Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

If you have ever considered running a marathon, here is some advice from someone who has done two:

• 10 Things I Learned From My Second Marathon | Zen Habits

Here is a quick synopsis of his tips:

• Running experience matters a lot.
• Pacing is huge.
• Extra weight also matters a lot.
• Be relaxed and have fun.
• Test out your gear beforehand, on a long run.
• Keep your upper body relaxed.
• Plan your day before well.
• Having people to talk to is great.
• Have a reason to keep going at the end.
• The long run is your marathon training

Number three: “Extra weight also matters a lot” is probably the most important. When I ran my first 5K, I weighed 198. When I ran my second 5K, I weighed 175. I shaved five minutes off my time from the first race to the second and I think it is mostly due to the fact that I had twenty-three less pounds to drag across the finish line.