Marathon training – Doing it safely

Running a marathon safely involves adequate training. You don’t do it without preparing your body. Some people feel that if they were previously in great shape, and perhaps have run marathons in the past, that all they need to do is ‘brush up’. This is not the case, however.

With nearly 480,000 people known to have completed a marathon in 2001, the word definitely is getting out about the benefits of exercise. But perhaps with this growth in interest in marathons, some are missing the message that they must commit the proper amount of time and distance to such a project.

Researchers published the results looking at amateur athletes and the effect that training has on their bodies. The research was published in the May, 2006 issue of the European Heart Journal. They found that people who run less than 40 miles a week during their training often show signs of heart dysfunction after the race, and some of these abnormalities can last up to a month afterwards. This inadequate training leads to temporary heart muscle weakness and an increased pressure in the lung arteries, a conditioned called, “cardiac fatigue”. Those who ran over 45 miles a week didn’t show these signs of damage after the marathon.

If you wish to train for a marathon, do it right. There are a lot of free resources available, so do your homework and enjoy the experience.

To read more on the researchers' results, click here.

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