As a sport, running is performed competitively and has rules formed by international organizations and millions of participants worldwide. As do other athletes, runners know that “Nothing succeeds like success,” an observation credited to Confucius and later attributed to Sir Arthur Helps (1898). Often runners who decide to enter competitions involving long-distance runs have competed successfully in shorter competitions. As they improved, increasing their speed and endurance, gaining confidence in their abilities, these runners have decided that they can succeed at longer races.
Beginning Marathon Training
Training for long-distance runs does not mean that runners must always go the full distance in practice. They can cover part of the distance, especially at first. The duration of a training run for a marathon may be from an hour to two hours. If the runner decides to increase the time and distance of a practice run, he or she conditions both the body and mind. Runners wishing to enter a marathon should work toward running most or all of the distance in the middle of each training week. Such a long run will increase stamina and endurance. Cross-training exercise for the legs using weights is also recommended as it will strengthen the quadriceps by building muscle tissue.
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