Marathon: The Emotional and Physical Toll

Preparing to run a marathon not only requires physical preparation but also an emotional and spiritual preparation. Oftentimes, marathon preparation occurs over many months with the anticipation of running a specific marathon in one particular city.  For beginning runners, understanding the process in which beginners prepare for marathons both physically and mentally, will ensure a more smooth transition and guaranteed success at passing through the marathon finish line.

Physically preparing for a marathon, first, requires examination by a physician to ensure the beginning runner is in the appropriate health spectrum to train for marathon endurance running.  Once cleared by a physician, the beginning runner will explore a variety of useful tools which may be purchased online or through a local running store. Such fitness tools might include a running log, pace chart and even a pedometer.   Use of these running tools will assist the marathon runner in gauging progress but also providing a place to monitor dietary intake and physical symptoms both before, during and after an endurance run.   When logging these items, the marathon runner is better equipped to determine what, if any, health factors may be of concern including condition such as anaphylaxis.

For many beginning runners, the risk of developing exercise induced anaphylaxis, also known as a simple case of constricted breathing, may ensue with symptoms exhibited as excessive hand swelling, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.   When these symptoms present, most marathon runners will continue running.   However, following completion of he marathon, it is not uncommon for restrictive airway breathing to set in resulting in significant health complications.   For this reason, runners in training, prior to the marathon, will commonly used the running tools as mentioned earlier to gauge success and concerns, both physically and mentally.