Willis Michalchuk: Training for a Marathon

Many people would never dream of running a marathon because it seems like something only the world’s best athletes can endure. However, Willis Michalchuk hopes to inspire others with his story and make people realize that anything is possible. Willis Michalchuk has been working in the health and fitness industry for over 20 years as a personal trainer. At the age of 27, Willis Michalchuk decided to start training for his first marathon. With his successful fitness background it might seem like Willis Michalchuk was destined to run a marathon eventually; however, this was not the case. Willis Michalchuk struggled with childhood obesity and never excelled at athletics throughout his childhood. Willis Michalchuk hoped that running a marathon would prove to everyone that they could do anything if they set their mind to it. 

Willis Michalchuk states that the most important part of marathon training is to pick a schedule and stick to it. There are various training schedules online to choose from and you can select to run from three to six days a week, depending on your past running experience.  These schedules will help you stay on track and appropriately build up your mileage. Willis Michalchuk said that the most crucial run of the week is the dreaded “long run.” Marathoners generally choose Saturday or Sunday to embark on their long run, which will peak at twenty to twenty-two miles. At the beginning of training, the first long run is around five to eight miles, building slowly over the course of training.

Willis Michalchuk also expresses the importance of diet throughout this process. It is important to increase your carbohydrate intake so your body has enough fuel for each run. The night before each long run, runners should engage in “carb loading.” Willis Michalchuk notes that carb loading will help increase your glycogen stores, which ultimately serves as your fuel during the run.