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Tip #3 - A Warm Bath
The night after you finish a long training run, take a soak in a nice warm bath. This is a good therapeutic way to get the blood flowing through your muscles and help you relax and aid in your recovery. Also, since you just did such a hard workout, you deserve some good quality relaxation time!

Tip #4 - Pick Up The Pace In Easier Runs
At the end of an easier run, try and pick up the pace for a few 100 meters. By sprinting at the end of an easier run you will help train your body to get used to pushing harder during times of fatigue.
Since you are only partially fatigued (since it is an easy run) you can still force your body to work a little harder at the end, which will make your lighter runs seem that much easier in the future.

Don't do this on every easy run, as you do still need to have some days where you aren't pushing yourself or stressing your system otherwise you may begin to suffer from overtraining or burnout.

Tip #5 - Try Interval Training
Play around with interval training. Doing some high intensity interval training is a great way to increase your speed and make your longer runs seem easier. You can perform shorter interval sessions, going maximally for a period of 30 seconds to 1 minute and then taking a 2 to 3 minute 'rest' period in between where you walk or slow down to a comfortable jog.

High Intensity Interval Training!
With High Intensity Interval Training you can burn more fat while spending less time in the gym. I will explain how you can get the best results from this new and cutting-edge type of cardiovascular training.

Or you can perform longer intervals of 2 minutes going at a more intense pace that you are used to (but not maximal however) and then taking shorter rest periods of 1 to 2 minutes (you won't need as much of a rest period since you not working quite as hard during your sprint).

The first method will really push you to your threshold and will help to improve your VO2 max level whereas the second method will help you become more comfortable running at higher paces for a longer period of time with less of a recovery.

VO2 Max Calculator
Enter the total distance covered in meters in 12 minutes and then press the 'Calculate' button.

* 1600 meters = 1 mile
* 5280 feet = 1 mile
* 3 feet = 1 meter

Distance
meters
VO2 Max mls/kg/min

Perform 6-10 of these interval sessions for 20 to 40 minute time period per session. Also remember that this type of workout is quite intense so you will need to allow yourself a good day or so to recovery from it (so don't schedule it right before a long run).

Tip #6 - Plan Your Day
Plan out your race day before you go. You will be have a lot on your mind just thinking about competing the race itself that you don't need to have the distractions of worrying about getting into the hotel, what you will eat before the race, where the race is, etc. as well.
Ensure that you have all this figured out before you go to run so that when the day comes you can focus only on the race itself.

Tip #7 - Get Some Sleep
Get a good night's sleep two nights before the race. Chances are you will be pretty excited (with a bit of nervousness as well!) the night before the race and may not get the greatest sleep.
By taking the night before that night to really log some good quality hours you will help insure you will still be well rested come race day.

A few days before the race make sure to taper back your training as well and take some time to relax and allow your body to prepare itself
for the big day.

Conclusion
By following some or all of the above tips you will help ensure that your chosen race is an enjoyable event. Try and take in as much of it as you can, often they will have pre-race dinners the night before, and different social gatherings for the racers. Not only is the race a great time but the whole experience that goes along with it will surely go down in the memory books.

So if you've been feeling less than thrilled to perform you daily jog, look into a road race taking place near you and sign up for it. You may just discover a new passion in the process!  There is no doubt that this step-by-step run preparation system will work, however, doing this rigorous program requires commitment and determination. The exercises are simple - they involve no sophisticated movements or machines.  For maximum performance, check out Bodybuilding.com's TOP 50 selling products.

Beginner's Guide to Training for a Marathon

You do not have to be training for a marathon to use the following recommendations. The guidelines will help you train for any distance. These traditional recommendations for beginner endurance athletes are quite simple and are focused on increasing aerobic capacity and endurance.

For those with competitive endurance sport experience seeking an advanced program to increase performance, the following recommendations may not be of great benefit. Again, try the experts at Personal Best for experienced help. Personalbest.ca also offers corporate fitness and sport-specific training camps.

To improve endurance, you must be consistent with your training. If you are an absolute beginner, do not be put off by your inability to run (or swim) continuously for a long period of time. Simply begin your training with run-walk (swim-rest) intervals of a pre-determined length.


Training Sessions

For example, begin with a 30-minute training session partitioned into 10 intervals of 1-minute running interspersed with 2-minutes walking. This is an arbitrary example and depends greatly on your initial fitness. As well, if you are just beginning to swim, you may only be able to perform very short work intervals. Whatever interval length you use, just be sure to train consistently!

Within 2-3 training sessions, you should begin shifting the duration of each interval to include more exercise and less rest. Eventually you will be running for 30 minutes continuously. It is also recommended that you separate your initial workouts by a minimum of 48 hours, and perhaps even 72 hours. Therefore, in your first week you will only train 2 times.

As your muscles become accustomed to the stress of exercise and "eccentric" contractions (the force your muscles absorb when landing), you will have much less soreness from running and jogging.


What's The Difference Between Eccentric And Concentric?
Eccentric movements are those exercise movements involving the lengthening of muscle fibers. They are the opposite of concentric movements, which involve the contracting of the muscles.


Advanced Options

At this point you now have 2 options. You may choose to increase the intensity (running pace) of each individual 30 minute training session, or you may increase the length of each workout. It may be best to incorporate both for 1 session each week (i.e. 1 long session and 1 intense session).

Increase your training frequency to 3 sessions, if you have not done so already. This 3rd session will be of low- to moderate-intensity and of a very long duration to best simulate the actual competition.

Typically, the longest run (Session 3) will take place on a weekend or day that can be completely devoted to training and followed with rest and recovery. Remember that as you progress, the long runs may be up to 3 hours in length! For your first long run, you may need to return to the walk-run protocol that you used in your early running development.

Therefore, you will certainly need time to fuel-up with a proper pre-run meal, 1-3 hours to perform the training session, and then plenty of time to recover (massage, cold baths, and other additional recovery modalities).

Thus, the long run is typically a Saturday or Sunday event. The long run is important and needs specific preparation, and prepares you for shoe problems, fluid intake, proper clothing, etc. Try to run the course itself (if at all possible). You may also want to incorporate 2 or all 3 of the events into a long training session. Again, this allows for the most specific preparation possible.

Training Session Specifics

Session One
Session 1 is scheduled for 2 days after the long run to allow your energy stores to be replenished and for muscle soreness to be reduced. If Session 3 is performed on a Sunday, you may not run again until Tuesday.

For absolute beginners, it is recommended that 3 days be scheduled after your first long run in order for your body to recover. You will be sore, so imagine what the day after the race is going to be like! Session 1 should be of increasing duration and moderate intensity. Try to add 5 minutes per week to each run so that you cover a maximum of 60 minutes or 10 km on this day, whichever is less.

Session Two
Finally, Session 2 will be performed on Thursday. By this time you should be ready to go and very recovered from the long run. In this session, you will "hammer" it out for 30 minutes (but don't neglect a warm-up).

Set a distance that you would like to complete and keep track of how far you get in each weekly "intensity" session. That will provide you with a goal for future sessions and allow you to judge your progress. This is an important area to focus on if increasing performance is your number one goal.

Session Three
Session 3 should also get progressively longer each week. However, it may not be wise to perform a session that is as long as the race itself. For the last 2 weeks before the big event, limit your longest sessions to 75% of the actual race.

In the final week leading up to race day, perform only 1 training session at a moderate intensity for a relatively short duration. Check out the nutritional recommendations that will give you a little edge as well.


Recap

This is a traditional training protocol for endurance events. Weight training fits in very well on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. Please realize that advanced training methods and schedules can be much more complex than this. Fortunately, this schedule has been outlined with performance and safety in mind, especially for beginners.

Don't get hooked on the idea that more is better, as it is certainly not, regardless of your activity. Again, if you find this training program to be below your level of capability; do seek an expert in this area to help you improve.

This is a safe and effective introduction to running and endurance sports. You should greatly improve your endurance, decrease body fat, improve health, and improve your aerobic power simply by training consistently along these general guidelines.

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Remember that if you begin to feel any pain or injury from "overuse", stop, rest, recover, and make any adjustments necessary. If you don't, long-term problems lay in the future. Be conservative. It's only a fun marathon.