They say that if you have finished a marathon, you feel like you can accomplish anything. Apart from its obvious health benefits, running a marathon provides you with a boost of motivation. Joining a marathon, however, should not be a "spur of the moment" decision.

Before joining any marathon, you need to condition yourself well enough that your body can endure running continuously for 26.22 miles without breaking down and getting injured. Here are some basic training ideas that you can easily follow.

Search for an appropriate training program

The Internet has a vast resource of marathon training material available. These programs last between 18 weeks to 30 weeks, with varying running lengths depending on the day of training. Choose a program that you think is right for your body condition and lifestyle.

Recommended training programs include those developed by Hal Higdon and Jeff Galloway. MarathonGuide.com and RunnersWorld.com also provide information resource on training for marathon.

Condition yourself

Before devoting yourself to a full-time marathon training program, you need to condition your body first especially if you are joining a marathon for the first time. Start with a 10-minute walk on Monday and then alternate with a 15-mile run on Tuesday. Do this for four straight days, then rest on a Friday and take a one-mile conditioning walk on Saturday.

Increase your walk and run sessions by two or three miles every week, while add one-fourth of a mile on your conditioning walk. Continue this conditioning program for eight weeks.

Start with a few miles

For three straight days, run a few miles to train your endurance. You can start with three miles per day, increasing your miles in the proceeding weeks as you get used to running long distances.

Do not target a specific time

First-time marathon runners should not try to finish the whole length in a fixed time. Your first priority should be simply finishing the race at a comfortable pace.

Consume more carbohydrates before running

One very common dilemma among long distance runners is when your glycogen level runs low as you keep on running. Glycogen is a type of energy you get from carbohydrates. Once your body runs out of glycogen, it would then burn stored fat for energy. However, fat does not burn as well as glycogen, leaving your extremely fatigued.

To counter this, you may want to consume more carbohydrate-rich foods such as cookies, solid candies, or other forms of concentrated sugars. If you are not comfortable about eating more than you should, carbohydrate-based energy gels and supplements are also available.

Start slow

Marathon trainers recommend running at a slow but comfortable pace during the first half of the race, only to pick up speed at the latter half. This avoids your body from breaking down too early in the race and also efficiently burns your energy level.

Do not drink too much water

While water can quench your thirst and restore lost fluids, drinking more water than you need is actually dangerous as it decreases your sodium level, which causes electrolyte imbalance that can leave you vomiting, suffering from seizures, and even dead. Eating salt packets or drinking electrolyte liquids while racing can somehow restore your sodium level. It is also advisable not to drink ahead of your thirst, only drinking the right amount of water then simply douse the remaining liquid on your head to cool your body a bit.

Cool down after your race

Avoid the temptation of stopping so suddenly after finishing the marathon. This would only worsen any injury that you may have incurred. Slowly decrease your speed and pace once you have crossed the finish line until you are merely walking very slowly before stopping.