Christy Turlington is the veteran of four marathons, after completing the London Marathon in a personal-best time of three hours 46 minutes. While in the capital to complete the race, she took the time to share her top tips with us for those considering taking on the 26-mile challenge.
Start small
I usually tell people who are regular runners, even if they just run in the gym, that you're already in a much better place then I was when I started. If you're already a casual runner then you're already in the door - I wasn't even a casual runner at the point that I signed up for my first marathon. The first race I took part in was a 5k five years ago and then I literally started upping my mileage with each race.
Listen to your body
I am very much in touch with what's ok and what's suitable for my own body - I won't push myself beyond.
Find the right running aids
This is my fourth race and I've never trained with any device before, or with any formal training per se - I've picked up advice and wisdom along the way. Now with experience of my own and with using the Apple Watch to train for the London Marathon, I feel so much more attuned with myself and my ability. I feel more self-reliant.
You can do it!
For anyone who says they can't do it, no matter what their physical level, absolutely you can. If you've ever seen a marathon then you see every type of person out there, many of them just started getting fit to run a race like that - it's really a great way to get motivated to be healthy and to get more fit.
Get out there
London is a great city for running because you have so many parks with such different terrains. I live downtown in New York so I'll run up to the park as a destination. I usually stay in a hotel near a park just to get some oxygen.
Mix up your fitness routine
I do Barry's Bootcamp once a week, which I was thinking I wouldn't like and it wouldn't be suitable to me but now I love it and it's a great complement to my training. Even when I practise yoga I like to not do the same formulaic thing every time - I like to be surprised. I like the unpredictability of Barry's - it's made the treadmill fun and something I could incorporate into my training.
It's a mindset
You can do it. I had the same experience with yoga - if your mind isn't flexible to trying, then your body won't be either. It's more of an attitude.
One race is usually just the start
I probably will make a commitment (to another race) after I run London - it's so like childbirth, after you have a baby you think "I could do this again" and I feel races are the same - you get so excited about how you feel following a race that you usually sign up for something straight away. I'm already signed up for a half marathon in September.
This article originally appeared on Vogue.co.uk.
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