Running Your First Marathon? Here’s How to Train

Nicole Kitner first started running just months after getting her first Apple Watch. She enjoyed being able to track her statistics while exercising, and it motivated her to want to improve her fitness and stamina.

Soon, she began training for her very first half-marathon.

“Seeing myself get better was a huge motivator in continuing, and running the half marathon was a specific goal I could train for and accomplish,” she tells WellnessPulse.

Kitner isn’t an anomaly — participating in races has become a hallmark of young adulthood in recent years.

It’s become such a trend, in fact, that running your first marathon in young adulthood has been declared “the new quarter-life crisis.”

On social media, many young users have been posting about their training efforts while gearing up to run marathons.

The phenomenon is evident offline, too: According to The Atlantic, only 15% of people who finished the New York City Marathon were in their 20s in 2019, but that number grew to 19% in 2023. At the Los Angeles Marathon in 2024, 28% of finishers were in their 20s compared to 21% in 2019.

For Kitner, the appeal came from the distinct beginning and end of the process — something she missed after graduating from university.

“I think it’s probably similar for most young people who had always had some kind of set end to a chapter but missed that in post-university adulthood,” she says. “Running a half marathon provides something to look forward to and train for in a set period of time.”

Kitner ran her first half marathon in October of 2023 and her second in September of 2024.

But running a marathon isn’t just something you wake up and decide to do. It takes hard work and plenty of training to ensure you complete it safely and healthily, says Jordan Gravesande, CPT, a certified personal trainer at Planet Fitness.

The importance of training for a marathon

Gravesande says it’s important to condition both your body and mind when training for a marathon, and both endurance and strength training are required to ensure you’re properly prepared.

Running a marathon is a full-on commitment. Most people would not even attempt to run a marathon, so the pre-race prep matters.

Jordan Gravesande, CPT

It’s essential to remember that running isn’t just cardio, he explains, it’s a full-body movement that utilizes multiple muscle groups in a coordinated effort. As a result, he says you’ll need strong glutes and leg muscles to absorb the impacts from running and a strong core to maintain correct posture.

Kitner says training was very important when it came to her running experience, though she concedes she trained a lot better for her first race than her second.

“My real goal was just finishing, and I didn’t have any personal time goals, so I wasn’t as focused on how fast I was going, which made training less intense,” she says. “I was less consistent when training for my second race, and my time was 20 minutes slower.”

Training exercises for running a marathon

Running regularly is, of course, an essential part of gearing up to run a race. It’s important to start with small distances and gradually work your way up. And before you go on your run, Gravesande says you should be preparing with dynamic warm-ups.

This may include high-knees or jumping jacks to get your heart pumping, squats or walking lunges for your glutes, leg swings to open your hips, and some light core engagement, such as a plank or sit-ups, to stabilize your stride.

“Strength training is the core of what keeps you going while you’re running,” he says. “Think bridges, step-ups, lunges, and squats.”

Kitner, meanwhile, used a 12-week online novice half-marathon plan to train, and she said she tried to follow the runs as well as she could, though she was never very strict about it.

Good nutrition is vital

Preparing your body for a race by exercising consistently is a key part of training for a marathon, but what you eat matters just as much.

“Food is fuel to be able to run your best during workouts as well as recover afterwards so you can feel good during training,” says Sarah Alsing, MS, RD, a sports dietitian and the owner of Delightfully Fueled. “Training for a marathon takes months and involves long runs and speed workouts. You need to fuel your body sufficiently to take on these runs.”

Carbs are the body’s preferred energy source for endurance training, Alsing explains. You need carbs before your workouts to have energy to do the run. Pre-workout carbs should be quick-digesting carbs, like graham crackers, dried fruit, or apple sauce.

After your run, you will also want carbs to refuel your muscle glycogen stores, she says. And as your runs get longer, you will also need to eat carbs during your runs.

“This also helps prepare your body to consume carbs on marathon day,” she says. “You’ll be running for several hours, so you will need to take in carbs to keep at your pace. Practice with different gels, chews, or other carb sources to see what you tolerate best.”

You should also eat carbs with each meal to ensure you are getting enough throughout the day to fuel your next run, she adds.

Alsing says protein is also important because running utilizes your muscles. Protein repairs your muscles so you stay strong to take on hard workouts.

“During training, you want to prioritize getting protein soon after your run to start the muscle repairing process,” she says. “You will want protein throughout the day as well to make sure your body has adequate protein.”

Consuming healthy fat is also necessary, as it’s important for hormone production, nutrient absorption, and reducing inflammation.

“Eat fat throughout the day, like an avocado with lunch or salmon at dinner,” she says. “You don’t want to eat fat right before running because that usually causes digestion issues during exercise.”

Kitner says she ate more carbs while she was training and it benefited her greatly.

“I really noticed that when I ate more carbs the day before a run, I had a lot more energy, so I tried to remember to do that before training days,” she says. “I was also definitely hungrier in general, and so I ate more.”

A recent study from the University of South Australia found that proper nutrition is key to reducing the risk of injury while running, especially for women, and that poor nutrition increases injury risk for female athletes.

When your body does not have adequate nutrition during intense training, then it won’t be able to recover after runs, and you have an increased risk for injury.

Sarah Alsing, MS, RD

The physical risks

Running a race comes with its fair share of physical risks, risks that are heightened if you don’t train or nourish your body properly.

Some common risks include:

• Dehydration
• Ankle sprains
• Muscle spasms
• Runner’s knee
• Achilles pain
• Shin splints

“These are all avoidable if you take proper guidance and prepare your body properly,” Gravesande says.

The bottom line

Preparing to run for your first marathon is no small feat, but it’s a common undertaking for young people these days. Don’t forget that running a marathon is a lot to put your body through, so adequate training and proper nutrition are required to do it safely and efficiently.

Beyond preparing your body, training well also helps to train your mind, making it easier to push through any challenges on the day of the race.

“Making the commitment to follow the training program was definitely the biggest challenge, but it was the only way I could have finished the race,” Kitner says. “Not only was I building necessary muscle, but there were times I didn’t want to go on a training run and I did anyway. That prepared me for the emotions I would feel during the real race — the training was essential for not only gaining physical stamina, but for building my mental stamina too."