The reasons to partake in a marathon are multi faceted.
Perhaps you seek an adrenaline rush, or you want to conquer a personal milestone. Maybe you just want to test your wits, or were talked into it by a friend. Some may even want to lose weight or raise awareness for a charitable cause.
No matter your motivation, there is a common denominator.
A popular community event, marathons are great places to meet likeminded individuals who take pride in their physical health.
Bringing people from all wakes of life together, the stage is your opportunity to further your fitness agendas.
However one doesn’t just roll out of bed and complete a 42kms (26 miles) marathon upon their first attempt. It may take up to a year to prepare and train your mind and body for the vigor of a marathon.
From nutrition, endurance and rest, to the right gear and accompanying smart wearables, all things matters.
Conquer the prep stage
A methodical approach to your marathon aspirations is mandatory for any success.
Know your limits: Being honest with yourself is important. You cannot possibly complete a marathon based on pure will. Identify the fitness stage you are at, and proceed to get better, gradually.
Start early: One doesn’t simply decide to run a marathon a month before the actual event. It takes serious planning and dedication. Start your preparation as early as 6 months to a year in advance, and chalk out a full proof regime, that you then dedicatedly follow.
Ease into it: Now that you have a plan of action, do not attempt to cover 20-25 kms on your first week. Take it slow, and steadily increase your distance. Endurance and durability go hand in hand.
Low impact training: Ever so often it will do your body good to skip the long run and instead focus on a little conditioning. Allow your throbbing muscles and aching joints a time out; instead, opt for light stretching, aerobics or minimal weight training.
Recovery is important: Have at least a couple of days every week to rest and recover. You body needs an opportunity to rejuvenate post such physical burnout. If you have access to a message parlor or sauna facility, allow your body the detox and relaxation.
Nutrition/hydration: Inadequate hydration can fast track your way to injury. Similarly a wrong diet may not aid you in replenishing your lost glycogen. Consuming products with a 3 to 1 ratio of proteins to carbs is essential in refueling yourself.
Gear up: Pick out a good pair of running shoes and match it with comfortable sweat friendly attire. Last but not the least, strap on your smart watch, plug in your truly wireless ear-buds and pack a few granola bars.
A sprint to the finish: Wearables to take you over the edge
While hard work is an essential component to successfully completing a marathon, smart technology is here to help manage your load, and assist in your daily grind.
Irrespective whether you are a pro or a novice, smart wearables can give your training a boost.
Assisting you in a number of ways, you can get a comprehensive understanding of your body’s true fitness state.
By identifying your strengths, and exposing the areas to improve upon - the following wearables can give your marathon training a leg up.
Wireless Ear-Buds
Tune in and zone everything else out. It is essential to find your daily fitness ‘rhythm’ to prolong your activity.
While preparing for a marathon, hearing yourself gasp for air through every step just doesn’t generate the motivation you desire. Why not let your favorite musician propel you towards the finish line instead?
Get yourself the best ear-buds in India as you discover your daily fitness groove.
Your audio companion through all the grunts, sweat, pain and muscle cramps, good quality ear-buds are pretty much mandatory.
Opting for a product with clear, bold sound, and complete touch integration such as the Noise Shots Rush is the way to go.
Not only can you control playback without needing your smartphone, it has an IPX5 certification which makes it sweat and rain resistant.
Its unique, sporty ear hooks, feature a no drop design, allowing you a chance to run carefree, without worrying about your ear-buds constantly coming lose.
Smart watches
Gone are the days when you needed your buddy to time your laps with a stopwatch. Instead, get real-time tracking on distance travelled with the Noise ColorFit Nav.
Primed to assist you in a number of ways, it has an optical heart rate sensor, IP68 water resistance, 3D motion tracking, route map visualization and 10 sports modes.
Its integrated Breathe Mode allows you to hyper focus on your breathing to get control of your heart beat, allowing your body and mind to unwind post a long lap.
Among the best smartwatches online, it comes with additional app support to further your fitness agendas, and make record time on your next marathon.
By incorporating such wearables in your regime, you can evaluate and sustain the arduous grind, to eventually have your marathon dreams realized.
Fitness Bands
Fitness bands are oriented to assist people with an active, upbeat lifestyle. With an abundance of options to choose from, finding the best fitness tracker for your personalized needs is essential.
Marathon runners can make use of a band with features that include a step counter, activity tracker, sleep monitor, sedentary alarm, hydration reminder and water/dust resistance.
The Noise ColorFit 2 checks all the aforementioned boxes and more.
From keeping count on the number of calories burned to providing detailed reports on your progress, this fitness tracker can assist you through training for your marathon, and beyond.
Its IP68 certification makes it sweat and moisture efficient.