Training for your first marathon? Here is a good reason to complete a half marathon first as part of your training.

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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.

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