Am I REALLY ready to train for my first marathon in the fall?

WhatMeRunning

My mind is 75% set to NO...but I am asking because, well, you runner's know what it's like to want to push further.

My history; I was never a runner, only starting last July at 42 years old after walking long distances for a few months. I ran my first half marathon last November after training for a 10k and then that half from July through early November. I had pain in my foot arise in the weeks after the half from cuboid syndrome, part from overtraining perhaps, part from having the wrong shoes.

I continued training over the winter after healing up with the intention of running a 39.3 series of 3 half marathons over a 5 week period this spring. I just finished the the 1st and 2nd of this series the last two weekends, both setting new PR times that I was impressed by (didn't know I had that strength/speed even from training).

I initially signed up for this 39.3 series as a test. If I passed it I would train for a full marathon in October. Over the last few months though I have heard some seemingly good advice from knowledgeable people about when it is most wise to train for a marathon, suggesting that people at least have been running for a year before starting marathon training.

I have been running for only 9 months if you add it all up, and starting distance walking 1 year ago which led me to running. So until these last two half marathons I was determined to maintain my half marathon distance this year and train for a full next year.

After finishing these two back-to-back Saturday half marathons though, and not feeling that sore the next day, much like I feel after a long run training day, it has been gnawing at me about whether or not this is an indication that I should bump up my mileage.

If I do bump up my mileage...between now and the end of September it seems reasonable I could be in the 16-20 mile range on my long runs, which is pretty much the general target to hit for a full.

So...thoughts?

By the way...I do feel silly asking this after making some suggestions to someone in another thread cautioning them for aggressive half marathon training. I guess I'm just not so sure if my doing a full this year is aggressive. It's the "haven't been RUNNING for a year" thing that is telling me I should not do this.

WhatMeRunning

Oh, some helpful info I missed:

1st half 11/15/2014 - 3:00:09
2nd half 4/11/15 - 2:42:09
3rd half 4/18/15 - 2:38:09

scottb81

Yes you could run a marathon in the fall. But the real question is are you running enough recently to support a good training build up. What is you average weekly mileage over the past several months?

WhatMeRunning

I've been averaging 20 miles/week (excepting rest/taper weeks) over the last 8 weeks. For a period before that it was down to 15/week because I was doing increased strength training focused on core, glutes, hip flexors and of course legs. So I borrowed some mileage to spend on that increased effort.

kristinegift

grimmeanor wrote: »

I initially signed up for this 39.3 series as a test. If I passed it I would train for a full marathon in October. Over the last few months though I have heard some seemingly good advice from knowledgeable people about when it is most wise to train for a marathon, suggesting that people at least have been running for a year before starting marathon training.

I have been running for only 9 months if you add it all up, and starting distance walking 1 year ago which led me to running. So until these last two half marathons I was determined to maintain my half marathon distance this year and train for a full next year.

After finishing these two back-to-back Saturday half marathons though, and not feeling that sore the next day, much like I feel after a long run training day, it has been gnawing at me about whether or not this is an indication that I should bump up my mileage.

If I do bump up my mileage...between now and the end of September it seems reasonable I could be in the 16-20 mile range on my long runs, which is pretty much the general target to hit for a full.

So...thoughts?

I would recommend sticking with your initial plan to maintain half training and plan on a 2016 full. 9 months really is not a very long time in the scheme of things. Many will tell you that if you want to have a good marathon experience, you should be running a half in the 2-2:15 range, which will still leave you with a 4:30+ finishing time. While you've made huge improvements with your three half-marathon times (huge congrats, btw!!), a 2:38 PR will put you at the 5:30 range for a full marathon, which is a really long time to be on your feet.

I would recommend bumping up your mileage gradually over the spring and summer to somewhere in the 30 mpw range, maybe even trying some 14-15 mile runs in the summer, and working to improve your half-marathon speed (which higher mileage will help you do). Then you'll be in a good place to work at marathon training this winter and onward.

Plus, there's no rush to jump into the full marathon distance. Half-marathons are so fun!

scottb81

You are running enough then although it will be tough. Given your current time in the half you can expect a marathon time of of around 5:30 to 5:40.

If you choose not to run this marathon and want to continue improving your running long term I would recommend you commit to a long term mileage build and do it for about 6 months with easy runs only. With a HR monitor that's keeping your HR at about 77% max and below. That will build your aerobic system greatly, speed you up at easy paces, and aid with weight loss.

No speed sessions are needed right now although if you must, limit yourself to 1 20 min tempo run per week. Structure your week however you like, although one run should be long. Aim to build up to a weekly 2 hr long run at the same pace as all your other easy runs.

Right now I am guessing you run about 4 hours a week. I would recommend a base building period something like what is below (hrs:min). That will get you to around 35 to 42 miles per week in 6 months which is a whole lot better base to start marathon training with. Plus if you do it right you will be a minute or two faster per mile by then.

As always, if something starts hurting back off and don't run yourself into an injury.

Week
1-3 4:25
4 4:00
5-8 4:50
9 4:25
10-12 5:20
13 4:50
14-16 5:50
17 5:20
18-20 6:30
21 5:50
22-24 7:05

scottb81

If you do choose to run this marathon I would recommend you use the Galloway Training plan for this one. It will get you over the finish line with minimal injury risk.

csman49

Depends on your expectations. I think you'd be fine. Perhaps even go for a run/walk strategy (run a mile/walk 1 minute).

Curtruns

grimmeanor wrote: »

Over the last few months though I have heard some seemingly good advice from knowledgeable people about when it is most wise to train for a marathon, suggesting that people at least have been running for a year before starting marathon training.

Advice is all well and good but remember that you can have "experts" that give conflicting advice. Can you do it.....of course you can. Should you is another matter all together. I would look at your schedule and be realistic about your goals and determine what it is you want and how best to get there. It sounds like you had a schedule tentatively set in your head anyhow. Has your progress been faster than expected? If so then I see no reason to bump up your timeline. If your progressing as expected, then why mess with your timeline?

WhatMeRunning

Thanks for the feedback everyone. The confirmation that it would be a bit harsh is what I was looking for. I did that last year and I'm having better results doing things a bit more sensibly. So I suppose this year the right move for me is to build up to a full next year. I pretty much knew that all along...just antsy, I guess.

rrowdiness

TBH 9 months will be doable but quite hard on you and your body.

I'm building from a 15km base up to full marathon by doing events at progressive distances, and doing a 3 month build on each ie:
Mth: Phase
0-3: 15 km build to HM
4-6: HM build to 30km
7-9: 30km to 36km
10-12: 36km to M.

So far (touch wood) I've been injury free aside from a couple of rolled ankles and some missing skin from a morning run.

runmama411

scottb81 wrote: »

If you do choose to run this marathon I would recommend you use the Galloway Training plan for this one. It will get you over the finish line with minimal injury risk.

Agreed! How I ran my first marathon.

lishie_rebooted

You've had a minor injury from potentially over training and a tenative plan for 2105 as the HM year and a 2016 full year.

Those two factors tell me that you should stick to 2016 as the year of the full.

I feel like I'm perpetually injured (out with a broke fib right now) so I tend to be more conservative than most.

Honestly you *could* do it since you've got distance walking (tho I wonder what distance, I've done 40mi in a weekend - approx 12hr total) plus HM. But it would be a 5.5-6hr full. And that doesn't sound fun to me... I'd personally bring the half time down this year. Maybe shoot for a 25k?