Marathon Tips for Runners over 30

Hello my dear runner,

I'm sure many of you have been bitten by the cold winter bug and have taken a run or too out in the snowy flurries. Keep warm and remember to keep hydrating! In winter you don't feel as thirsty since it is colder but it is just as easy to become dehydrated in the chilling temps as it is in the warmer weathers.

I have been busy working on an exciting project and so this month's ezine article is being handed over to Curt Davies over at marathondriven.com You are in for a real treat!

Over 30’s Training for a Marathon: Must Do!

Take more rest days

At this stage, I’m not sure if you like the sound of this idea or not. Nevertheless, it’s something I feel important, particularly as you get older. Let’s face it: you’re not getting younger, and your body is becoming more and more fragile as the years pass. Consequently, it may be time for you to consider cutting back on the training days in total, and having extra rest to help your body recuperate for a better quality training session. Although it may sound counterproductive, you’re actually doing your body a disservice if you train too much without enough rest. This will help prevent any form of stress fracture, or other injury resultant of working your body too hard.

Warm up

Oftentimes, training can feel just as tiring as the marathon itself, which is why it’s important to warm up before training. As your muscle mass reduces as you enter the 30s and older, it’s crucial to treat your muscles with absolute delicacy and give them the treatment they deserve. Before and after you train, you need to stretch to protect the muscles and the elasticity (resulting in more injury-prone) which aren’t as guarded as they were when you were younger. Don’t worry – we all have to do it sooner or later as we age!

Don’t overwork yourself

Running marathons (or running in general) is a very delicate sport, and unless you treat it as so, you’re likely going to be prone to an injury, such as stress fractures and pulled muscles – which is exactly what you DON’T want to do before a marathon (or ever, for that matter). When you train and plan your training, don’t feel obliged to complete every aspect you plan. It’s good to set goals, but sometimes you have to take a look at your goals and think rationally about them. If you find yourself unable to complete a training session, don’t be disheartened. You could either just be having a bad day, or are simply not capable of training as much as you had anticipated. Don’t go out of your way and complete a training session simply because it’s what you wanted to achieve. Only you know your body, so it’s up to you to decide when you’ve had enough. There is no shame in not completing a training session: as long as you tried your hardest and put in a solid effort into the training. Don’t risk injury out of pride; it’s simply not worth it.

Variety is key

Training for a marathon does not necessarily mean spending your time at a gym lifting weights, on a treadmill or other typical training techniques for runners. In fact, it is highly recommended (particularly for those over 30) to diversify yourself with different training varieties. This includes aerobic running, cycling, and swimming, among many others you can try out. This type of training helps expose your body to different circumstances which overall increase the durability and fitness level, which is important when running marathons.

Prepare for the worst

One of the things I like to do the most is, when the weather is atrocious and everyone else is inside in front of the fire place with a warm cup of hot chocolate, I like to exit my comfort zone and train in those conditions. Anyone over the age of 30 can find this to be incredibly helpful to the success of your marathon, as it prepares you for what could potentially happen when running the marathon. Unfortunately, marathons do not cater for the conditioning humans thrive on, which means it’s crucial to expose your body to these harsh conditions and get used to them… embrace them, even. Not only does it help you in preparation for these circumstances, but it will also add perception to how easy it is running in modest conditions, and therefore if the weather is nice when it comes to marathon day, your experience will be far more enjoyable and tranquil which should result in a better time, hopefully.

Conclusion

If you’re someone over the age of 30 who is training for a marathon, I would highly recommend you at least consider what I have said, and hopefully execute the information practically. Not only will your body thank you for it, but I can almost guarantee you will do far better in a marathon with these taken into consideration in comparison to overworking, and not taking enough precautions in your training sessions.

Author Bio:

Curt Davies is a marathon enthusiast and has built his own website located at www.marathondriven.com which is stacked with information and other goodies regarding marathon running and training for those over the age of 30. If you want to find out more about Curt and what he writes about, click the link mentioned earlier.

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