to maintain your momentum? Leave a comment below.

8 Responses to Maintaining Your Momentum in Marathon Training

  1. Trevor April 3, 2012 at 6:00 pm #

    Planning for future races is a big motivator for me. I just saw the gnarly medals they give out at the Tupelo Marathon. I’ve gotta get one!

    http://runitfast.com/2011/09/05/tupelo-marathon-medal-2011/

  2. Diane April 4, 2012 at 12:19 pm #

    Excellent post, Angie (as always). I have used all five of your pointers at one time or another. But I would have to say that #5 is probably the big winner for me. Quite honestly, when I really give it some thought, I do not actually love the running, per se. I love the way I feel afterwards! I run because of the energy that it gives me, the quality of sleep that I get when I run, and the satisfaction of knowing that I am proactively taking care of my middle-aged body. 🙂
    Also, I have just started getting into bicycling. As you have often mentioned in the podcasts, running every day is not necessarily best for our bods. I know it’s not for mine! However, I really miss the after-effect of the exercise on the days that I don’t run. Thus, the move into biking. I did a 10-mile ride up and down the hills near my home last weekend (a near-perfect day for a ride!), and loved it. It was not the strain on the bod that running would have been, but I got many of the same benefits. I think I’m a believer.
    Love your podcast and blog! Keep up the good work!

    • Angie April 4, 2012 at 8:47 pm #

      Hi Diane. Thanks for sharing some of your motivation for running. I’m glad that you’ve found an enjoyable cross training activity like cycling. Developing lifetime fitness involves finding the routine that works best for you. Happy running!

  3. Gwen April 4, 2012 at 12:21 pm #

    Yes! It is all about the medal! & Commaraderie! & Accomplishment! & Feeling Great!

    • Angie April 4, 2012 at 8:48 pm #

      Hi Gwen. Thanks for sharing some of the reasons why you love running. Keep up the great work!

  4. Laura April 8, 2012 at 9:47 am #

    Very timely podcast! Thanks. I listened to it on my last long run. I have my marathon on May 26 and needed the extra motivation. Thanks so much!

    • Angie April 9, 2012 at 8:21 pm #

      Hi Laura. I’m glad that you enjoyed the podcast. It’s exciting to hear that you have your marathon coming up soon. Have confidence and keep up the great work. You do have what it takes!

  5. Raul April 22, 2012 at 11:06 am #

    What happened to the 5K training plans? I was on Level III and neglected to write down tomorrow’s schedule.

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