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Training for a marathon can seem like a very daunting task. Less than 1 percent of runners in the United States have completed one, so it is a bucket list item for many people. Running can decrease the risk of diabetes, depression, and heart disease while helping you maintain a healthy weight. If you’re new to running marathons, or recently made a goal to run one, you might be wondering where to start. We’ve compiled several of our best training articles to help you start to get ready for the upcoming DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon or UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon.
In this article, you’ll learn:
- How to use cross training to your benefit for marathon prep
- Marathon prep Q&A with our experts
- The basics of training for a marathon
- The importance of dynamic warm-ups and cross training for runners
- Tips for recovery after you’ve completed your race
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string(6099) "Training for a half or full marathon with a spring race day means the majority of your preparation falls in the winter. While winter weather brings many runners indoors, staying inside doesn't have to slow you down. UPMC Sports Medicine gives indoor workout tips for treadmill survival, cross training, and transitioning back outside when the weather gets warmer.
Treadmill Survival Tips
Throughout your half or full marathon preparation plan, your mileage builds to longer distances. For the indoor trainer, this means more time spent on the treadmill. If you're worried about boredom, try these tips to keep your runs interesting:
- Watch your favorite shows on your portable device or tablet.
- Check out the TV schedule before heading to the gym and plan to work out through your favorite programs for motivation.
- Train with a friend, family member, coworker, or neighbor.
- Make a pump-up playlist or listen to the radio.
- Listen to a book on tape or try a podcast.
- Study or read a magazine.
- Try interval training to beat the boredom of running at one pace in the same place.
- Use other machines to break up your goal mileage for the day.
With a little planning and well-placed distraction, the treadmill doesn't have to be the "dreadmill."
Cross Training
While you may think of running mainly as a leg sport, it is actually a full-body sport. Running uses your calves and quads, as well as your butt, abs, and arms. Cross training is an important part of any training regimen because it helps you work your full body.
Cross training includes activities such as:
- Elliptical training
- Strength training
- Swimming
- Attending fitness classes
When used in addition to running, these forms of training give your body time to recover from the demands of logging miles while still
raising your heart rate and providing a good source of cardio.
Cross training can help you:
- Prevent injury
- Increase stability of joints
- Recover from runs
- Increase motivation
- Enhance running performance
When implemented into a marathon training program, cross training helps explore many different types of fitness in addition to running.
Elliptical Training
Working on an elliptical simulates the motion of running without the impact. The gliding movements of an elliptical are generally easier on the hips, knees, and back. Many elliptical trainers also offer handles for the arms and upper body to get involved in the workout.
Succumbing to the momentum of an elliptical can be tempting, so in order to keep up your exertion levels, observe proper posture. Standing up straight on an elliptical aligns and supports the body while working your muscles.
Strength Training
Building strength throughout your body can make all the difference in race speed and agility.
Strength-training improves performance by increasing an athlete's power production. This can allow you to run faster, jump higher, and change direction more quickly.
Add strength training to your workout with these stretches and exercises:
- Push ups
- Bulgarian split squats
- Pull-ups
- Tri-Plane lunges
- Front and side planks
- Single leg squats
- Band walks
Swimming
Swimming, a completely non-weight bearing activity, is a low-impact and joint-friendly cross-training option. Running in the water or swimming laps can help those concerned with past injuries, or preventing future injuries, in marathon training.
Swimming helps marathon training by building up endurance, strengthening the body, and stretching with greater range of motion. It's also great to set up longer or more intense runs with a swim the day before.
Attending Fitness Classes
Many fitness classes can include and build upon some of these cross-training techniques. Fitness classes may include:
Combine your choice of fitness classes with a shorter run for a fun and effective day of training.
Transitioning from Indoor to Outdoor Training
As temperatures rise, return outdoors to get used to the differences in running on a treadmill and running outside.
Studies show that running on a treadmill with a 1 percent incline accurately reflects the energy of running outside, but there are still many differences for your body.
Running outside and running on a treadmill work your body differently. Running outside is harder on your hamstrings, quads, and ankles. Focus on these muscles as you stretch and strengthen. It also may take time to adjust to the higher impact of running outdoors, so you can always alternate indoor and outdoor runs to ease back into a routine.
As race day gets closer, running outdoors can allow your body to acclimate to exterior conditions and temperatures that may be present on race day. Keep in mind factors like wind, mud, potholes, traffic, stop lights, new running surfaces, and different clothing. Remember to pay attention to your surroundings and stay safe.
If you have questions about training for a marathon in the coming year, visit the
UPMC Sports Medicine online or call 1-855-93-SPORT (77678) to speak with an expert.
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string(359) "Training for a half or full marathon with a spring race day means the majority of your training falls in the winter. Cross training can help keep your muscles primed and your cardio up, especially when the weather forces you to take your workout indoors. Learn about the benefits of cross training and some suggestions for how to mix it up to prevent boredom."
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Training for a half or full marathon with a spring race day means the majority of your training falls in the winter. Cross training can help keep your muscles primed and your cardio up, especially when the weather forces you to take your workout indoors. Learn about the benefits of cross training and some suggestions for how to mix it up to prevent boredom.Read More
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string(5380) "New and even experienced runners can have questions when preparing for a distance race. While so much of training is finding out what works for you, three of our UPMC Sports Medicine experts, Ron DeAngelo, CSCS, ATC, LAT; Kathleen Nachazel, ATC; and Brittany Patterson, PT, DPT, SCS, have advice on how to approach two common running hurdles: motivation and injury.
Q: I am having a lot of pain in my knees from my distance runs. Are there are specific stretches I can do to prevent any injuries and to help with the pain?
Brittany: Location and onset of pain can help determine cause. If the pain is limiting you and not just felt with running (stairs, sitting for a long time, etc), we recommend seeing a clinician. We have physicians who specialize in the treatment of runners. We also have physical therapists that can see patients for 30 days without needing a script from a physician.
If the pain is not limiting, the key stretches to complete for runners include hamstring, hip flexor/quadriceps, and IT band. If you have a foam roller, that can help with all three but particularly your IT band.
- For hamstrings: Lie on your back, keep one leg straight on the ground, raise the other leg straight up in the air with a strap; be sure to keep the raised leg straight. In this position, you can also pull the leg gently across your body to stretch your IT band.
- For hip flexor/quad: Lie on your stomach and a strap/towel around your ankle; place a rolled up towel under your thigh; keep your hips and chest square against the floor and gently pull the strap to bend your knee; the towel puts your hip into a little extension to stretch your hip flexors and the bend of your knee will focus on your quadriceps. When you stretch, it should be a comfortable, tolerable stretch. You don't want to stretch into pain.
It's recommended to hold the stretches for approximately 30 seconds at a time and perform three times. Allow yourself to ease into the stretches. This allows for a better stretch and more tolerance for the stretching routine. People often get discouraged if they want to see immediate gains in flexibility. Slow and gradual is the way to go.
Q: I started training for the UPMC Health Plan Half Marathon at the beginning of January. Some days I have no problem completing my long runs and other days I still struggle to hit four miles. What am I doing wrong? How can I ensure I'm having a good run every time?
Ron: There can be many reasons why a runner might be having this problem. Some things to consider:
- Are you getting adequate sleep? 8 to 10 hours a night is recommended.
- How are your stress levels? Stress, especially at work, can wear you down.
- How are you fueling your body? Nutrition before, during, and after run are all important. In addition to enough total calories per day, a high performance body needs high performance fuel.
- Are you adequate hydrated? Dehydration can be cumulative; if you don't hydrate well on a daily basis by the end of the week you could be starting your long run on a half tank of water.
- Do you have adequate recovery time in between runs? You have to listen to your body. Some days you have it and some days you don't.
- Are you overtraining? Monitor your resting heart rate first thing in the morning. If it starts to become elevated you are either stressed, sick, or overtraining.
- Are you running with proper biomechanics? Poor biomechanics or running efficiency create more labored runs which require more energy. The longer the run the sooner poor mechanics kick in.
Q: My biggest hurdle is; how do I motivate myself? This half marathon is going to come whether I train or not. I know that. How do I get the energy to run and the motivation to train again?
Kathleen: One of the most common questions we see from runners, especially in the middle months of their training is how do I stay motivated. During training we suggest:
- Train with a group or a friend.
- Run at the same time every day so it becomes part of your daily routine.
- Set specific training goals the night before and stick to them. Setting specific goals allows your workout to be more focused and more productive.
- Make training on the treadmill fun. Listen to music. Compete against the person on the treadmill next to you.
- Have a backup plan. There are days when due to your schedule or other obstacles you may not be able to complete your planned work out. It is ok to miss a day of training, but have a plan for when you are going to make up the missed workout, and you may want to make it a little harder than the one you missed.
- Remind yourself why you're training. You're not running a marathon because you HAVE to, you're doing it because you WANT to.
- Have a little sign that says "I am finishing the marathon on (date) in (goal time)." There are even countdown apps available for your phone to help you remember you're training.
What questions do you have in preparation for race day?
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string(347) "We asked three of our sports medicine experts, Ron DeAngelo, CSCS, ATC, LAT; Kathleen Nachazel, ATC; and Brittany Patterson, PT, DPT, SCS, for their advice on how to approach some common running hurdles - injury and lack of motivation. Whether you're an experienced runner or new to the sport, their tips can help you get ready for your best race."
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We asked three of our sports medicine experts, Ron DeAngelo, CSCS, ATC, LAT; Kathleen Nachazel, ATC; and Brittany Patterson, PT, DPT, SCS, for their advice on how to approach some common running hurdles – injury and lack of motivation. Whether you’re an experienced runner or new to the sport, their tips can help you get ready for your best race.Read More
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string(2975) "This post was last updated on March 2, 2020
It's that time of the year again! If you're running in a marathon this year, it's time to get down to business and start training. Whether you're running at a pro- or semi-pro level, or running as part of a group of friends and coworkers just for fun, it's important to condition yourself before run a marathon. Knowing where to start can be a challenge, especially for first time runners.
There are seven phases to the training cycle for full or half marathons. This year's race is taking place on Sunday, May 3. The time line and benchmarks for each phase depends on which race you are running and your initial abilities. Here are a few tips to help you get in shape and make it across the finish line for this year's marathon!
1. Offseason/ Base Building Phase
Offseason is a period of reduced mileage. You should continue running, but do not push yourself with high intensity workouts or long runs. The base building phase that follows is the process of slowly rebuilding mileage with low intensity runs and by following the 10 percent rule.
10 percent rule: Never increase your mileage more than 10 percent week over week.
At this point new marathon runners should be beyond this phase. Half marathon runners should be in this phase and gearing up to start their training by the middle of February.
2. Endurance Phase
The goal of the endurance phase is to accumulate time on your feet and your aerobic capacity. It is characterized by an increase in weekly mileage and increasing the long runs by one to two miles per week. As you increase your mileage remember to still apply the 10 percent rule. This phase typically lasts four to eight weeks.
This is the phase of training marathon runners should be in at this time.
There are many factors to successfully training to complete these physical feats. In addition to the main running aspect of your training you will also need to focus on proper nutrition and hydration, warm-up and cool down stretching, cross training, proper footwear, and mental training.
Over the course of the next few months the experts from UPMC Sports Medicine will be looking more in depth at each aspect of successful marathon training.
For more information on marathon training visit our Marathon page at UPMC Sports Medicine."
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string(142) "With two months until the 2017 Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon it's time to get down to business. Learn how to train for a marathon."
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string(270) "Learn about the seven phases of training for a marathon - base building, endurance, strength/speed, race prep, taper, race day, and recovery. Each phase is key to keeping your training on the right track and is important for staying injury-free throughout your training."
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Learn about the seven phases of training for a marathon – base building, endurance, strength/speed, race prep, taper, race day, and recovery. Each phase is key to keeping your training on the right track and is important for staying injury-free throughout your training.Learn More
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string(2890) "To help you get race-ready and maximize your training, UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex recommends that all runners add a dynamic warm-up before their runs and scheduled cross training days. It's important for runners to "strengthen the whole body" to help prevent injury.
Dynamic Warmup
A dynamic warmup for runners is all about activating all the muscles we need for running, moving the joints, and getting our blood pumping. This warmup routine uses active stretches and movements to really activate the body as opposed to more traditional, static stretches.
Without a targeted warmup, many runners report feeling like the first couple miles of a run are spent warming up. UPMC Sports Medicine experts recommend the dynamic warm-up in order to allow you to make the most of each mile in your run.
Try the following active stretches as part of your dynamic warmup:
- Leg Swings
- Hip rotations
- High knees to chest lunge
- Activator
- Prisoner squat
- Jumping jacks
- Walking on heels
- Walking on toes
- High kick skips
- Hip swings
- Reaching to the sky on both sides
- Squats
Cross-Training
Adding cross-training to your marathon training routine may seem counter-intuitive. It can seem strange to focus on fitness areas other than running while training for such a long race.
Running is 1,000 steps per mile on your right foot and then it's 1,000 steps per mile on your left foot. That gives us thousands and thousands of opportunities to get hurt.
To help prevent injury and keep your body in top shape, we suggest taking days off from running to focus on strengthening your core, glutes, and arms. This practice is called cross training and can make a big difference for runners.
UPMC Sports Medicine experts recommend the following cross training exercises to use in a circuit:
- Half squats
- Front planks
- Side planks
- Vertical leaps
- Monster walk using an elastic training band
- Runner's lunge
- Push-ups
- Jump rope
To learn more about running tips and the services we offer at UPMC Sports Medicine, call 1- 855-93-SPORTS (77678) or visit
UPMC Sports Medicine.
Have you tried a dynamic warmup or cross training in your marathon training plan? If not, how do you train for a half or full marathon?
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string(43) "Runner's Dynamic Warm-up and Cross Training"
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string(152) "To help you get race-ready and maximize your training, Vonda Wright, MD, recommends a dynamic warm-up and crosstraining. Watch this video to learn more."
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Dynamic warmups are important for activating all of the muscles in the body using active stretches and movements rather than static stretches and holds which can be dangerous for cold or tight muscles.Read More
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string(3349) "The DICK'S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon is right around the corner.
During the last few weeks and months, the focus has been on training, hydration, and nutrition, but one thing to not overlook is how to help your body recover from running a marathon.
Here are some marathon recovery tips from UPMC Sports Medicine orthopaedic surgeon Aaron Mares, MD, to help keep you feeling great immediately following the race and in the weeks following:
1. Continue Moving
After running for a number of hours, one of the best ways to facilitate recovery is to keep moving. Keeping your body moving for about 20 minutes after the race has finished can help muscles cool down.
2. Drink Fluids
Once the race is finished continue to drink sports drinks or fruit juices, in addition to water. These drinks will help replace electrolytes and carbohydrates lost during the race. It's important to properly hydrate before having any celebratory drinks.
3. Eat Well
Eat a small snack of carbs or protein within an hour of completing the race. This snack will help replenish your energy and repair muscle tissue. Later in the day eat a sit-down meal with protein and carbs to help muscles rebuild and recover.
4. Sleep and Rest
Rest is essential for allowing your body to completely recover after a race. Get as much sleep or rest as possible for the remainder of the weekend.
Your recovery isn't complete when race day is over. Continue with these tips for the next two weeks.
1. Go for a Run
If you're able, go for a one- or two-mile run the day after the race. A slow, short run helps your muscles stretch and recover.
2. Resist Energy Bars
Post-race is the time to take a break from energy bars and gels. At meals, replace those items with fruit and vegetables.
3. Avoid Long-Distance Running
Competitive, long-distance races should be avoided for at least two weeks following the Marathon to allow for proper recovery.
It's not uncommon to have some aches and pains after you finish a marathon. If the pains are present at the conclusion of the race, seek medical attention from one of the onsite medical staff members. In the day and week following the race, it's important to:
- Apply ice
- Take an anti-inflammatory pain reliever
- Indulge in a sport massage
- Contact your doctor if pain persists
Learn more about the marathon recovery at the UPMC Sports Medicine website.
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string(149) "Tomorrow is a big day for everyone registered for the Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon. Here are marathon recovery tips for after you finish"
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You did it! You followed your training plan and completed the race, so now what? UPMC orthopaedic surgeon Aaron Mares, MD gives his recommendations for what to do immediately following the race, as well as in the days and weeks afterwards.Read More
