Hi, this is Debbie Boyles, coach at Mojo for Running with podcast number 56, your first marathon part two.

Today we'll discuss in greater detail the issues that tend to cause first-time marathoners

the most trouble. Then we'll go on to discuss nutrition, hydration, weight gain, and weight loss.

Many runners don't trust their schedule. That's a big mistake.

Trust the coach that made it and stick to it. Do not overthink it. Do not decide that you like

the schedule, but you need to do one more long run or one run that's longer or any such things.

If you don't follow it as it's written, then you screw up the whole philosophy

of that plan, the coach's philosophy that made it. And then, if you have a good race, you'll wonder

if it could have been better if you'd stuck to your schedule. And if you have a lousy race,

you won't know if you did it by departing from the coach's plan schedule. You could have,

you might realize, or you probably will, that you might have done much better if you'd

followed the schedule.

Part of this pitfall is feeling like you must run the distance at least once before race day.

There is a reason why coaches do not have you run 26 miles before race day.

That's because when you're building up to your first marathon, your body is doing higher

mileage than ever before.

Eventually your body will start to get torn down.

And if you do one too many long runs or add extra miles to your weeks or add extra miles

to a single long run, you risk going to the point of diminishing returns and very

likely becoming injured. Most schedules, even for experience runners, don't have you doing over 20 or

21 miles. During the last several weeks before taper, your body will be very susceptible to injury.

You'll need to treat it carefully. It's like a delicate

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