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"I have three months before day D. That day is written in the calendar on November 13", I thought.

How do I get started?

Where do I start?

Who and when do I start?

Those were the questions that were going through my mind.

Perhaps it would be appropriate to start running? Let's have 5 km or 10 km? Or maybe a half marathon?

Rule # 1 - Do not start long runs before you have trained the short ones.

The difference is training to win the marathon or to finish below the time limit of the organizers. This is often around 5-5: 30 time. The largest ones in the world have 6:00 hours. The current world record time for men over the distance is 2 hours 1 minute and 39 seconds, set in the Berlin Marathon by Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya on September 16, 2018. The elite runners give it around 3 hours, I estimate the average somewhere at 4:30, and "finishers" like me run about 5 or more hours. That is 5 hours od surviving. Can I do it?

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I know elite runners, friends who run a half marathon in 1:30 (they could give a marathon around 3 hours), run regularly for 5 years, but do not dare to the marathon. Here are their reasons:

1. I will not go to the marathon until I have time below 3 hours

2. The marathon is an entirely different league, and I am afraid I would fail and not finish.

3. I'm a short-distance runner, I don't enjoy running that long.

Everyone has their reasons and justifications why this year is not the right one. Everyone can decide in which category they belong:

a) I heard about the marathon, but I can't

b) I ran it

c) I will try it as soon as possible.

The probability of your reading this blog is that you belong to group c.

During my path through the last 12 months, I, myself, have motivated five other people who ran the marathon for the first time. They can congratulate themselves on being part of group B now because nothing is better than experiencing something firsthand. And all five had a better time than me. Everything is in the head.

As I mentioned, we need to start somewhere and somehow. I, with my 105kg, understood that at the beginning, it is good to start a swift walk. Somebody call it also Nordic Walking. I didn't want to hurt my ankles or knees right the first days. As an adequately motivated beginner, I put my headphones on and went out. The world knows the early bird. Also, a night owl is there. But what about us, lazy pigeons?"-- I thought. 

What is the right time for a run?

When is the right time for us to run? The answer is always. Whenever you have half an hour-hour free time. Try the morning run, try the evening run or a lunch break. It is important to test yourself. Nowadays, people call it bio-hacking. You simply hack your body by testing various scenarios. Morning fast rung, afternoon slow or morning slow and afternoon fast?

For example, I am better at running in the evening. After all-day stress and duties, it is good psycho hygiene. It will clear your mind of smog and negative energy and leave only essential things. Somewhere I even read that the scientific community recommends running in the evening. It is better for the heart and for burning.

Those running in the evening are better prepared for the morning marathon than those running in the morning. Hmm paradox, right? Others say that in the evening, the body's natural temperature is higher, and the muscles are warming up more than in the morning, and therefore the body runs better. Lungs work 6% more early evening than in the morning, another study says. Either way, everyone agrees that there is no perfect time to run, it's only in our minds.

Some of us run an hour before work to avoid disturbing the daily information smog. Some people find it hard to find motivation and, instead, excuses after work. I want to wash away all the meetings, interactions, interviews, and the noise of the big city after work and keep only the essentials. That matters.

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The start of your transformation

There are many training plans and graphs. Most cross-country magazines publish these plans regularly, and most of the running apps like Runkeeper, Runtastic, Strava, NRC, and others publish online running plans based on weight, age, style, etc.. But which one to choose? Here I would recommend an experienced runner or fitness trainer. You exchange a few words, measure your body, find out how you are doing fit, and suggest a custom plan for you.

And you don't follow it. Wrong

Every plan is useful only when it is followed. There will be days when meetings or flu will be with you. Heard about COVID19 flu? Keep resting and social distancing. In case of illness, lie in bed. After you fully recover and gain strength, continue the plan where you should be. Don't repeat or put extra running times which you missed. Just continue.

The coaches of professional athletes could now argue that you always have to start with a professional trainer, otherwise, you can damage your health and body. What if you run poorly, what if you misstep, what if you run over your heels and breathe badly. What if you work with your hands and eat unhealthy, what if the moon wasn't in full? My personal experience is: get consulting first few hours about the running style, about the plan and then continue watching your body. And start slow.

It is difficult to evaluate the individual condition of each of you non-runners, some of you need three months to prepare, some 6 months. Unless you belong to the category XXL (150 kg and more), I guarantee that after 3-6 months of preparation before the marathon should be enough to finish it with 5 hrs 30 min. Although I am not your doctor or personal athletic trainer, after reading this blog, I am pretty sure you will finish your first marathon. I guarantee that.

We will introduce examples of specific training plans later, it is essential to realize that 42,195 meters are pretty long distance. And reaching even 30 kilometers is comparable to an intense hangover. The body will not have minerals, will not have salts, water, vitamins, proteins, and want to collapse. Your task is to best prepare for this non-collapse by training, diet, drinking, sleeping, and mental. Everything is in your head.

Day 1. - The day before the marathon.

Will continue in Part II.

Since you are here

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The author is a Runningstars volunteer.

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