What I wish I’d known before my first marathon: A PT’s Guide to training, recovery and going the distance

After the buzz of marathon month, a lot of people feel inspired to start running and sign up to a race. Here is my grounded guide on training for a marathon.

In a world of highlight reels and endless advice on how we should train, eat and live, it’s easy to feel like you’re falling behind. Social media has created an environment where performance is constantly on display. But it’s worth remembering: for many of the people posting daily workouts and training updates, creating that content is their job. Most of us are balancing work, family, relationships and everyday responsibilities alongside our training.

So let’s start with an important truth: you don’t have to run a marathon. Or a half marathon, 10km or even 5km. Running isn’t for everyone, and that’s perfectly fine. Our bodies are different, our biomechanics vary, and we all find joy in different forms of movement.

Personally, running has brought me a huge amount of fulfilment. It has taken me to incredible places and shown me just how capable the body can be. But the most important thing I’ve learned as a personal trainer over the past six years is this: consistency comes from enjoyment. Sustainable training isn’t about punishment or extremes, it’s about finding an approach that works for you.

If you are considering marathon training, the guidance below is what I wish I had known when I first started.

Strength: the foundation most runners neglect

When I began training for my first marathon, one of the biggest mistakes I made was letting my strength training fall away. This surprised me at the time. Strength training had always been a huge part of my routine, but as my running mileage increased I found myself stuck in a cycle of hesitation. I didn’t want to train legs before a long run because they might feel fatigued, but afterwards they were already exhausted. Slowly, my lower-body strength sessions disappeared altogether.

Instead, I focused mostly on upper body work and assumed my legs would simply keep up with the increased demand from running.

They didn’t.

Not long into the training block I developed a hamstring tear that forced me to take around six weeks off, missing nearly 60% of my training plan. It could have been worse, but it was a clear reminder that strength work is not optional for runners - it’s essential.

You don’t need to train like an Olympic weightlifter, but building strength in key muscle groups will significantly improve running performance while reducing the risk of injury.

Running is fundamentally a single-leg sport, meaning each stride requires strength, balance and stability on one side of the body at a time. Incorporating unilateral exercises is therefore incredibly valuable. It not only improves stability and power, but also helps address imbalances that may otherwise go unnoticed. To break it down, these are some of the most important muscle groups to support a strong and resilient running base, and some exercises you can do to keep them going:

Glutes - your glutes act as the power for both speed and stability, keeping you strong and moving you forward.
- Single leg glute bridges (weighted or not)

Calves - specifically gastrocnemius - the bulk of the calf and the soleus - force, stabiliser + shock absorption
- Single leg calf raises, and soleus raises (with a bent knee)

Hip Flexors - driving the knee forward for each step
- Banded psoas marches (small resistance band)

Hamstrings - responsible for bending the knee (flexion) and pushing off at the back of the stride
- Lunges or Bulgarian split squats

Core - not just abs…core. to have a strong and stable torso and control rotation of the spine
- Deadlifts, planks, Russian twists and bird dogs.

Quadriceps - knee extension and stabilising on landing (especially for downhill)
- Squats - especially with a slightly elevated heel

When it comes to structuring your resistance sessions, the goal isn’t to push to complete exhaustion. Instead, aim for a rep range of around 12 - 15, choosing a weight that feels challenging but controlled. Ideally, you should finish each set with around two repetitions left in reserve.

Completing sessions like this once or twice per week alongside your running can make a significant difference - supporting better technique, improved speed and greater resilience as your mileage increases. In short, strength training isn’t something that sits alongside marathon training. It’s something that helps hold the entire process together.

Recovery: where the adaptation happens

As your mileage increases, recovery becomes the quiet pillar of progress. It’s not simply about resting, it’s about allowing the body to adapt.

The three most influential factors are sleep, nutrition and hydration.

Sleep

Sleep is the body’s primary repair window. During deep sleep, the body releases growth hormone which supports muscle repair, collagen synthesis and tissue regeneration. It’s also when the nervous system resets and motor learning consolidates - both essential for running efficiency and coordination.

Consistently sleeping 7-9 hours per night has been shown to support recovery, immune function and athletic performance.

If sleep feels difficult, small habits can help: reducing evening blue light exposure, avoiding heavy late meals, and creating a consistent wind-down routine.

Nutrition

What you eat during marathon training directly influences how you perform.

Daily nutrition should prioritise:

• Protein for muscle repair

• Carbohydrates for energy and glycogen replenishment

• Healthy fats for hormonal balance and endurance fuel

• Fibre and micronutrients for gut health and metabolic stability

Before long runs, increasing carbohydrate intake helps maximise glycogen stores - the body’s primary endurance fuel. After longer sessions, combining carbohydrates with protein supports glycogen restoration and muscle repair.

Interestingly, research comparing recovery drinks found that chocolate milk performed as well as, or better than, many commercial recovery drinks, due to its natural carbohydrate-to-protein ratio and electrolyte content.

Supporting recovery with supplementation

When training volume increases, the body’s nutrient demands increase too. Strategic supplementation can help bridge the gap between modern diets and the demands of endurance training.

My daily ritual includes:

True Magnesium
Magnesium plays a role in energy metabolism, muscle relaxation and sleep quality. It supports glycogen utilisation and can help reduce muscle cramping. I take this everyday 

True Creatine + True Hydration
Creatine helps replenish ATP, the body’s immediate energy system, supporting muscular power and recovery between sessions. Electrolyte hydration supports cellular fluid balance, nerve signalling and muscular contraction. Creatine everyday and Hydration on training days.

Brave Ancestral Protein
Protein supports tissue repair and immune resilience during heavy training blocks, particularly when dietary intake falls short. On days where I feel like I didn’t get enough protein in. 

True Collagen
Collagen provides structural support for connective tissue, including tendons, ligaments and cartilage - tissues placed under repetitive load during running. Everyday in my coffee.

Beyond the physiological benefits, small rituals like this create a moment of calm before the day begins, something surprisingly valuable during demanding training blocks.

Physical recovery strategies

Recovery isn’t only biochemical. Physical relaxation techniques can help the body transition out of stress and into repair mode.

Epsom salt baths can promote relaxation and muscle relief after long runs.
Sauna sessions may support circulation and cardiovascular adaptation.
Foam rolling, while debated in the literature, often provides perceived relief and improved mobility for many runners.

Sometimes the psychological sense of recovery is just as important as the physiological one.

Training smarter, not just harder

For years I ran every session at roughly the same pace. The result? I plateaued. Structured training changed everything. A well-rounded marathon programme typically includes:

• Easy runs

• Tempo sessions

• Intervals

• Long runs

Easy runs are often the most misunderstood. They should feel really comfortable - a pace where conversation is possible. These sessions build aerobic capacity, improve mitochondrial efficiency and allow training volume to increase without excessive fatigue.

Tempo and interval sessions challenge your lactate threshold and running economy, helping you sustain faster paces for longer. This is really important if you have a time goal in mind! 

If possible, working with a coach provides individualisation and accountability. Apps can offer helpful structure, though they can’t fully replace personalised feedback and aren’t as useful if you run into an injury or have some personal reasons that interfere with your training. 

A sensible guideline when building mileage is to increase weekly volume by 5–10%, including periodic lighter weeks to allow recovery. 

The mental side of marathon training

Marathon training is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one.

There will be days when the miles feel effortless - when the rhythm of your breath and your stride carry you forward almost automatically. But there will also be days when everything feels heavy. When the weather turns cold and wet, your legs are tired, and the distance ahead feels far longer than the one behind you.

In those moments, pace, performance and training plans fade into the background. What carries you through is something deeper: your reason for being there in the first place - your “why”.

This doesn’t have to be extraordinary. It might be proving something to yourself. It might be rebuilding confidence after a difficult time. It might be setting an example for your children, or raising money for a cause that means something to you. What matters is that it resonates with you. For me, that reason is the Love Mercy Foundation.

I had the opportunity to visit the communities they work alongside in northern Uganda, travelling with members of the team and their co-founder, Julius Achon. Spending time there was both humbling and deeply inspiring.

Julius’ story is extraordinary. As a child growing up during conflict in northern Uganda, he was captured and forced to work as a child soldier. He later escaped and returned home, where running became a pathway forward.

At just 12 years old, Julius qualified for a race in Lira, a town more than 70 kilometres from his village. With no transport, he took one of his family’s chickens to the wealthiest man in the village in the hope of trading it for a lift. When the man refused, Julius left the chicken behind and began to run.

He ran the entire distance.

When he arrived, he told us a ‘good samaritan’ offered him somewhere to sleep. The following day he competed in the 800m, 1500m and 3000m races, fuelling himself with sugarcane. That race marked the beginning of a journey that would eventually lead him to compete internationally and represent Uganda at the Olympic Games.

But what stands out most about Julius is not the athletic achievement - it’s the perspective he carries with him.

When we asked him how it felt to return to the place where that journey began, he simply said:

“I always tell everyone I think it was for a purpose… through God’s grace. I feel very blessed. Running helped make these connections and we have done so much through this.”

That sense of purpose eventually led to the creation of the Love Mercy Foundation, which works with communities across northern Uganda to support sustainable agriculture, clean water access, healthcare and microfinance initiatives that help families build long-term stability.

Spending time with the women involved in their programmes was incredibly moving. Hearing how a small loan - sometimes as little as £16 - could transform a family’s ability to grow food, send children to school, or build financial independence was a powerful reminder of the ripple effect that small actions can create.

During the hardest moments of training, when the miles felt long and the conditions were less than inviting, I often found myself thinking about those conversations. About resilience, perseverance and the simple privilege of being able to run. On long winter runs, when my legs felt heavy and the rain refused to stop, I would repeat a quiet reminder to myself: How lucky I am to have legs that can carry me this far.

It’s not about comparison. It’s about gratitude.

And that small shift in mindset has a remarkable ability to keep you moving forward. Because when you truly connect with your reason - your why - the miles start to feel a little different. They stop being something you have to endure, and start becoming something meaningful you get to experience.

The real finish line

Training for a marathon is an extraordinary undertaking. But the biggest achievement isn’t race day itself - it’s the months of preparation that lead you there.

The early mornings.
The discipline.
The resilience built mile by mile.

By the time you reach the start line, you’ve already done the hard part.

Everything after that is simply the celebration.