What I Wish I Knew Before Training for a Marathon

When I signed up to run a leg of the Bravehearts’ 777 Marathon, I thought the hard part would be the running. I imagined the training would involve long Sunday runs, tired legs, maybe a bit of grit and determination.

What I didn’t realise was how much of marathon training happens off the road – in your head, your calendar, your kitchen, and your relationships.

If I could sit down with my pre-marathon self, these are the things I wish I could tell myself before I started training.

1. It’s not just a physical challenge, it’s a lifestyle shift

Marathon training doesn’t politely fit around your life. It reshapes it.

Early mornings, long runs that swallow half your weekend, constant laundry, meal planning, and a background hum of fatigue. You don’t just train for a marathon; you organise your life around it. Knowing this earlier would’ve helped me set better boundaries and expectations for myself and for others.

2. Easy runs really do need to be easy

I wish I had believed this sooner.

Running too fast on easy days doesn’t make you stronger; it just makes you tired. Truly easy runs feel almost embarrassingly slow, especially at the start. But they’re where endurance is built, and injuries are prevented. Once I let go of pace ego, my body responded with consistency instead of breakdown.

3. Your mind will quit long before your body does

There were runs where my legs felt fine, my breathing was steady, but my brain was loudly negotiating a reason to stop.

Marathon training teaches you how uncomfortable boredom, doubt, and frustration can be, and how temporary they are. Learning to stay present, break runs into small chunks, and ride out the mental lows was just as important as any physical workout.

4. Fueling isn’t optional; it’s training

I used to think eating during runs was for ‘serious runners.’ Turns out, marathon training makes you a serious runner whether you like it or not.

Under-fueling leads to sluggish runs, poor recovery, mood swings, and increased risk of injury. Learning to eat enough before, during, and after runs changed everything. Food isn’t a reward for training; it’s part of the training itself.

5. Some runs will feel awful for no clear reason

And that’s normal.

You can do everything ‘right’ and still have a run that feels heavy, slow, and miserable. Weather, hormones, stress, sleep, and life all show up in your legs. One bad run doesn’t mean you’re failing – it’s just data, not a verdict.

6. Rest days are where the magic actually happens

I used to see rest days as lost opportunities. In reality, they’re where adaptation occurs.

Skipping rest doesn’t make you tougher; it makes you injured or burned out. Respecting recovery, sleep, stretching, gentle movement, and actual days off is what keeps you showing up week after week.

RELATED: Rest Days Matter: Why Recovery is Part of Training

7. Training will test your identity

There were moments when running felt effortless and empowering, and moments when it felt like it was taking more than it was giving.

Training forced me to confront perfectionism, comparison, and my need for external validation. I learned that not every run needs to be impressive, shared, or fast to be worthwhile. Sometimes showing up is enough.

8. You don’t have to love every minute to love the experience

I expected to feel constant motivation and excitement. What I got was a mix of pride, dread, joy, irritation, and deep satisfaction.

You can complain and still be committed. You can doubt yourself and still finish. Marathon training isn’t about loving every run; it’s about trusting the process even when it feels messy.

9. Marathon day is emotional in ways you can’t predict

The marathon itself is only one day, but it carries months of effort, sacrifice, and quiet wins.

Crossing the start line felt surreal. Crossing the finish line felt overwhelming, not just because of the distance, but because of everything it represented. Training changes you, whether or not you realise it at the time.

10. You’ll become someone who knows they can do hard things

This is the part I wish I’d understood most.

Marathon training teaches you patience, resilience, and self-trust in a way few things do. You learn how to keep going when progress is slow, when motivation dips, and when the finish feels far away. That lesson stays with you long after the marathon is over.

If you’re thinking about training to do the 777 Marathon, whether it’s a single leg of the event as I did, or all seven marathons, know this: you don’t need to be fearless, fast, or perfectly prepared. You just need to be willing to show up, learn as you go, and be kind to yourself along the way.

LEARN MORE about Bravehearts’ 777 Marathon and how to get involved at 777marathon.com.au