Anyone else thinking of there first marathon or triathlon

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walleyebob977
walleyebob977 Posts: 201 Member
edited October 2014 in Getting Started
Looking for support through the winter months to train and be in top condition for a triathlon and a marathon next summer. I have done mud runs and 5 ks and just ran my first half. So im looking to step up my game. I have been on mfp for over 2 years and have lost 100 lbs now looking for the the people that want to take it to the next level. Training can be tough in a small town in northern MN in the winter. Feel free to friend me.

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  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
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    Feel free to ping me. I am always up for chatting about this stuff. I have been though it all. Sprints, Olympics, Half and Full Ironman. Marathons? Yea. A bunch.
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,671 Member
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    I was thinking about a full marathon. Currently training for my 5th half (Oct 26th) and figure a full is the next logical step. I'm not nervous about the distance, it's the training that worries me. Not sure if I'm up for the time commitment. I'm just going to follow along here to see if I change my mind :smile:
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
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    The training difference between a half marathon and a full is, in reality, not *that* much. If you are following a typical plan like you might find on the Hal Higdon website, the amount of running you do increases over the half for only the last 4 weeks of the plan.

    If you can train for, and complete a half marathon, and can afford to spend an extra 4 weeks building the extra mileage, then you can handle the full.

    Well I say last 4, but I mean the last 7, but the final 3 weeks are a taper. I mean that the amount of time you spend training big miles is only 4-5 weeks or so, with "big" being relative to what you already do for a half
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    Why the jump from 5k to a marathon in less than a year? I dunno anything about your current training/ability, so I'm just curious.
  • walleyebob977
    walleyebob977 Posts: 201 Member
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    I started with doing small mud runs and 5ks and then went to tough mudders was dared to do a half and loved the training loved pushing myself to the limits and now that that has been met I need a new challenge. I did sign up for a sprint tri last yr but it was canceled last min cause water wasnt safe. My saying go BIG the only limit I have is my mind. I need something to look forward to keep my training up. I just ran my first half last week did it in 1 hr 56 min not bad i dont think for only training to 10miles. A Ironman would be ultimate maybe in a few years.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
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    My advice would be to take it slow. Enjoy the process of building it up. I know too many people who jumped into doing the BIG stuff right away and never really got good at it or enjoyed the process.

    I didn't attempt a full Ironman until I had been at the triathlon game for about 5 years. I was getting fast enough to be on the podium at shorter races, and at that point decided it was time to start going long.
  • walleyebob977
    walleyebob977 Posts: 201 Member
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    Thanks for the tip glevinso I learned a bit about what your saying when I was training for my Half I took training so serious I messed out on the fun. Same when I crossed the finish line i totally missed my cheering section i was to concered about crossing in under 2 hrs.
  • andysport1
    andysport1 Posts: 592 Member
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    When I did my first marathon I followed a specific plan for me, I had been injured for 12 months and had to start running 1/2 mile a day (how frustrating) 3 months on I was up to 25 miles a week split into 3 or 4 runs plus every other day I walked for 90 mins, another 3 months I did the marathon finished 3 minutes quicker than I intended and felt great.
    The down side I achieved my goal, I sat back and put on in excess of 50lb

    Good luck

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