The secret to successful marathon training has everything to do with proper training, maintaining good nutrition and staying motivated. Trusting the good old willpower and determination isn’t quite enough. Among the mainstream sporting events, marathon races are considered to be both physically and mentally demanding. Runners have to battle through a 42.195 km race course, sometimes in harsh weather conditions. We spoke to 3 marathon runners, asked them for their training tips and a professional triathlon coach for his advice on marathon training.

For Jeri Collett, a veteran runner, her training begins 6 to 8 weeks and running 3 times a week, prior to the race date. Last year, she completed the Classic Quarter Ultra Marathon, a 44 miles/70.4km race, from the Lizard Peninsula to Land's End in UK. Since 1997, she has raced in Copenhagen, Singapore, Malaysia, Austria, Hawaii and the UK. Collett starts her training at a comfortable pace, increasing her distance by about 10% every week and progressively building up speed and mileage for the entire distance of the race. For amateur runners considering marathon races, she recommends starting their trainings at least 4 to 6 months ahead and growing at a comfortable pace.

Allan Ong, 54, an engineer and experienced marathon runner begins his training well in advance. Like Collett, he trains at least 3 times a week, gradually increasing his distance and training intensity, building stamina and strength for the actual race. As part of his training, Ong competes in half marathons, a 21 km race, before moving on to a full fledged marathon race. The toughest race Ong has been is the one where he is least prepared, he cautioned runners to get ahead with their trainings.

"…running a marathon is like a mini trip of self-discovery, you reach down for that inner strength to push yourself beyond your physical threshold, and when you are drained of all your energy, you search deeper for the will to cross the finish line, to clench the title…" - Jeri Collett, Freelance Editorial & Commercial Stylist

Joseph Bradsley, 26, a Development Officer with Theatre Calgary Canada, puts in 7 days of training prior to every race. To get his body adjusted to race condition, he does a lot of breathing, stretching, and spending approximately an hour a day, jogging, running and sprinting. “Equally important is getting enough rest” Bradsley adds. He gets into a habit of clocking in at least 8 hours of good sleep and maintained a healthy diet - to effectively fuel his training. 3 weeks prior to the race, Bradsley gets a partner to train with him; pushing and challenging him to meet the distance at various timings.

The types of training may vary with individual fitness level and personal goal. But regardless of the outcome of the race, there is no greater pleasure, pride and satisfaction for marathon runners than completing the race.

Eduardo Finkelstein, 32, a Brazilian Triathlon Level III Coach and assistant National Coach for the Brazilian Olympic Team from 2004 to 2007, and currently a Senior Coach at Tribob (the leading sport management companies in Southeast Asia) weighs in on the topic.

His 10 Training Tips

1. Go for a medical assessment to see if you are ready for the sport.
2. You should seek qualified technical guidance on marathon training to avoid incurring injuries.
3. Even as amateur runners training for marathon races, you should have already been running for 6 to 8 weeks and able to run for 30 minutes without stopping.
4. Don’t be over ambitious and make your first marathon race distance longer than you can handle. Consider starting out with 10KM and progressively move to 15KM and 21KM.
5. Pick a race and course that you are comfortable with, and suited to your fitness level (Remember, training on a terrain close to the actual race course will help with your performance).
6. Gradually increase the overall weekly distance until you are two to three weeks from the actual race.
7. Include two long runs spread across the week, one midweek and the other on end of the week(Note: Your body may not get used to running long distances, unless you run those distances on a regular basis. The body needs rest between long runs, and is recommended that no more than two long runs per week, with moderate distance on the other days. At the early stages of your training program, your long runs should probably be 10-12 Kilometers each. Subsequently, as your body is adjusted to the training, gradually increase the distance. For example, week two will see a moderate increase to 12-14 Kilometers, week three 13 to 15, week four 15-17, so on and so forth).
8. Gradually increase the running distance until your two long runs are closer to 20 and 32 Kilometers. At this point you have established an excellent base.
9. The runs between your long runs do not need to be any longer than 10-15 kilometers.
10. Include one day of Fast and/or Tempo running, and/or integrate pickups into your regular runs.