This October the Palma de Mallorca Marathon will be again held in the Balearic capital

As in previous years there will be hundreds of runners taking part, many of them will be tourists as well local residents, in the most important marathon on the island. The PMM will be on the 15^th October an ideal time to visit the island, the weather is still quite warm and it is generally quieter which is ideal for exploring the island.

Zafiro Hotels is official partners of the PMM with their two hotels Zafiro Palace Palmanova and Zafiro Palmanova four and five-star respectively and we would like all the competitors to be well prepared and ready to complete this marathon. The course starts at the Parc de La Mar in front of the cathedral and continues along the promenade of the bay of Palma cutting through the historic city centre. Runners can choose a distance to run depending on their abilities beginning with the 10km for the beginners, the half marathon and for the extreme runners the marathon.

How to prepare for the marathon from scratch

To run a marathon, you need to prepare yourself well, whether you are a professional runner or amateur or a just beginner preparation is half the race. For those who are just beginning to run and enjoy all the benefits that come with this sport it is important to note that to prepare for a marathon it is necessary to start with the workouts and healthy routines several months before the actual race. The foundation of a solid marathon plan is selecting a goal time that is realistic and corresponds to your abilities and current fitness levels. With the initial training, you need to start off slowly, overdoing it in the first week is not going to help nor will it allow you to progress or even worse it could cause you an injury.

In fact, many fail at the beginning because they start off too strongly making virtually unattainable goals which only demotivates them causing them emotional and physical distress which in turn makes them abandon their goal which is running the Palma de Mallorca Marathon.  When training for a marathon you need to keep the level of motivation high, this can be done by setting small achievable goals and ensure you follow a training programme that is aimed at achieving each of these goals one at a time by doing this you will be able to reach the goal of completing the marathon. You should follow a training schedule that is varied, it is no good doing sprints at the same pace daily, since this will not help you achieve your goal quite the opposite in fact. The body needs to recover, relax and recharge batteries, in addition linear training doesn’t help progress you need to introduce changes of pace, style, length and distance.

To train seriously for a marathon you need to do four or five training sessions a week. In this way, you can work on the strength and endurance of your body but also have the time needed to rest, which is just as important for your body.  Ideally you should be only doing 2 high intensity sessions per week and remember a training schedule needs to be challenging but not so that you feel out of your depth. And remember although it seems silly and we are sure you know this it but it is worth repeating that after every training session you must and we mean it!  Do stretching exercises. Ten minutes of stretching after each workout session will prevent many possible injuries. So, remember: there is no training without stretching!

A Healthy and Balanced Diet

Food plays a very important role during the preparation for a marathon. We need to eat more carbohydrates, especially after longer workouts. Nutrition is fundamental to the achievement of your goal. our body uses carbohydrates as its main fuel (energy) source. You're only able to store a relatively small amount of carbohydrate, which is why keeping it topped up is so important. Staying fully hydrated when exercising can be a challenge, especially for those who are training hard for an event like a marathon, you need to replace the electrolytes lost during work outs, we would recommend you always carry a bottle of water when training.

Clothing

Clothing should be comfortable, breathable and allow you to move easily. Do not run with lots of clothes to avoid sweating too much and become dehydrated.  There is no need to spend lots of money on clothes for running the PMM, just make sure whatever you buy is breathable and is suitable for the distance you are going to perform. The same goes for shoes you should choose the type of shoe suited to your tread and running style to avoid injury.

Recommended hotels to stay during the Palma de Mallorca Marathon

If you have decided to bring your family to Mallorca for the PMM  then our Zafiro Palmanova is the perfect choice for stay during the PMM. It is a hotel designed so that children and adults can enjoy a few days of relaxation and leisure in Majorca. If you are looking for personalized attention and you are a demanding runner, then choose the  Zafiro Palace Palmanova as it is the ideal hotel to enjoy the comfort and luxury of 5 star hotel  during your stay in Mallorca.