A Few Tips How to Prepare for a Marathon in Six Months - Essay Example

Physical fitness and mental strength are essential for any long-distance runner. Running for over 26 miles is never an easy task to accomplish. Like in every other activity, if one does something with passion the results are more or less satisfactory. Running is uplifting and enjoyable. It is a stress reliever and sensual pleasure (McDougall, 2011). In key marathon events sometimes, over 20000 people participate.

Each and every one of those people run for different reasons; some run to win the medals and the prestige that comes with it, others run to keep fit, others for fun and others run for a course. Running can sometimes have dire consequences affecting both beginners and professional athletes (Daniels, 2005). It is learning and patient processes. Sometimes even a jog within a certain distance can cause body discomfort (McDougall, 2011). Daily fitness exercises are essential to prepare for a marathon race.

They improve your general health and prolong your life. Even a few minutes of exercise a day can extend your life by a few years. Exercises prepare the body both physically and mentally to face the challenge to come. Running an epic is not an easy mission and poor preparation may lead to the participant not finishing the race (Holland, 2007). Physiologically the body must adapt using energy reserves from fat storage organs after depleting the glycogen in muscles. If muscles can store more glycogen, it increases the marathoners’ chances of finishing a race without burning out.

Long training runs help achieve this. Marathoners should do their practices earlier so that they will rest enough before the actual marathon. This will help them avoid tiring during the race. A person who trains for 20 miles before the actual race will most certainly underperform as his pace will slow down remarkably. The key to performing well in a marathon is to plan. This will make the marathon an enjoyable occasion rather than a painful experience. Strengthen your leg muscles and ligaments to improve your endurance (New York, 1968).