I just registered for a marathon next month. Help

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  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    _Waffle_ wrote: »
    I'm not even doing a marathon or half marathon training plan but I was talked into doing a marathon next month. What should I do? How do I get prepared?

    If you french fry, when you should pizza. You're going to have a bad day.

    Good luck. No advice, just well wishes.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    nosajjao wrote: »
    Ask for your money back. It takes a special snowflake kind of person to pay and register for physical trauma they aren't even training for.

    OP: based on your followup about your recent long run and your weekly mileage, noasjjao's reply isn't fair, but I can see where he's coming from. If you're going to ask for this kind of advice, it's helpful to include your current fitness level (in the case of running, weekly mileage, long run distance, maybe pace too).

    Good luck on the marathon!
  • TossaBeanBag
    TossaBeanBag Posts: 458 Member
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    _Waffle_ wrote: »
    I'm not even doing a marathon or half marathon training plan but I was talked into doing a marathon next month. What should I do? How do I get prepared?

    If 16 is your furthest, I cannot stress going out really slow and maintaining that slow speed the whole way. My first marathon was the same way. I was doing 13.1 at 6.5 min/mile pace, so I thought I would keep an 8 minute mile, but by mile 17, I was dying. I kept jogging and never stopped, but my legs felt like they filled up with concrete. I should have started out maintaining 9 minute miles.

    Good luck.
  • Some_Watery_Tart
    Some_Watery_Tart Posts: 2,250 Member
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    _Waffle_ wrote: »
    I'm not even doing a marathon or half marathon training plan but I was talked into doing a marathon next month. What should I do? How do I get prepared?

    First of all, sir, do you even like running?

    If so, you're all set. Drink lots of beer and don't forget to post photos of your sweaty self.
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
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    20 mile run is done. 3 hours, 15 minutes. Now that was a long time to be on your feet. It's all downhill from here until race day. As long as I can maintain a 10:00 pace the last 6.2 miles I won't be too far off of 4 hours for the full thing.
  • aarar
    aarar Posts: 684 Member
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    _Waffle_ wrote: »
    20 mile run is done. 3 hours, 15 minutes. Now that was a long time to be on your feet. It's all downhill from here until race day. As long as I can maintain a 10:00 pace the last 6.2 miles I won't be too far off of 4 hours for the full thing.

    You've got this! Make sure to update after the race, I want to hear how you do!
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
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    Last 18 mile run finished. I walked the last couple miles. It was 74 degrees which doesn't translate to lots of fun. I hope we don't have this weather on race day. At any rate no more long stuff till race day. Probably just 12 next weekend which will feel so short.
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
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    Do the run/walk pattern and you should do fine sounds like your body is used to putting in a lot of weekly miles. Have Fun

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  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    26.2 is a distance that scares the crap out of me too but if you're doing 40+ miles a week you can build up your long runs over the next few weeks and, if necessary run/walk it.....your goal is to finish in a vertical position.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    DNF :)
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
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    Good news. It's going to be warm on race day and there's 100% chance of rain. Woo hoo!
  • Delilahhhhhh
    Delilahhhhhh Posts: 477 Member
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    Best wishes Waffle. You can do this!!!!
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Good luck!!! we want pictures!! and brutal updates!
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
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    _Waffle_ wrote: »
    Good news. It's going to be warm on race day and there's 100% chance of rain. Woo hoo!

    That was sarcasm by the way.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    I just registered for a marathon next month. Help

    right foot left foot right foot left foot

    repeat for 4 hours.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    _Waffle_ wrote: »
    _Waffle_ wrote: »
    Good news. It's going to be warm on race day and there's 100% chance of rain. Woo hoo!

    That was sarcasm by the way.

    I was going to say, warm sucks.
  • hermann341
    hermann341 Posts: 443 Member
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    _Waffle_ wrote: »
    Good news. It's going to be warm on race day and there's 100% chance of rain. Woo hoo!

    I hate getting wrinkled feet and the chafing you can get from running in the rain.

    Good luck on Sunday!

  • chunkytfg
    chunkytfg Posts: 339 Member
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    You're doing 40 mile weeks with 16-18 mile long runs?

    Remind me again why you are worrying?

    Just don't run as fast and keep going. You're more than ready! in the 3 months post my ironman I didn't run more than 8 miles with not 1 week having a weekly total over 25 miles and I did a 6 hour endurance run with not much trouble managing a total of 30 miles in 5hr10mins.

    Completing a marathon is not the massive thing everyone makes it out to be. You can walk one in a little under 7 hours. Yes getting a good time is a lot harder and running a decent marathon imo is harder than an ironman but getting round is nothing special.

    You've more than got this and I expect to see a 'I smashed it' type comment from you once you've crossed that finish line
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
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    The weather was pretty wretched. It was about 62 degrees and 90% humidity at the race start. The temp ended up around 70. The first 12 miles had so many hills. It felt like you were either climbing or running down steep hills. We started getting downpours around mile 20. It was raining so hard I could barely see at times. The rain made it cooler but it sucked that it was raining so hard.

    My quads were trashed by mile 20 and I was walking quite a bit. A flat course on a cool day would have been different but I did the first half too quick with those hills. I still had a great experience. I did a lot of things very well and I can see a few areas I need to work on. Hydration, studying the course better, more hill work. In fairness I had an achilles issue that made me reluctant to do much with hills. I still think it was the right thing to do.

    Finished in 4:32 and I don't feel too terrible today at all. Just a bit stiff. Hamstrings are a little sore but mostly it's just the quads that are sore. Looking forward to the next one.
  • ThePoeToaster
    ThePoeToaster Posts: 1,681 Member
    edited December 2014
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    I got nothing.

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