Nervous about your upcoming marathon? The most grueling of distance runs can seem daunting to first-timers, or to experienced runners for that matter. So you might be wondering how to train for your upcoming marathon at home.
To be clear, you aren’t going to finish a marathon without getting miles under your belt. Whether that’s the road, the park, or the track. You need to practice running to finish a 26-mile race.
But you can maximize your performance with the right preparation, and that all starts at home.
Using cardio equipment
For those of us with jobs, families, and commitments, it’s not practical to hop on to the road for a ten miler whenever we want. But that cardio building is pivotal. You need your heart and lungs working at peak performance, and what better way to train at home than using cardio equipment?
Treadmills can work well here, offering you simulated running in your own home, although can be expensive while taking up a large amount of space that you might not have.
A more convenient solution is using a mini-stepper. A small device with two pedals that can give you a great cardio workout even in the tiniest of spaces.
If you’re stuck on where to find one, you can check out OGLF’s round-up here for a list of the top mini-steppers on the market that can be ordered online and delivered straight to your front door.
You can also consider a skipping rope, the cheapest solution, although not always practical inside due to space constraints.
Watch the nutrition
An often overlooked aspect of running longer distances is the role nutrition plays. What you eat will affect your performance. And your home is the best place to improve your nutrition and give yourself the best fuel for the job.
A simple runner’s rule of thumb is “carbs and fats before the workout for energy, carbs, and protein after the workout for recovery.”
Avoid greasy food, fast food, processed food, all the stuff you know to avoid but can be easy to slip into eating. Being sloppy with your diet can ruin your performance.
Get enough rest
The excited energy that accompanies the weeks leading up to a marathon can help you run more, train more, and work more. But sometimes you’re body doesn’t need more training, it needs less!
Make sure you are getting adequate sleep. Around seven or eight hours is considered the minimum for healthy adults.
Also, don’t tire yourself out with home workouts not related to running. That bench press can wait a couple of weeks! Your muscles will thank you when they are ready for race day in prime condition.
Conclusion
There we go, a few tips and tricks on how to train for your upcoming marathon at home. Running a marathon is the biggest milestone in any runner’s life so you can be proud of yourself even for attempting it.
Follow the tips above, stay relaxed, and don’t sweat it. You got this!
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