To successfully complete a marathon without premature exhaustion, it is essential to adopt a polarized training approach (running the majority of your kilometers at a slow pace) and to validate your nutritional strategy during long, specific training runs.

noli's read

The scientific community strongly converges on the idea that slowing down training pace improves overall performance. This practice, known as polarized training, is supported by meta-analyses (e.g., Seiler et al.) showing that a large proportion of low-intensity work optimizes physiological adaptations. Regarding nutrition, the phenomenon of 'bonking' or glycogen depletion is well-documented in sports literature as a drop in energy supply, requiring a fueling strategy tested under exertion (RCT, Burke et al.). The concept that muscle and metabolic damage differs radically from short-distance races is also validated by observational studies on extreme endurance. While the importance of sleep and physical preparation is highlighted, the 'mental' aspect remains a subjective experience that is difficult for hard science to measure, though it is crucial. No elements here are contradicted by research; everything is consistent with modern principles of exercise physiology.

the sources

1. 1Rosenblat MA, Perrotta AS, Vicenzino B 2019
2. 2Silva Oliveira P, Boppre G, Fonseca H 2024
3. 3Menshikova EV, Ritov VB, Ferrell RE, et al. 2007
4. 4r/running