Six Steps To Solo Marathon Training

Often times when I tell people that I am training for a marathon, their second question - after the always popular, “which one?” – is, “are you training with a group?” To which I always respond a simple “no.” People have told me that I am missing out, or that I would improve my time with a group, but I would have it no other way. This was confirmed during my last marathon when I heard a pace leader yell out to his group, “group bathroom break after mile ten.” My opinion has always been that if you cannot motivate yourself, you probably should not be running marathons in the first place. No disrespect to people that run in groups, I just prefer to go it alone. The following are six simple tips that I think can give further purpose to solo marathon training and/or solo running in general.

1. Don’t use an ipod/musical device: I know most people would consider this impossible, but I would say it is a necessity both for protection and for building the mental tenacity you will need during the race. When running alone, there is no one to warn you about cars, motorcycles, bicycles, etc., so you need to have elevated senses. To me, 50% of a good run is completing it; the other 50% is completing it safely.

1. Run in your community and try to be an asset: What I mean by this, is if you are going to be out there anyway, you might as well try to help people - always be ready to spring into action (this is especially true running in an urban environment). During my last training run I helped an old man avoid backing over a hand truck, told a lady that she dropped her keys, and ran next to someone’s car to let them know they had forgotten their coffee on top. This will also help you stay nimble and avoid injury during those first few cluttered marathon miles.

1. Find inspiration in yourself and your surroundings: Since you are running alone, inspiration may be hard to find, especially at the end of those first really long runs. This may sound cheesy, but I would always try to gather inspiration from the scenery and the landscape that surrounded me, even if my surroundings were decrepit (this will link in with #4). It also helps to have landmarks or buildings that are visible a few miles before you reach them, as this can keep you going and give you a burst of energy when you need it most.

1. Map an interesting route: Since you are going to be running the distance of a Sunday drive, might as well make it just as scenic (MapMyRun is great for this!). If you know your city or town, you already know the parts you enjoy the most - run through areas you like and are familiar with. It makes everything easier, gives you a kind of Rocky “community” mentality, and will help you get up for those really long runs. You can even make mental notes along the way, like “oh there’s a yard sale, I should stop back later,” or “that restaurant looks neat, I should try it sometime.”

1. Plant “rewards” back home: This strategy helped through some of the darkest parts of my long runs. Other than the normal “ice relief “ waiting for me at home, I would often have rocky road ice cream, a special Netflix, or some other treat waiting for me back at home. The phrase, “just four more miles to some Cherry Garcia” can be more powerful than you think.

1. Imagine that people are always watching you: Being that you are running alone, you could walk the whole thing and no one would say anything. During my 16 weeks of training I did not walk once - this was due to determination, fear of failure, and thinking that I would disappoint all of the people who were watching me run (even if there was no one there). A helpful tip at the end of an 18 mile run, when you really want to walk that last half-mile - just pretend the girl/guy that you have a crush on is watching you and you have to prove to them that you can do it. If it is a real extreme circumstance you can even pretend that you have your whole city/town on your shoulders, and their fate depends on your running.

Okay, those are all of my tips for solo marathon training. This in addition to all of the obvious stuff like eating right, having the right gear, stretching, etc. On my last marathon I trained alone and ran my best time yet (4:25, good for my standards). Cheers, and good luck training!!

-Casey Dunn