Do Marathons Boost Your Stamina?

Running a marathon can benefit your physical and mental health such as increasing your bodies stamina and controlling your mindset.

The Manchester Marathon of 2019 had almost 20,000 participants including people of different abilities.

The finishing time of about two and a half hours for the runners and one and a half hours for the wheelchair racers, with this kind of non-stop and long distance running, the runners need to be physically fit, as well as mentally fit to keep running until the end.

The preparation needs to be done way before the event to make your body get used to it and to prevent any injuries that might occur.

David 36 from Hull, who has loved running since he was a teenager has finally had the chance to be involved in his first marathon.

He talked about the preparation for the marathon, he said "in last few years i have been running again and I start running fifty miles a week at the beginning of the year".

This preparation really helps and makes him confident to stay until the finish line in this marathon.

Tony 43 from Worcestershire, who had done four marathons previously but was doing the Manchester marathon for the first time.

He said, "I followed the ACE 6 training plan".

Training plans are an excellent way to get in to shape for a marathon as they are created by experts who have experience of long distance runs.

The advantages of running include loss of weight, but this does depend on how long you are running for. It has been proven that for 10 miles of running, runners can burn one thousand calories and for 15 miles there is extra five hundred calories that could be burnt.

For a marathon of 26 miles, people could burn more than two thousand calories in a single day. This is the equivalent of a healthy adults recommended daily intake of calories.

It is also linked to other benefits such as a stronger heart because the heart keeps pumping at a higher rate while you are running and can extend your life. Running has also be proven to prevent blood clots and reduce blood pressure and cholesterol.

For mental health, it builds your mental strength by pushing your limits and also pushes the synthesis of a brain derived protein, meaning it is boosting your brain for analytical thinking, learning and decision making.

By achieving your limits, it also builds your confidence and toughness by doing such a hard exercise as a marathon.

The video shows the situation at the finish line of the Manchester Marathon 2019, most of the runners are seen celebrating with their family and friends.

After long running, the body system will show the effect of tiredness or some runners have bruises on their feet.

The recovery after hard exercises like marathons needs to be done correctly to prevent injures that might happen, such as cellular damage and skeletal muscle.

One activity for recovery is massages that relax your muscles. At the finish line area there are lots of stands that offer free massages for the runners and another activity is to lift up both legs to keep the blood circulation running.

The most important thing is to keep drinking water and stay hydrated.

Although marathons can increase your stamina and show lots of positive health benefits for your body and mind, you still need to pay attention to your preparation, such as stretching and staying hydrated. After running you need to keep in mind to stay healthy and safe.