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

By Guest Writer Curt Davies October 29, 2014

 

 

As your body begins to age, you may notice you aren’t as ‘able’ to train
as much as you were when you were in your 20s (or younger). That’s not
to say you should quit running at all (quite the opposite, actually),
but slight adjustments to your training pattern should be considered,
especially as some of the physical attributes to your body begin to
hinder, such as your aerobic capacity, metabolism slows, and your body
fat increases. These are a few of the different effects aging can have
on your body, and is more evident with marathon runners. Not to worry:
I’m going to help you see the light with your marathon running training,
by providing you with some tips you can use to enhance your marathon
running!

 

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. These types of trainings help 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.

 

Guest Writer 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.  Curt is a Guest Writer for Halfmarathonsearch.com Half Marathon Calendar.