How To Choose Which Race For You In The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon

The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is coming up, just three months away. It is time to start training, and race analyst Mark Bravo joined News 9 to discuss choosing the right race for you.

The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon has six different races: the full marathon, half marathon, relay, 5k, kids marathon and senior marathon.

Related: Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon: What You Need To Know

Bravo says the 5k is a great starting point.

“Say you are anything from the so called couch-to-5k to [...] some I've been walking or walk running[...] 5k. That's 3.1 miles. Think of it first and foremost, as don't overdo. The only thing that can stop you at any distance is injury, frankly, so be methodical in your upping of the mileage. Very little at 10 percent rule a week. Maybe take on three miles with a couple of weeks to go [before the marathon],” Bravo said. “If you're already beyond that and you're talking about speed for the 5k it's a little different. You do what we call altered effort and you speed up, slow down, you know, intervals so to speak.”

No matter which race you choose, Bravo has some expert advice.

“Don't go the whole distance until race day, if you can keep from it,” Bravo said. “Get the joy of having surpassed any distance you've ever done.”