Former Boston Champ Uta Pippig’s Marathon Tips

Number one on her list is listening to your body.

Three-time Boston Marathon champion Uta Pippig has recently published twelve tips for marathoners. In an article that she calls “General Guidelines for Your Marathon Preparation—Enjoy Your Training”, the world-famous marathon ace, who now chairs her foundation, Take The Magic Step, maintains that “a good overall approach to your physical and mental training is as important as a specific running plan, and can help you be at your best on marathon day.”

At the top of Pippig’s list is the importance of listening to your body in order to stay healthy. “If you don’t feel well, be cautious,” she writes. “If you feel an injury might be developing, it is better to take off one or two days and get early help from a specialist. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!”

Pippig goes on to also caution runners about overtraining and going out too hard both on race day and during training. She recommends applying the principle of “negative splits” where intervals and races are started out slower in the first half and increased in effort and tempo during the second half. “Please start each of your training runs or long runs easy, with a good and relaxed feeling,” she suggests.

For More: Take The Magic Step