Updated July 26, 2014.
Whether you're thinking about training for a marathon or you've already started your training, you most likely have loads of questions. What should I eat? Why am I so tired and hungry all the time? Do I need new running shoes?
This list of 8 frequently-asked questions will address your concerns and help you feel more prepared on your journey to completing 26.2 miles.
Most runners – even those training for a marathon -- need at least one, even two, days off a week from running. Research has shown that taking at least one day off a week reduces the frequency of overuse injuries. If you take at least one day off, your body will have a chance to recover and repair itself. You'll find that you'll actually feel better during your runs. Taking a day off also gives you a mental break. Even those who absolutely love running can still get burned out.
It's up to you when you want to take a day off. I like to take off a weekday because I find that I usually have more time to run on the weekends. If you're in the same position and tend to run a lot of miles on the weekends, then Monday might be a good rest day for you. If you typically do your long runs on Saturday, you may want to rest on Friday, so you have fresh legs for your long run.
Marathoners-in-training frequently find themselves with growling stomachs. You're burning more calories, so your body needs to take more in. Follow these tips to avoid feeling hungry, with overindulging:
If you're training for a marathon, you've probably heard about the dreaded "wall" that some marathoners hit sometime after the 20-mile mark in a marathon. It’s possible to run a marathon and not hit the wall. But you need to practice during training and also execute a smart race strategy on race day. Here are some tips for beating the wall in a marathon.
If you feel like you need a nap after a long run, that’s completely normal. Sleep is part of the recovery process, so it's definitely important to rest when your body is telling you to.
However, if you feel as if you're still exhausted after a nap or the day after a long run, you’ve may not be recovering properly. Here are a few things try:
Make sure you're eating properly. After a long run, you want to replenish energy as quickly as possible. Muscles are most receptive to rebuilding glycogen (stored glucose) stores within the first 30 minutes after exercise. If you eat soon after your workout, you can minimize muscle stiffness and soreness, and help reduce your fatigue.
A good rule of thumb for post-run food is a ratio of 1 gram of protein to 3 grams of carbs. Nutrition bars, such as Clif bars or Power bars, or smoothies are healthy options. Many runners like to drink chocolate milk after a long run, which also has the right carbs to protein ratio.
You should also keep track of what you're eating and make sure you're following a balanced diet. You may not be getting enough iron or protein.
Don't overtrain. Running too many miles and not taking any rest days will definitely leave you feeling exhausted most of the time. Don't let your weekly mileage increase by more than 10%. Also, try to give yourself periodic "rest weeks" by dropping your mileage by 50% every fourth week. After a hard run, take a rest day. In addition, try to work some cross-training activities to your schedule.
Get enough sleep. Aim for 7-8 quality hours of sleep a night. Getting little sleep during the week and playing "catch up" on the weekends isn’t a good idea because it alters your sleep schedule. Your body is forced to adjust to these changes and, as a result, your quality of sleep is poor.
More:Â How to Get the Most Out of Your Long Run
If you find yourself stopping to urinate during your long runs, you're most likely drinking too much prior to your run. You should drink 16 to 24oz of (non-caffeinated) fluid 1 hour before your workout or race. Stop drinking after that, and keep emptying your bladder. Drink another 4 to 8oz of fluid about 10 minutes before you start running, so that you're hydrated when you begin. To replace fluids while running, you should be drinking about 6 to 8 ounces of fluids every 20 minutes. If you hydrate properly like this, you shouldn't have to stop to pee.
If you continue to feel the urge to urinate or have problems with a leaky bladder, talk to your health care professional.
If your problem is that you sometimes have diarrhea during runs (which is fairly common), here are some tips for avoiding runner's trots.
More:
Things happen during the course of marathon training and sometimes you find yourself missing a few days or even weeks of training. If you’ve been off for a few days, don’t sweat it. It's possible to take up to a week off without losing any ground. In fact, a few days of rest may even improve your performance, especially if you've been feeling exhausted and sore. But after a week of not training, you'll quickly start to lose your fitness -- a lot faster than it took you to build it up.
If you've been suffering from a cold or other short-term illness, make sure you're healthy enough to get back to running. The general rule of thumb for running with a cold is that if your symptoms are from the neck up (sore throat, runny nose, etc.), then it's OK to run with a cold. If your symptoms are below the neck (chest congestion, diarrhea, etc.), it's best to wait until you're feeling completely healthy.
If you haven't run for less than seven days, don't attempt to "make up" the miles you missed. Just pick up your marathon training schedule where you left off. You may feel a bit sluggish during your first run back, but give it another run or two, and you should feel like you did before your break.
If you've been out for only a week or two, start at about half the distance you were running before you stopped. If you were recovering from an injury, go easy when you first return to running because if you run too hard, you risk re-injuring yourself. You should be able to build back to your former level in a couple of weeks.
With a layoff of more than two weeks, you need to be more conservative. If you've been injured, make sure that you're definitely ready to come back. If you've been under the care of a medical professional, make sure you're cleared to run again. If you're not ready to come back, you could possibly cross-train in the meantime, as long as you’re not re-aggravating your injury.
Once you're ready to run again, don't assume you have to run your entire distance. Start with a run/walk approach. As you build your endurance, you'll be able to extend your running segments and reduce your walking time. In the beginning, take a day off after every running day.
You're not alone. Some marathoners-in-training hope to lose weight during their training, but they're surprised when they actually gain a few pounds or hit a weight loss plateau. One explanation is that as you're training, you're building more muscle mass, which is denser than fat. So while that may translate to an overall weight gain, your body fat percentage has decreased and you're more toned than you were before. Get more information on why you may be gaining weight and how to avoid it.
When you’re doing a shorter training run (under 90 minutes), a lot of your energy comes from stored muscle glycogen. If you're running for longer than 90 minutes, the sugar in your blood and liver glycogen become more important because your stored muscle glycogen gets depleted.  Fueling with carbs during your longer runs will prevent you from running out of energy and help boost your performance. Follow these guidelines for when, what, and how much to eat during your long runs and your marathon.
More Marathon FAQs
Whether you're thinking about training for a marathon or you've already started your training, you most likely have loads of questions. What should I eat? Why am I so tired and hungry all the time? Do I need new running shoes?
This list of 8 frequently-asked questions will address your concerns and help you feel more prepared on your journey to completing 26.2 miles.
1. Should I Run Every Day?
Most runners – even those training for a marathon -- need at least one, even two, days off a week from running. Research has shown that taking at least one day off a week reduces the frequency of overuse injuries. If you take at least one day off, your body will have a chance to recover and repair itself. You'll find that you'll actually feel better during your runs. Taking a day off also gives you a mental break. Even those who absolutely love running can still get burned out.
It's up to you when you want to take a day off. I like to take off a weekday because I find that I usually have more time to run on the weekends. If you're in the same position and tend to run a lot of miles on the weekends, then Monday might be a good rest day for you. If you typically do your long runs on Saturday, you may want to rest on Friday, so you have fresh legs for your long run.
2. How Can I Not Feel Hungry All the Time?
Marathoners-in-training frequently find themselves with growling stomachs. You're burning more calories, so your body needs to take more in. Follow these tips to avoid feeling hungry, with overindulging:
- Spread out your calories by eating five to six small meals as opposed to three large ones during the day. If you wait too long for a large meal, you'll be starving and tempted to overindulge by the time you eat.
- Get lots of healthy, high-fiber foods in your diet. Most high-fiber foods require more chewing, which helps to satisfy hunger. High-fiber foods are usually bulky so they fill up your stomach faster and can also delay the time it takes your stomach to empty. Also, many high-fiber foods are low in calories, so you can satisfy your hunger with fewer calories. Whole grains, vegetables, and fruits are great sources of fiber.
- Slow down when you're eating. It takes our body about 20 minutes to realize that it's full. If you eat quickly, you'll eat extra calories while your body is figuring out whether it's hungry. When you eat slowly, your brain starts sending signals to stop eating at the right time. This is another reason to spread your calories out during the day -- you won't be starving when it's time to eat, so you'll take your time eating.
3. How Do I Avoid Hitting the Wall in a Marathon?
If you're training for a marathon, you've probably heard about the dreaded "wall" that some marathoners hit sometime after the 20-mile mark in a marathon. It’s possible to run a marathon and not hit the wall. But you need to practice during training and also execute a smart race strategy on race day. Here are some tips for beating the wall in a marathon.
4. Why Am I So Exhausted After Long Runs?
If you feel like you need a nap after a long run, that’s completely normal. Sleep is part of the recovery process, so it's definitely important to rest when your body is telling you to.
However, if you feel as if you're still exhausted after a nap or the day after a long run, you’ve may not be recovering properly. Here are a few things try:
Make sure you're eating properly. After a long run, you want to replenish energy as quickly as possible. Muscles are most receptive to rebuilding glycogen (stored glucose) stores within the first 30 minutes after exercise. If you eat soon after your workout, you can minimize muscle stiffness and soreness, and help reduce your fatigue.
A good rule of thumb for post-run food is a ratio of 1 gram of protein to 3 grams of carbs. Nutrition bars, such as Clif bars or Power bars, or smoothies are healthy options. Many runners like to drink chocolate milk after a long run, which also has the right carbs to protein ratio.
You should also keep track of what you're eating and make sure you're following a balanced diet. You may not be getting enough iron or protein.
Don't overtrain. Running too many miles and not taking any rest days will definitely leave you feeling exhausted most of the time. Don't let your weekly mileage increase by more than 10%. Also, try to give yourself periodic "rest weeks" by dropping your mileage by 50% every fourth week. After a hard run, take a rest day. In addition, try to work some cross-training activities to your schedule.
Get enough sleep. Aim for 7-8 quality hours of sleep a night. Getting little sleep during the week and playing "catch up" on the weekends isn’t a good idea because it alters your sleep schedule. Your body is forced to adjust to these changes and, as a result, your quality of sleep is poor.
More:Â How to Get the Most Out of Your Long Run
5. How Can I Avoid Having to Stop to Use the Bathroom?
If you find yourself stopping to urinate during your long runs, you're most likely drinking too much prior to your run. You should drink 16 to 24oz of (non-caffeinated) fluid 1 hour before your workout or race. Stop drinking after that, and keep emptying your bladder. Drink another 4 to 8oz of fluid about 10 minutes before you start running, so that you're hydrated when you begin. To replace fluids while running, you should be drinking about 6 to 8 ounces of fluids every 20 minutes. If you hydrate properly like this, you shouldn't have to stop to pee.
If you continue to feel the urge to urinate or have problems with a leaky bladder, talk to your health care professional.
If your problem is that you sometimes have diarrhea during runs (which is fairly common), here are some tips for avoiding runner's trots.
More:
6. What If I Have to Take a Break During Training?
Things happen during the course of marathon training and sometimes you find yourself missing a few days or even weeks of training. If you’ve been off for a few days, don’t sweat it. It's possible to take up to a week off without losing any ground. In fact, a few days of rest may even improve your performance, especially if you've been feeling exhausted and sore. But after a week of not training, you'll quickly start to lose your fitness -- a lot faster than it took you to build it up.
If you've been suffering from a cold or other short-term illness, make sure you're healthy enough to get back to running. The general rule of thumb for running with a cold is that if your symptoms are from the neck up (sore throat, runny nose, etc.), then it's OK to run with a cold. If your symptoms are below the neck (chest congestion, diarrhea, etc.), it's best to wait until you're feeling completely healthy.
If you haven't run for less than seven days, don't attempt to "make up" the miles you missed. Just pick up your marathon training schedule where you left off. You may feel a bit sluggish during your first run back, but give it another run or two, and you should feel like you did before your break.
If you've been out for only a week or two, start at about half the distance you were running before you stopped. If you were recovering from an injury, go easy when you first return to running because if you run too hard, you risk re-injuring yourself. You should be able to build back to your former level in a couple of weeks.
With a layoff of more than two weeks, you need to be more conservative. If you've been injured, make sure that you're definitely ready to come back. If you've been under the care of a medical professional, make sure you're cleared to run again. If you're not ready to come back, you could possibly cross-train in the meantime, as long as you’re not re-aggravating your injury.
Once you're ready to run again, don't assume you have to run your entire distance. Start with a run/walk approach. As you build your endurance, you'll be able to extend your running segments and reduce your walking time. In the beginning, take a day off after every running day.
7. Why Am I Gaining Weight During Marathon Training?
You're not alone. Some marathoners-in-training hope to lose weight during their training, but they're surprised when they actually gain a few pounds or hit a weight loss plateau. One explanation is that as you're training, you're building more muscle mass, which is denser than fat. So while that may translate to an overall weight gain, your body fat percentage has decreased and you're more toned than you were before. Get more information on why you may be gaining weight and how to avoid it.
8. Do I Need to Eat During My Long Runs?
When you’re doing a shorter training run (under 90 minutes), a lot of your energy comes from stored muscle glycogen. If you're running for longer than 90 minutes, the sugar in your blood and liver glycogen become more important because your stored muscle glycogen gets depleted.  Fueling with carbs during your longer runs will prevent you from running out of energy and help boost your performance. Follow these guidelines for when, what, and how much to eat during your long runs and your marathon.
More Marathon FAQs