We are now into part 4 of our blog on preparing for a Triathlon. Our last blog provided a training schedule for a half marathon, we hope this helped you start training. Instead of focusing on the training schedule for a full marathon we are going to give you some tips for training and running a full marathon. Hopefully these tips will inspire you to push yourself to a full marathon.

1. Shoes & Socks - Select the shoes–and the socks–you’ll wear in the marathon. The shoes should be relatively lightweight but provide good support, and the socks should be the type you wear in other races. If the shoes aren’t your regular training shoes, wear them on at least one 10-mile run at marathon pace. Make sure you are very comfortable in the shoes and socks and if you are not be sure to change them before the marathon and do another practice run.

2. Run a Half Marathon – Don’t just break into a full marathon, make sure you run a half before. Aim to run the half-marathon slightly faster than your marathon goal pace. If you can’t find a tune-up race, recruit friends to accompany you on a long run, with the last several miles faster than marathon pace.

3. Drink on the Run - Make sure you stay hydrated and remember that sports drinks do triple duty when compared with water by providing fluid, carbohydrates, and electrolytes, the most important being sodium. Find out how often your marathon will have aid stations, and practice drinking at that rate. If you don’t run with fluids, place bottles along your training route. It’s important to do this so you are prepared for drinking during the real race.

4. Pick the right outfit - Once you’ve picked your marathon outfit, make sure it doesn’t irritate your skin. It’s a good idea to do a practice run with your outfit on, including shirt, shorts, socks, etc… being comfortable will help your marathon performance.

5. Clock Work – If possible, run at the same time of day as the start of your marathon. This way, your body’s rhythms–including the all-important bathroom routine–will be in sync with marathon needs come race day. The more times you can do this, the better, but shoot for at least the last three days before the race.

Good luck running a full marathon and accomplishing your health and wellness goals.