The tenth edition of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon ended on 20th January 2013. If you are one of the inspired bystanders who dream of running your own marathon in the months and year to come, then you need to arm yourself with information about marathon training. To help you prepare for a marathon the right way, we bring you Raj Vadgama – Martial Art trainer, Judo trainer, avid marathon runner and an admirable marathon coach, who shares some great training tips for future marathon aspirants.

Raj kicks off by saying that frequency, intensity and time (FIT) are the three essential elements that you need to put together for an effective beginning. The best way to stop the progress of a running program in its tracks is to do - too much too soon. 

Keep these tips in mind every time you kickstart a marathon practise session: 

1. Take time to warm up before, and cool down after a run.
2. Never increase mileage more than 10 percent per week. If anything hurts, take a small break, until it feels better.
3. Follow a strength-training program on alternate days to help reduce upper-body fatigue. Like any activity, running isn't for everybody
4. If you don't enjoy it, don’t do it. But if you do, take your time, progress slowly and allow your muscles to adapt to the rigors of running. 
5. Eat right
6. Check your equipments
7. Watch your dinner
8. Get sufficient rest
9. Hydrate yourself