The Virgin Money London Marathon is always planned to take place at times of the year when it’s usually not too hot or cold, with little chance of snow – though it doesn’t always work out that way! British weather is unpredictable, so you need to be ready for anything, and that includes preparing your kit.
How many months of training?
The number of months you’ll be preparing for the marathon will vary depending on your current running base. Working this out is quite an undertaking and you need to be honest about what’s required, otherwise the result may be injury. In general, around six months is a realistic period to allow most beginners to get to a condition that will get them round.
Running in April means you’ll be training in some of the coldest months of the year (if you live in the UK at least), while October marathons will require training during the summer. These seasonal changes should be reflected in your running kit.
What to wear and when?
If you’re training most days you’ll need a certain number of garments to get you through the week before a weekend wash.
Even if you’re happy to wear your kit a couple of times before washing it, you’ll need at least a couple of pairs of each article to get you through a week.
September, October and November are usually when you’ll wear shorts and T-shirts (vests if preferred) and these will be worn again around March and April and through the summer. The intervening months of December, January and February are when tights, long sleeve T-shirts and jackets, or even fleeces, become vital.
Gloves and a beanie hat are also key in winter to help you maintain body temperature and ensure you’re relaxed enough to run effectively.