Without question, one of the greatest physical feats you can try and accomplish is running a marathon event. Few things are going to come close in terms of how much training and motivation is demanded of you. And, few things will be as rewarding as well.

Most people already know how much work is required to run a marathon race, but there are a few things that many don’t know about these events.

Let’s look at five things that no one ever tells you about running a marathon. Be prepared—know these going in.

Your Life Will Become Fitness

The first thing you need to know about running a marathon is that you can’t make any mistake about it, once you sign up, expect your life to be all about fitness. You’ll be getting in those long runs every weekend and during the busy weekday nights, you’ll be trying to cram in a run according to schedule.

Downtime? Not likely. Almost all your spare time will be devoted to some element of this goal whether it’s training itself, doing weights in the gym, going for a massage to work out those tired, achy muscles, or performing stretching exercises for injury prevention.

If you don’t have time to spare in your schedule, don’t sign up for a marathon or you’ll be feeling heavily stressed out.

You’ll Be Tired, But You Still Have To Do It

Another thing you must note about training for a marathon is that it doesn’t really matter how you feel, you need to get those miles logged.

Fatigue will set in and you’ll soon notice you aren’t feeling much like doing anything. But yet, the road or treadmill awaits. Learning how to push through fatigue is all part of the marathon experience, so you need to have the willpower and tenacity to be willing to do this. If you don’t, you’ll be disappointed with your finishing rate.

You May Not Lose Weight

Many people sign up to start marathon training as a means of losing weight. It’s important that this isn’t your primary goal however because sometimes you actually won’t lose weight.

This may come to a surprise as many as running is supposed to be a great weight loss activity, but often, marathon runners will gain weight. The reason?

Very often the high degree of activity is going to cause hunger to skyrocket, thus food consumption increases and this leads to potential weight gain.

Make weight loss a side goal. If you do, great, if you don’t, no big deal. That’s the best approach to use.

You’ll Meet Great People Along The Way

One thing to know about marathon training is that you aren’t in alone. While it may seem like a solo activity, this isn’t the case. You’ll be surrounded by like-minded individuals before you know. As you get going with your training, you’ll seek out others who are doing the same and soon, you’ll have a community all around you.

In The End, It’ll Be All Worth It

Finally, know that it’ll all be worth it at the end of the day. Marathon running won’t always be pleasant and there may be times when you wish you could just quit. But, if you choose to persist onwards, you’ll be happy you did when you cross the finish line.

After all, why do so many people do a second and third marathon event? Soon, you might just find you’re one of them.

Marathon running is an absolutely amazing experience so don’t kid yourself. It’s hard work but will be totally worth it.

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