Christian Friis is an elite coach at Sparta Athletics & Running, where he helps some of the greatest talents in Denmark.

Here are five of his best tips for getting ordinary runners through marathon training.

1. Be patient

Running a marathon requires patience – and so does training for one. Therefore, avoid going too fast, but instead increase the amount of training slowly to avoid injury. Your muscles develop quickly, but tendons and joints typically take longer to adapt to the increased load. Also, make sure you recover well with the right diet and plenty of sleep between workouts.

2. Stay motivated

It can be hard to stay motivated when you have a goal that’s far off on the horizon. Here are three ways to stay motivated.

• Make appointments: It’s easier to get out the door when there’s someone waiting. Plus, it’s just nice to run with others. If you’re not at the same level, you can train on a running track where you can see each other – regardless of pace.
• Vary your routes: It’s easy to end up doing every run on the same route in the same direction at the same speed. And that can get a bit… boring. Try some new terrain, run your favorite route in the opposite direction or take the bus a good distance – and run home. That way you will experience something new.
• Set an intermediate goal: Sign up for a small training run 2-3 months before your marathon. This will give you something to train for and the race will be a good indicator of where you are in terms of fitness.

3. Follow a plan

Following a set plan gives you more continuity in your training. This means your risk of injury is reduced and it’s easier to get out the door when you know exactly what you’re going to train. Following a set plan also makes it easier to plan your everyday life around your training. The risk of missing training sessions due to busyness is simply reduced.

4. Three runs a week is fine

You don’t have to run every day to get ready for a marathon. Three to four runs a week is fine as long as you focus on having variety in your training. Therefore, your weekly training should include:

• A long run that gives you endurance.
• A shorter but fast run that enables you to maintain a certain pace for a longer period of time.
• Short intervals to boost your fitness and enable you to ‘eat’ yourself when it hurts.

5. Train your entire body

We use our whole body when we run – not just our legs. So remember to train your arms, shoulders and core muscles a few times a week. You’ll be glad you did when you’re swinging your arms back and forth for hours as the 42.195 kilometers fly by.