Running for marathons has become quite a rage and you have professionals and amateurs who start the marathon together. Professional marathon runners need to train effectively and must have well thought out training plan to gradually being up their fitness levels to competitive levels. Training is vital for marathons and if you are serious you will sit down and devise a training plan.

Professional runners normally break their training into different phases. What each entails and the duration of each phase depends on the runner?s fitness levels. It also depends on how much time the runner has to prepare for the event.

Immaterial how you break up your training, your aim should be to bring up your running ability so that you cover the entire length of the marathon. Normally amateur and novice runners face a problem with this. But a point to remember is that most beginners can not run a mile so they feel completely frustrated thinking about how they will cover twenty six miles of the marathon.

Some runners like to break their training into twenty six weeks. They go for long runs and gradually increase the distance, like adding a mile a week. This is not the only aspect of training but it one way of ensuring that you build up your stamina so that you have the energy to run the entire length.

Another important aspect of the training is to make sure you run every day. It is but natural that you should include rest days in your training. Many professional runners end up running five days a week and use the two days to do exercises in the gym to build up their upper bodies.

To become a serious marathon runner, it is important to have a training regimen and then sticking to it. If you do not take your training seriously, there is no way you would be able to compete with other professional marathon runners.

Yet in all these things Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8: 37-39 KJV

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 NKJV

I will be confident in who I am. I?m not going to go around pretending, wishing I were someone else, trying to fit into everybody?s mold. I am free to run my own race. Joel Olsteen

The race, the dreaded 440 yard dash, was about to start and our team didn?t have anyone to compete. The coach was racing around looking for someone who was willing to take the challenge. I was into field events like the pole vault, the discus, and shot put. I was not a runner and I sure did not have the stamina or training it would take to run the 440. However, the coach wanted someone to enter so I agree to give it a shot. I was convinced I had a chance. After all, my older brother was a track star and he excelled at the 440 and so could I.

The judge announced, ?Runners to your mark.? I was ready. I could win this race. My blood was pumping and I was ready to catapult out of the blocks. ?Get set,? the judge, shouted and the gun went off. I was out of the blocks in a flash. My head was down, my arms were churning, and I was leading the pack. Around the first turn, I was fine, down the straightaway I was still ahead of all the other, more experienced runners. I was going around the last curve when it happened. My head said I was fine but my muscles locked up. I was completely shocked at the feeling of powerlessness in my legs, arms, and chest. I fell to the side of the track and panted as if I were going to die. I had never been so completely exhausted in my life. Finally, I rolled over, got to my feet, and stumbled towards the finish line. I was dead last but I did finish the race. Never again would I ever try to run a 400-yard dash.

Through the years, I have thought of this race many times. Even though I lost this race, I learned many lessons from this event that happen over 40 years ago. One thing, among the many, I learned I must prepare for the long run in life.

Life is a race. Life is not a sprint; life is a marathon race, an adventure, a journey. If you are planning on success in this journey or race, you must be prepared. Believe me the distant race like the 440 requires preparation and so does life. During the course of my life, the arrows from Satan have wounded me repeatedly. Yet, wounded and mangled I always knew I was a child of God. I never did forget that moment in time in Del City, Oklahoma, on bent knees I ask Jesus to come into my heart. I made my preparation that day for life. To say life has been hard is an understatement. For me, life has been a series of trails and tribulation yet because of my belief system and Gods never failing love I am still running.

Let me challenge you to prepare for life. I know it sounds simple, just receive Jesus and all will be fine and dandy. Oh no, that is not what I mean at all. Just because you become a Christian doesn?t mean life is easy. In fact, I think I have suffered more because of my faith than anything. The truth is, because of Christ I have been able to turn to God for help. He was faithful to lift me up and set my feet back on the path. If I can do it, run the distance race of life, so can you. It is never to late to make preparations for life by receiving Jesus as your coach.

Please feel free to publish this article in your
Newsletter or on your Website (with Resource Box
included).

Arizona Doctor Discovers Triathlons as the Ultimate Weight Loss Program – Loses Sixty Pounds.

I never intended to get fat! I am not exactly sure how it happened, but there I was a 62 thirty-four year old pushing close to 270 pounds. My cholesterol was high, my triclecrides were high, and my blood pressure was high. I was on a direct course for developing diabetes, increased risk of heart disease, increased risk of cancer, and a ton of other diseases related to obesity.

It gets worse. I am a doctor, a sports chiropractor to be exact and my office is located inside a health club. Unfortunately, like many other doctors and other health professional out there, I was not practicing what I was preaching.

Living in sunny Arizona, land of the endless summer, sooner or later you have to go to the lake, the water park, or you are invited to a cookout and pool party. That is when all my excuses caught up to me. Despite knowing the health risks associated with being overweight, it was the feeling of low self-esteem and embarrassment that finally drove me to action.

So there I was, a doctor, ready to get the weight off. I hate to admit it; I tried some of those quick fix gimmick supplements. I tried a bunch of the fad diets. I bought a bunch of books from all the weight loss experts. Sure I would lose a little weight, but I could never stick with the diet for any length of time. When I went off the diet I would gain the weight right back. Then tried working my butt off in the gym, running almost every day. That got real boring, and I found that running everyday is not the best thing to do when you weigh close to 270 pounds.

There I was again, still no direction, no focus, no drive, nothing to guide me. Frustrated about not getting any results and what to do, I thought I was just going to have to accept that I was overweight and deal with it. I gave it a real effort and it did not work.

During all of this, the chiropractor that I bought my office from mentioned that he was beginning a weight loss program at his office, which was based on his experience with triathlon training. That got my attention. I really wanted to give the program a try, but I lived too far from his office to come in on a regular basis. So I began researching the sport on the Internet.

The more I read about triathlons and triathlon training, the more sense it made to me as a way to help me lose weight. If you are going to do an event that involves swimming, cycling, and running you obviously are going to have to train that way. The idea about jumping into the pool for an exercise swim was not something I was looking forward to, and the last thing I wanted to do was to put on a swimsuit and workout. Then I remembered how painful my knees were from running around, and swimming would be easier on my joints.

I also began reading about using heart rate monitors and the affects of exercising at different heart rates. Many of the authors of the books on heart zone training were triathletes themselves, and they gave numerous examples on how using heart zone training you can track your progress and maximize your exercise program.

The more I searched the triathlon Internet sites, the more I became interested in the sport. The people who competed in triathlons looked really fit, it was inspiring. That is when I decided to take my commitment to losing weight to the next level. Weighing close to 270 pounds, I signed up for my first triathlon. Five months away, I was going to do a sprint race, which was a 500m swim, a 15-mile bike, then and a 3-mile run. This was a much shorter distance than many triathlon races, however at the time I could not do even one of the events let alone all of them back-to-back.

Using a combination of what I learned about heart zone training and from the triathlon Internet sites, I started my program. I my alternated exercise sessions between swimming, cycling, and running. I also did about an hour of weight training a week. This really added a variety to the exercise program, and it never got boring. One day I would just bike, then next maybe run 10 minutes, do a weight session, then bike for 25 minutes. Then the next day I would just swim. The next day I would swim then follow it up with a run. My knees were holding up very well with little, if any pain. At the same time I started eating better, no real diet, just common sense stuff, avoiding the sugars and white breads.

The use of the heart rate monitor became a very useful tool. It kept me from working too hard or too easy. The monitor I was using, the Polar 610, also came with software. I was able to download all of my exercise sessions into a computer. Then I was able to objectively document my exercise sessions. The software was able to track my calories burned during exercise, my average heart rate, hours spent exercising per week, and much more. After every exercise session actually looked forward to downloading my session to see how I did.

It also allowed me to exercise at different heart rates. One day I would run at 70% of my maximum heart rate for 10 minutes, then bike at 80% of my maximum heart rate for 10 minutes, then go back to running at 70% for another 10 minutes. The next day I would just bike for 40 min. But I would again exercise at different heart rates, 10 min at 70%, and 5 minutes at 80%, and 10 minutes at 75 %, and 5 minutes at 80%, and then 10 minutes at 70%. This was a fun way to exercise and I actually began to look forward to exercising, the whole process was less boring.

I kept up with this type of training for five months. On the day of my first triathlon, I was forty pounds lighter.

Some how, some way, I did it. I finished my first triathlon, and as crazy as it sounds I really enjoyed myself. I was feeling good about my accomplishment, but I still had some serious weight to lose. So I found another triathlon race six months later, signed up for it and continued training. The weight just kept coming off and coming off.

At the time of my second race, eleven months after learning about triathlons, I had lost sixty pounds.

It seemed like every week one of my patients, whom I had not seen for months, would come in for a treatment. The reactions were always the same, doc what the heck happened to you, you look like a totally different person!

I felt like a different person too, I was running without knee pain, I was happier at work, my relationship with my family was better, I was no longer embarrassed to go to a pool party or the water park, in fact I looked forward to them.

My patients and the members of the health club where my office was located were constantly asking me about my weight loss. I remember one of the gym members walking up to my desk and looking at my before and after pictures. He pointed to my fat picture and said, That is me then he pointed to my fit picture and said, That is the way I want to look. Wow, what a great feeling, I could not believe it.

As I am sitting here writing this article, it has been a year since my first triathlon. Just a few weeks ago, I raced in my third race and I actually managed to finish second in my age group.

As a result of getting into triathlons, not only do I have a new body, I have a new life.

Dr. Jeffrey Banas is a Chiropractic Sports Physician practicing in Mesa, AZ. He continues to compete in triathlons and has kept his weight off for over a year now. If you would like to contact Dr. Banas, he can be reached at his office at 480-633-6837, or by visiting his web site at www.personal-weight-loss-help.com
Newsletter or on your Website (with Resource Box
included).

Arizona Doctor Discovers Triathlons as the Ultimate Weight Loss Program – Loses Sixty Pounds.

I never intended to get fat! I am not exactly sure how it happened, but there I was a 62 thirty-four year old pushing close to 270 pounds. My cholesterol was high, my triclecrides were high, and my blood pressure was high. I was on a direct course for developing diabetes, increased risk of heart disease, increased risk of cancer, and a ton of other diseases related to obesity.

It gets worse. I am a doctor, a sports chiropractor to be exact and my office is located inside a health club. Unfortunately, like many other doctors and other health professional out there, I was not practicing what I was preaching.

Living in sunny Arizona, land of the endless summer, sooner or later you have to go to the lake, the water park, or you are invited to a cookout and pool party. That is when all my excuses caught up to me. Despite knowing the health risks associated with being overweight, it was the feeling of low self-esteem and embarrassment that finally drove me to action.

So there I was, a doctor, ready to get the weight off. I hate to admit it; I tried some of those quick fix gimmick supplements. I tried a bunch of the fad diets. I bought a bunch of books from all the weight loss experts. Sure I would lose a little weight, but I could never stick with the diet for any length of time. When I went off the diet I would gain the weight right back. Then tried working my butt off in the gym, running almost every day. That got real boring, and I found that running everyday is not the best thing to do when you weigh close to 270 pounds.

There I was again, still no direction, no focus, no drive, nothing to guide me. Frustrated about not getting any results and what to do, I thought I was just going to have to accept that I was overweight and deal with it. I gave it a real effort and it did not work.

During all of this, the chiropractor that I bought my office from mentioned that he was beginning a weight loss program at his office, which was based on his experience with triathlon training. That got my attention. I really wanted to give the program a try, but I lived too far from his office to come in on a regular basis. So I began researching the sport on the Internet.

The more I read about triathlons and triathlon training, the more sense it made to me as a way to help me lose weight. If you are going to do an event that involves swimming, cycling, and running you obviously are going to have to train that way. The idea about jumping into the pool for an exercise swim was not something I was looking forward to, and the last thing I wanted to do was to put on a swimsuit and workout. Then I remembered how painful my knees were from running around, and swimming would be easier on my joints.

I also began reading about using heart rate monitors and the affects of exercising at different heart rates. Many of the authors of the books on heart zone training were triathletes themselves, and they gave numerous examples on how using heart zone training you can track your progress and maximize your exercise program.

The more I searched the triathlon Internet sites, the more I became interested in the sport. The people who competed in triathlons looked really fit, it was inspiring. That is when I decided to take my commitment to losing weight to the next level. Weighing close to 270 pounds, I signed up for my first triathlon. Five months away, I was going to do a sprint race, which was a 500m swim, a 15-mile bike, then and a 3-mile run. This was a much shorter distance than many triathlon races, however at the time I could not do even one of the events let alone all of them back-to-back.

Using a combination of what I learned about heart zone training and from the triathlon Internet sites, I started my program. I my alternated exercise sessions between swimming, cycling, and running. I also did about an hour of weight training a week. This really added a variety to the exercise program, and it never got boring. One day I would just bike, then next maybe run 10 minutes, do a weight session, then bike for 25 minutes. Then the next day I would just swim. The next day I would swim then follow it up with a run. My knees were holding up very well with little, if any pain. At the same time I started eating better, no real diet, just common sense stuff, avoiding the sugars and white breads.

The use of the heart rate monitor became a very useful tool. It kept me from working too hard or too easy. The monitor I was using, the Polar 610, also came with software. I was able to download all of my exercise sessions into a computer. Then I was able to objectively document my exercise sessions. The software was able to track my calories burned during exercise, my average heart rate, hours spent exercising per week, and much more. After every exercise session actually looked forward to downloading my session to see how I did.

It also allowed me to exercise at different heart rates. One day I would run at 70% of my maximum heart rate for 10 minutes, then bike at 80% of my maximum heart rate for 10 minutes, then go back to running at 70% for another 10 minutes. The next day I would just bike for 40 min. But I would again exercise at different heart rates, 10 min at 70%, and 5 minutes at 80%, and 10 minutes at 75 %, and 5 minutes at 80%, and then 10 minutes at 70%. This was a fun way to exercise and I actually began to look forward to exercising, the whole process was less boring.

I kept up with this type of training for five months. On the day of my first triathlon, I was forty pounds lighter.

Some how, some way, I did it. I finished my first triathlon, and as crazy as it sounds I really enjoyed myself. I was feeling good about my accomplishment, but I still had some serious weight to lose. So I found another triathlon race six months later, signed up for it and continued training. The weight just kept coming off and coming off.

At the time of my second race, eleven months after learning about triathlons, I had lost sixty pounds.

It seemed like every week one of my patients, whom I had not seen for months, would come in for a treatment. The reactions were always the same, doc what the heck happened to you, you look like a totally different person!

I felt like a different person too, I was running without knee pain, I was happier at work, my relationship with my family was better, I was no longer embarrassed to go to a pool party or the water park, in fact I looked forward to them.

My patients and the members of the health club where my office was located were constantly asking me about my weight loss. I remember one of the gym members walking up to my desk and looking at my before and after pictures. He pointed to my fat picture and said, That is me then he pointed to my fit picture and said, That is the way I want to look. Wow, what a great feeling, I could not believe it.

As I am sitting here writing this article, it has been a year since my first triathlon. Just a few weeks ago, I raced in my third race and I actually managed to finish second in my age group.

As a result of getting into triathlons, not only do I have a new body, I have a new life.

Dr. Jeffrey Banas is a Chiropractic Sports Physician practicing in Mesa, AZ. He continues to compete in triathlons and has kept his weight off for over a year now. If you would like to contact Dr. Banas, he can be reached at his office at 480-633-6837, or by visiting his web site at www.personal-weight-loss-help.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Triathlon suits are normally wet suits. Nonetheless, they are matters of personal choice. Anyone can choose their suits according to their best judgements and no one can restrict them from doing so. But whatever freedom is given to the racers, they still must choose what is ideal to them.

Being the type of suit that provides most of the advantages in using the principle of cold and heat absorption, wet suits seem to rank top among all choices.

But not all wet suits are alike. There are those that were specifically designed for SCUBA diving, surfing and those that are perfect for triathlon races.

From the suit’s simplest form, they have undoubtedly morphed into varying classifications that optimize the use of wet and cold system.

Basic physics tell us that heat transfers from a hot object towards a colder one. This law is so simple that you can bet it and argue otherwise ’til your wit’s end. No triathlon suit can prevent the exchange of cold and heat. After all, that is not the work they were intended to do. However, many are so entirely engineered to make as much delay of the heat transfer as physical science would allow.

It is critical for a triathlon swimmer to preserve as much heat as his suit will allow because delay (even by a second or two) can create a large discrepancy between you and the racer running before and after you.

The loss of heat in water are dependent on several variables including the total mass of the person’s body, a person’s physical exertion, the materials used in creating the triathlon suit and the temperature of the surrounding water itself.

The ideal triathlon suit, or any wet suit for that matter, is one that is made of three layers. The outer protective layer, the insulation layer and the wicking layer.

The outer protective layer is obviously the one that coats the whole of the suit. The more popular material used for this is the neoprene. This works well yet very delicate that simple scratches may actually cause the suit to get serious damages.

The insulation layer, on the other hand, appears in many varieties. The most usual choices include wooly bear, open-cell foam, type-B marine thinsulate, and radiant barriers.

The wicking material acts as the absorber of skin’s moisture thus keeping the racers’ skin dry. When the body is wet, it looses much heat than normal. The wicking layer of the skin prevents this from occurring.

About the Author:

This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included. For more information on Triathlon & other useful information, please visit http://triathlon.articlekeep.com

There is some debate going on in the triathlon world about whether it is important to have a long stroke in freestyle, and if so, how can this be developed?

Being long means extending your arm and gliding with each arm stroke. It also means getting more out of your stroke while saving energy (ideal for triathletes).

Don’t get me wrong, you can achieve a lot with a shorter stroke- in fact you could go very fast this way. However, for most people, especially the beginner crowd, this stroke is just not efficient enough to allow them to swim 1/2-1 mile, and still have a good amount of energy to tackle 20-40 miles on the bike, and an additional 5-10 mile run.

The mistake people make is comparing competitive pool swimmers who swim 50, 100, 200, or 400 meters as either an all out sprint or a controlled sprint, to triathletes who swim much further and have to complete a race lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to 10 hours!

Here are some ways to achieve a longer, more fluid, more efficient freestyle:

1. Practice Kicking on Your Side. This will improve your balance in the water and aid in your ability to extend and glide. By all means use fins! I recommend getting a pair of Zoomers from Finis, which will help your swim in so many ways.

2. Count Your Strokes. Start by just keeping track of how many strokes you take per length when you swim. Then, begin to work on ways to lower this stroke count. Hint: Do not just kick harder to achieve a lower count! This defeats the purpose of the drill.

3. Play Golf. Well not really golf like the game the Scottish invented. Free golf! Do a set of 6×50′s. Count your strokes, and for each 50, lower your stroke count. Also, keep track of your time on these. Maintain your pace as you drop the number of strokes you are taking for each 50.

4. Swim With Your Fists. Alternate a few lengths of swimming with your hands clenched in fists, with 1 or 2 lengths of open-handed swimming. This will force you to use your hips more as you swim, and you will not be able to “muscle” through the water.

5. Use This Paddle. Ok, I’ve been hard on paddles in the past. But the Freestyler (also by Finis) is different- it actually forces you to do proper hand entry, glide, and pull. Also, they do not cause shoulder problems. Use these for a long swim and then take them off for a few lengths. You will be amazed at how fluid you will feel! More details to come in the next issue on how you can get a discount on a pair of these stroke-improving paddles.

While you may not ever become a top-notch freestyle sprinter, learning how to lengthen your freestyle will pay off as a faster, more fun overall triathlon.

About the Author

Kevin operates the website www.TriSwimCoach.com, a resource for beginning through intermediate level triathletes looking for help with swimming. The site features a free email newsletter offering tips and articles on triathlon swimming. Kevin has also written an electronic book titled “The Complete Guide to Triathlon Swimming” which is sold on his website http://www.triswimcoach.com in downloadable and hardcopy form.

For triathletes wanting to look their best and better their competition time, the secret to success is custom triathlon clothing .

By simply changing the style, material, or size of digs you choose to wear, you can shave time off your record due to state of the art clothing design.

This is incredibly important for triathletes trying to look their best while compete at their top level.

Whether you are a brand new triathlete or a seasoned professional, consider wearing custom triathlon clothing to both look and do your best.

Furthermore, if you are looking to compete on a team, consider customizing your uniforms to maintain the overall look of a proper team.

Custom triathlon clothing is not as expensive as you may believe.

Many quality apparel makers can customize uniforms, making them suitable for every triathlete.

Consider a quick search of the World Wide Web to find the manufacturer or designer that best fits your needs and personal style.

Most companies have several different styles of outfits, ranging from the traditional tri-suit, the one piece garment that seamlessly allows participants to run, swim, and bicycle competitively to the favorite two piece choice, the crop top and shorts.

Some manufacturers even allow you to custom fit a suit to your body, which allows you to shave off precious seconds by being as aerodynamic as possible.

By far, the most popular method for customization is for those outfits that serve as team uniforms.

Whether you choose your own design or have a professional design the finished product, having matching customized outfits will create a better sense of team unity and can potentially increase times and scores.

Remember the old adage, “dress for success” applies in competition and practice just as much as it applies in the business world.

Customized apparel can be quite affordable or budget busting, so choose wisely depending on your needs and wants.

Doing your research online can save you valuable time for workouts.

About the Author

Do you have what you need to improve your workouts and your races? Learn more about Triathalon Apparel .