Tools of a Marathon Runner

(Shutterstock*)

There’s nothing like training to become a marathon runner. Where you start and where you finish are miles apart—26.2 miles to be exact. Watching how your body can increasingly cover more miles, at a faster pace when you stick to a training schedule, is an amazing transformation to experience. Here are a few more tools to complete the picture of YOU as a serious marathon runner.

Start with the S’s. Shoes, socks and shirts. Runner’s World offers the complete run down of the best breathable, wicking fabric to wear and the best running shoes to take you places. Check it out

“>here.

GPS Watch. Garmin is leader in GPS mapping for runners, but don’t disregard Nike, Timex and Polar to track miles, pace, elevation and route. Mobile apps have some of the same features. Check out

“>Runtastic or

“>MapMyRun, the most popular apps for both Android and Apple platforms.

Training Schedules. There are all sorts of apps that can help you with your marathon training. You can start with one of the most popular—the Couch to 5K program designed by

“>Active.com trainers. This will you ease you into a regular running routine without going full tilt on your first time out the door and overdoing it. The app is available for $1.99 and comes with a great workout journal to log your progress.

Competitive much? Try

“>Fleetly. You can earn points for completing your workouts, as well as compete against athletes at all levels. Runner’s World also offers a SmartCoach online where you can receive a customized training schedule based on your ability and goals.

Find your race. What could be more fun than running marathons and seeing different parts of the country at the same time? You can do that by finding where the races are across the United States on Runner’s World

“>Race Finder. You also can search for races in your area on Active.com by signing up and entering your zip code.

So be prepared and don’t run outside of your current fitness level and then you can be injury free and you won’t find yourself on the sidelines.

Source: lifefitness.com/blog. Visit the Life Fitness blog for more health and fitness information.

*Image of “running race“ via Shutterstock