Jonny Mellor Talks ‘Top Mistakes When Training For A Marathon’

We’ve team up with coaches Jonny Mellor & Adam Craig from JM Run Coaching to give you their expert advice as your prepare for your marathon. Boasting a PB of 2:09:06, Jonny is one of the UK’s most consistent marathon runners and continues to get better year on year. Equally as experienced, Adam impressed byt running a 2:13 on his debut over the distance. In fact both have a vast amount of experience across a whole host of distances; and therefore couldn’t be better placed to advise on training for a marathon.

In this article we look at common mistakes made when training for a marathon. As coaches Jonny & Adam often have to naviagte their athletes around these issues. So today we’re sharing these marathon mistakes to help you avoid making them!

Mistakes Made When Training For A Marathon

It’s very easy to make mistakes when marathon training, especially if it’s your first one. It’s even easier to make mistakes around the actual training sessions; some of these you may be a little less aware that you’re making.

Below we’ve picked out the top 4 most common mistakes when training for a marathon:

Not giving yourself enough time between interval sessions to recover and adapt to the training you’re doing: Recovery is one of the biggest parts of marathon training and needs to be given as much respect as the actual training sessions.

Not running their easy runs ‘easy’: Easy runs help to build a strong aerobic base which in turn promotes recovery from your harder sessions and overall will help improve your endurance (as much as it doesn’t feel like it at the time).

Not fuelling around training properly: Fuelling your training for a marathon doesn’t just stop when the trainers come off. In a marathon training block it needs to be a consideration at every meal. You need to be providing your body with the nutrient it needs to recover and repair, whilst also topping up the fuel stores to be ready to go again on your next run. Well balanced meals with portions of carbohydrates and protein, as well as essential fats, vitamins and minerals to look after that potentially compromised immune system.

Not getting enough sleep: So many people I coach have got busy lives, with kids, family and of course working full time; and they’re only getting 4,5, & 6 hour sleep. Particularly during a marathon training block, prioritising get that bit extra sleep can make the world of difference with how you feel day to day. Aim for 8 hours as a minimum, even if it’s just until you’ve completed your training block and achieved your marathon goal.

Mistakes Made During A Marathon

The day of your marathon is a big deal. A lot of time and effort has gone in to getting you to the start line, nows the time to finish it all off in the best way possible. However the enormaty of these big events can some times distract from getting the simple things right.

Below we’ve picked out the top 2 most common mistakes when completing marathon:

Going out too hard: This is when you set off running at a pace you can’t sustain for the full marathon. It makes for a miserable second half. “I’ve done it myself, it’s not nice” said Jonny Mellor “It’s a long way to suffer home”. It’s important to respect the pace over the 42km distance and if you have a bit left in the tank in the final kilometres then empty yourself then; not off the start line.

Forgetting To Fuel: It’s all too easy to get carried away in enormity of the day and forget to fuel and hydrate. You’ll get away with it at the start, but it’ll definitely start to catch up with you in the second half of the races. Start your fuelling early and don’t let it slip until you’ve crossed that finish line. If you make a fuelling plan; stick to it!

Avoiding Injury When Training For A Marathon

One final area to touch on is of course the dreaded injury. This can happen at any time during marathon training. Sadly some times its unpreventable. but most oftime there are a number of things you can do to protect yourself from sustaining an injury in marathon training.

Train smartly and listen to your body: Don’t be afraid to take a rest day if you’re feeling tired or sore. Over time you start to learn the signs between what’s an injury and what’s just a niggle. If something lasts more than a few days then that’s a sign to take back off training, rest and maybe go see a physio.

Stretching and Foam Rolling: You’re putting a lot of time into training so put some time into looking after yourself whether that be foam rolling or stretching whilst you’re watching tv at night. Doing these little things, that aren’t going to take too much time out of your day, can make a big difference.

Build up your mileage gradually: In your training, be progressive. If you’re only running 20 mile a week don’t jump and start running 40-50 miles. Build it up over months. As runners we’re not very patient, but you need to learn to be.

Take a regular down week: This is where you back off running, maybe go out on the bike a bit more or take an extra rest day. It works for people to help keep injury free and is worth considering in your routine.