The five phases of training for a spring marathon

We are back to in-person racing, and spring marathons are on the horizon. If you’ve been training all winter, then every single hypothetical or thought about the race has crossed your mind. If you are currently dealing with a lull in your training, don’t worry, because every runner goes through it.

Here are the five phases of marathon training that every runner goes through:

Motivation phase (16-20 weeks until your race)

After contemplating signing up for that race you’ve been eyeing for the last three months, you’ve finally grown the courage to hit ‘register’. Now 16 weeks out, your motivation is at an all-time high. You even just brought a new pair of runners in honour of your achievement (clicking ‘register’). This is the phase where you tell everyone you know that you are going to run a marathon.

Strenuous phase (8-12 weeks until your race)

You are a month into your marathon training and this isn’t what you signed up for. Your long runs are getting longer, you seem to be falling asleep at work every day, and the “I am training for a marathon” excuse is no longer cutting it. There is still motivation left at this point, but you keep thinking about how you’ve only been training for four weeks and there’s still eight weeks left on your schedule. This is the phase where many break down.

The exertion phase (4-8 weeks until your race)

You’re scraping the bottom of the barrel for motivation, but now you can finally see a shard of light at the end of the training tunnel. Your mileage has reached an all-time high, and you have no idea how you’re doing it. Your life in this phase is run, eat, run and sleep, but nothing is stopping you now. All eyes are on the prize.

The carb-load phase (1-2 weeks until your race)

The marathon is closer than ever, and now you have started your taper. Your energy level is through the roof, and you are counting down the hours and minutes until the race. Your training diet has gone out the window, and you’ve eaten pasta four of the last five nights. At this phase, you are antsy, but you keep dreaming of the glory phase.

The glory phase (the finish line)

You can’t believe it–you did it! There are no words to describe your emotion when is time to celebrate. Congratulations, you’ve earned it. You now deserve to wear your medal for eternity.

posted Saturday March 5th
by Marley Dickinson