Training for your first marathon is equal parts exciting and overwhelming. The miles ahead can feel huge, the training plans intense, and the advice online often conflicting.

In this guide, runner and content creator Lucie Watson shares honest lessons from her own first marathon experience, what worked, what she learned the hard way, and the habits that helped her stay healthy and motivated through the process.

If you’ve got a marathon on the calendar for 2026, these practical tips will help you approach your training with confidence, patience, and a lot more enjoyment along the way.

Are you training for your first ever marathon?

Wahoo! You’re doing something incredible.

It may feel quite daunting if you’ve got a marathon in the diary for 2026 – and for good reason. It’s not easy. But if you can learn anything from someone who ran their first marathon last year (and learnt a LOT along the way), I hope I can provide some tips to help you get there while staying happy and healthy.

Why should I NOT underestimate marathon training?

Social media makes it look like everyone and their Nana is running a marathon these days. Please remember – it is not normal. Only around 1% of people have ever run a marathon.

You are in a very small minority training for a huge achievement. And chances are, you’re in an echo chamber of people making it look effortless and easy. It’s not. It’s hard; so respect the process!

Why should I listen to my body?

This is easier said than done. You will probably feel tired – all the time.

It’s so important to listen to your body as you build up your mileage because, even if the increase feels gradual, you are stacking more and more strain each week.

Drop the ego. Forget the “perfect” Strava graph. Take deload weeks every 4 weeks or so. A missed run because of a niggle or deep fatigue is ALWAYS better than forcing it and causing issues down the line.

Even in my second block, I haven’t nailed this – but we take every learning and move forward.

Why and what should I eat during marathon training?

You will likely need to eat far more than you think, and you’ll probably feel hungry all the time. Listen to those cues. It’s your body asking for more energy to run strong and, most importantly, to recover.

Before

Make sure you’re getting plenty of carbs beforehand. For a long run, I tend to have a bagel with Nutella or peanut butter a couple of hours before, then a VOOM cube or two and/or a banana about 30 minutes before I head out.

There’s no such thing as “not having enough time to fuel” – even for an easy run. A glass of orange juice has around 25-30g of carbs. If you’re tempted to run on empty in the morning, please don’t. Grab something quick instead.

During

If it’s a longer run or tougher session, fuel throughout (a gel or VOOM every 30-45 minutes, or whatever works for you). Use your long runs to practice and test what suits you best.

After

What you eat after is just as important. Getting protein in reasonably quickly helps muscle repair – and yes, CARBS too. Carbs are not the enemy; they’re the not-so-secret formula for feeling energised and recovering well.

I’ve also recently learnt that fuelling on rest days should look no different from active days. Recovery is when your body is doing some of its hardest work.

And of course – hydrate. You’re likely losing a lot of water and salt through sweat, so consistent hydration matters. I’m personally rubbish at this, so I’ve found squash or flavoured electrolytes helpful to make it more appealing.

Easy miles? Make sure they are EASY.

Can you comfortably hold a conversation or even sing during your easy runs? No? Then slow down.

One of the biggest mistakes in marathon training is running easy runs too hard. Ignore what your watch says. Ignore the pace you think you “should” be running. Most importantly, throw your ego out the window.

Run slowly to feel, so your legs and body have the energy to execute your key sessions (speed and long runs) properly. It will make you a stronger runner – and ironically, it will make you faster in the long run.

Should I save energy for key sessions?

Your two most important sessions each week will usually be your speed session (intervals or tempo) and your long run.

If you truly run your easy miles easy, you’ll have the energy to show up properly for these sessions – and that’s where the real gains happen.

Should I practice fuelling on long runs?

Gels, VOOM Pocket Rockets, sweets – there are so many options to keep you fuelled throughout your long runs and, ultimately, your marathon.

Find what works for you and practice, practice, practice. On race day, the last thing you want is the risk of sh*tting yourself or feeling like you’re going to crash because you tried something new or don’t keep up your fuel. This is so important to get right.

Strength training is non-negotiable

Want to make it to the start line in one piece? You need to strength train – it will save your ass.

Building the habit can be hard (I struggled with this), but consistency is key. Aim for 1-2 sessions a week to help reduce injury risk, build resilience, and keep your body strong enough to handle the mileage.

Avoid obsessing over a goal time

Of course you’ll have a time in mind. That’s normal. But the best advice I was given was not to make it your sole focus.

Have a range. Be ambitious, but don’t obsess. If you want to enjoy both the process and the marathon itself, leave room for flexibility.

The last thing you want is to feel disappointed when you’ve just run a BLOODY MARATHON!

Post-marathon? Rest.

No one really talks about what to do after your marathon.

From my experience, your future self will thank you if you rest properly. You might feel surprisingly fresh a week later after taking time off – but don’t let your body fool you. Your legs will still be full of micro-tears, and your cardiovascular system is recovering from a huge stress load.

Take at least two weeks of proper recovery. Walk. Cycle. Move gently. Then ease back into running slowly and intentionally.

You’ve just done something massive. Respect that too.

Any more Qs? I’m @justjoggingalong on Instagram! I love posting about the realness of my running, so come along for some fun.