You might think it would be a good idea to complete the marathon distance in training to ‘prove to yourself’ that you can do it, but in this case the risk is not worth the 'reward' of completing the distance. Running 26 miles is incredibly taxing on the body. Recovering from such a distance in the context your wider plan, could derail your training for the next 10-14 days.

So here are all the reasons you shouldn't run a marathon distance as part of your marathon training plan.

Muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones are challenged when running a marathon. Whether the effort is easy or hard, the body endures a lot of physical stress. The muscle soreness and fatigue are the most obvious cause of damage caused by running 26.2 miles. In the blood, the muscle breakdown byproducts will be elevated for at least a week after the event and it can take up to 4 weeks for these to to return to normal.

The damage to the body after running a marathon is best measured by the presence and production of creatinine kinase (CK). This is a marker of acute muscle damage. This biomarker usually peaks 24 hour post-marathon and it can stay elevated for up to 6 days. On days 7-9 it will begin to return to a normal level pre-marathon.

This is why we advise you take it easy after your marathon. If you follow our post-marathon plan, there is very little training the week after your run. The goal is to flush all the chemicals out of the body and give it time to repair. That includes lactic acid, creatine kinase, and other things that are elevated after a marathon. So even if you don’t feel too bad after running the distance, the build of chemicals will weaken the muscles and bones. If you opt to push through fatigued and damaged structures, it increases the risk of picking up an injury.

Over the long term, exercise has positive effects on your immune system but during periods of intense training, our immune system can be severely compromised. This runs the risk of contracting cold and flu, especially if you don't focus on recovery and continue training. A study found that marathon runners are up to six times more likely to get the common cold. A suppressed immune system also is one of the major causes of ‘overtraining syndrome’. It is really recommenced to take a bit of down time post 26.2 miles to allow the body to repair on a muscular and cellular level as well as having a mental reset so that you are fired up for tackling your next challenge!

Nutrition and sleep are key! If you consumed sufficient carbohydrates during the race, then you have helped your recovery, but refuelling and hydrating after the event is also key.

This doesn't just apply to the hour or two after you have finished, but over the next week, prioritise drinking regularly, adding electrolyte tablets to your water and consuming both carbohydrate and protein as part of a balanced diet. Just because you aren't in training, doesn't mean you should cut your fuelling. You need the extra calories to recover over the next week.

The Runna coach's are in agreement that a marathon as one of your weekly long runs is too risky. Ok, you might want the confidence of running the distance in one go, but think of the full picture. If you run a marathon in training, then we would need to factor in sufficient recovery.

This requires less time running and training the following week (at a minimum!), so overall, you would be missing out on more training that would prepare you for the marathon. The risk of injury after running 26.2 miles is also heightened and if we are going to get to the A race in our best shape, we need to stay strong and healthy. This is why we run close to the full distance but don't quite hit it.

How far you go will depend on your running ability and experience to ensure you don't tip over that edge that will cause things to break down. Our goal is to get you fit and confident but stay healthy and strong for race day!