by Erik Van Tongerloo

Created on: November 16, 2009   Last Updated: November 18, 2009

You may be an advanced distance runner for years and be able to run between 10 and 15 kilometers without problems; running a marathon will never be easy and requires a good training schedule to reach your goal. Many distance runners dream to run a marathon and eventually hope to run this distance within a certain time period.

There is need for a change in your current training schedule and you have certainly to increase the distance of your long runs. It is real important you develop stamina to run a marathon and you need certainly variation in your training schedule. Besides the long runs it is best you incorporate interval trainings and hill training runs in your training schedule.

How to train for a marathon as advanced runner depends of your current condition and requires certainly a period between 3 and 6 months before you can run your first marathon. Even if you have run a marathon before you need a preparation of at least three months. Here are some various types of training you have to incorporate in your training schedule as advanced runner for running a marathon:

*Long runs

Long runs are essential in your training schedule for a marathon. It is best you start with long runs of 5 kilometers during the first month and gradually increase to long runs of 35 kilometers. It is important you build up slowly the length of your long distance runs and you best run slowly to increase your stamina and to prevent injuries. The speed of this kind of training need to be always slower than your marathon pace.

*Interval training

Interval training for a marathon is different than you train for a 5 or 10 km run. It is best you choose for repeat intervals between 800 meters and 2 kilometers. This will likely be better than repeats of 200 or 400metres because the marathon pace is slower than shorter distance runs. It is best to limit this kind of training to 2 times each month and you maybe best choose the second or fourth day of the week when you incorporate this kind of training in your marathon training schedule.

*Tempo training

This kind of training is a run of a distance which is shorter than your long runs. It is best you build up gradually the distance of these runs but it is best to limit the distance to 50% of your long runs. The pace of these runs needs to be continuous and you best build up to your path of a 10 km run in the last 6 minutes of your tempo training. It is best you include weekly two of this kind of runs in your training schedule.

*Hill training

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