Training for a marathon can be tough, especially when it’s your first which is the case for me. In October I’ll be running through the streets of Bilbao starting at 8pm and finishing at who knows when. Whilst there are stories of various people completing marathons with absolutely no training I am not one of those people and so I have had to start running regularly in order to ensure I make it round the course later this year.

With that in mind I’ve come up with some things from my training experience so far that will hopefully help you when it comes to training for your upcoming race.

1. Accountability

Something I’m finding helpful to keep me on track is documenting my training publicly. For me, this is in the form of semi-regular video updates posted to YouTube for my friends, family and donors to see. Not only does this mean that everyone can keep up to date and hold me to my training goals but it’s also a great way to grow awareness about my fundraising page - hopefully leading to more donations for the charity.

Now you don’t have to do it in the same format as me - you could start a blog, post on Facebook or just on your fundraising page, choose the method that suits you best!  Whatever it is, I find that I’m much more motivated to go for a run when I know people are expecting an update to come out. You can also link your running app or watch to some of the fundraising pages so people can see stats for your runs as they happen.

2. Have a Plan (and stick to it!)

We’ve talked a lot in previous blogs about the importance of having a plan and this is so true. Having a plan gives you something to work towards and I find having mine physically printed out and stuck on the wall in my bedroom motivates me more than a calendar on my phone or laptop.

There are tonnes of free resources out there for generating a plan like the ASICS - My Plan tool which will help you to organise your weekly schedule better and make sure you’re getting all your runs in.

3. Mixing it up

One of my personal issues with training is that I have a tendency to get bored of doing the same thing over and over again. To avoid this, I have started adding a bit of variety into my routine. This has included a few strength workouts at the gym which not only helps me keep things fresh but also adds benefit to my overall training as it builds up the muscles in your body without the same harsh impact that you get from running. If you’re not sure where to start, there’s plenty of guides and advice on YouTube or better yet you can head to your gym and ask the staff what they’d recommend.

Another thing that I love doing to motivate myself is getting involved in endurance style events like Tough Mudder or Spartan races for example. These give you a really fun event to work towards as a training milestone and you can bring your mates along to join you and maybe even fundraise a bit towards your total in the process.

No doubt you have your own ideas on how best to give your training that extra push in the right direction and we'd be keen to hear your ideas in the comments!