Jun 3, 2009
‘Tis the season for marathon training
philip pannenko/FLICKR
The Chicago Tribune’s Julie Dearorff wrote on Monday about the dangers of running your first marathon through charity organizations. Deardorf reports that while charities often provide training programs for runners, their programs are often lacking.
Still, according to Deardorff, charities may be the only way to sign up for the Chicago marathon past deadline.
For those out there thinking of joining a charity run, the Tribune offers these training tips:
*Respect the distance: 26.2 miles.
*Choose a charity that helps a cause you feel a connection with emotionally. That will give you added motivation.
*Make sure you can raise the money or donate it yourself. Otherwise you won’t get your race number.
*If you can’t run 6 miles right now, consider signing up with a charity that offers a winter or spring event, rather than a fall marathon.
*Get race experience. Do a half-marathon before trying a marathon.
*If you’re training with a group, find someone with similar goals and abilities. If you don’t like the group, seek another or download programs online. The official marathon training program, which is run by Nike, is free.