Training for your first marathon? Here is a good reason to complete a half marathon first as part of your training. This is the season of marathons, as the NY Marathon is a few days away and other marathons have been scheduled at this time of the year because of the cooler weather. Running a marathon is a challenge for most, and for some, it can be a life changing experience. Are you sure you can complete the race? Have you tried to do a half marathon first? If not, according to the NY Times, you should, since running long distances may not be enough to properly train for your first marathon according a new study of the relative physiological impacts of completing a 26.2-mile race versus a 13.1-mile half-marathon. The study cited in the NY Times suggests that preparing for your first marathon may be more effective if you train for a half marathon first. Check out the article here What Half-Marathons Teach Us About Running a Marathon By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS OCT. 11, 2017 Running a marathon is physically hard, but not necessarily for the reasons that some of us might expect, according to a new study of the relative physiological impacts of completing a 26.2-mile race versus a 13.1-mile half-marathon. The study’s findings provide useful new insights into how runners might best prepare for a marathon. They also underscore possible reasons to consider a half-marathon instead. By now, runners who have signed up for a fall-season full- or half-marathon race should be well into the training. (I’ve signed up for the Monterey Bay Half Marathon in November.) Our workouts typically involve some mix of long and shorter runs. Read more