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Every sports enthusiast recognizes it: a complete lockdown brings along dangerous (good) athletic goals. Suddenly, there is plenty of time to train, and this always involves goals. Even though there were no races, trails, etc., on the agenda, new goals were set to get better but, to be honest, also to keep motivation high.

The Ultimate Goal: Running a Marathon

Well, just like you, I also let myself go for a while with the ultimate goal in mind: to run a marathon! As an explosive athlete, I knew it wasn't going to be a piece of cake but running a marathon has always been in the top 3 of my bucket list. You're still young and you want something, so train on!

But... How do I get started? This is a question everyone will recognize. The Start To Run training schedules for 5km, 10km, and a half marathon are practically everywhere. But what exactly is the right schedule? Everyone is so different, so can one schedule work for everyone?

Help from a real endurance coach

I decided to disregard the online schedules and seek help directly from a real endurance coach (Aron). That way, I could be sure my workouts were customized. He recommended that I first take an exercise test on the treadmill so he could perfectly capture my heart rate zones and paces. For a 5km goal, this certainly isn't that important; however, for a marathon, this is rather necessary. You don't want to cramp up or burn out after 20km because you simply started too fast. A steady pace according to your heart rate is the key to running that first marathon, which is also why a good sports watch is recommended. 

The Beginning of the Journey: The Training Schedule

After the exercise test, my monthly schedule arrived on Trainingpeaks and I could finally start. We set 25/4 as the tentative final goal. To be honest, I underestimated the workouts beforehand. Not in terms of difficulty or fatigue but rather by time frame. Soon, you will spend more than 2h with a long run, so it requires a lot of effort! Respect to all marathon and ultra runners.

My schedule was based on 3 to 4 workouts a week. 1 long run, 1 interval training, a short run, and a semi-long run, supplemented with injury-preventive exercises at Re-Train. The latter was especially important as I already felt quickly that my joints and muscles had to get used to these endurance workouts. After a few weeks of specific strength training and a steady running build-up, I was able to do every session pain-free. I really enjoyed the past few months; those runner's highs do exist!!! Long runs are great when you run at your heart rate and your own pace. As soon as you run too fast, you can't enjoy it anymore. One of the biggest tips I can give you is to run slower and enjoy your surroundings!

The Power of Patience: Six Months of Preparation

In total, it took me about 6 months to build up nicely, maybe longer, but again, I've always been an explosive sportswoman, so I started from practically 0. After about two months, I realized I also needed to read up on equipment. I had to start drinking from a backpack and feeding between runs. I have never tested gels; I wanted to keep things as natural as possible and discussed with Aron to work with dates. Every 45', I took a date and 2 sips of water. This was enough for me to go up to 25km. If I ran further, I took a Dutch stroopwafel every hour, a date every 30' later. 

I wanted to reach my goal slowly but correctly, and it paid off! Those last 2 months were very tough as the runs got longer (I ran alone each time), but in hindsight, it was worth it!

The Big Day: The Marathon Start

On 25/4 I was finally able to start, with a still stressed heart. This was the moment I had been working towards for 6 months, so I just had to "enjoy"...  I ran the Ghent Marathon course, and Amandine cycled with me, which was a luxury. I followed the script that Aron and I had drawn up 3 days in advance. The script worked perfectly, and I ran with ease until I reached 39km. Then came a slight knock as you simply know the last kilometers are coming. But the finish line was approaching; those last 10 kilometers are purely a mental battle. Your legs are tired anyway, so only a good supply of food and drinks and a rock-solid mentality carry you to the finish line. Those last 100m are an emotional experience, a milestone in your life - you relive the past months in those last meters, and you might even finish with tears in your eyes.

I can only recommend it to everyone. It truly is a milestone to be proud of.

So, all that remains is for you to pick a date and begin - Good luck!