Marathon training plan for beginner

3dogsrunning

glevinso wrote: »

There is something about running at marathon pace for an extended time that just hurts. You can't run at "marathon pace" during an Ironman for obvious reasons. At my last Ironman I ran 3:24, which works out to about a 7:45/mi pace. My usual easy run pace is more like 7:20-7:30, so 7:45 felt almost like a walk in the park. So although I was out there for 10 hours working hard, the pace I was running was easy on my body, so I didn't feel beat up afterwards.

Meanwhile my last marathon I ran in 3:04 which is right on 7:00 pace. I can run 7:00/mi for an hour or so with no lingering effects. I can maybe run for 2 hours at that pace and be fine. But 3 hours? Ouch. I was a total disaster for a week after that. I could barely get out of bed.

Yeah, I am not even close to the point where I have an "easy" pace I can hold for that length of time. I suspected it had to do with the level you are both at.

michable

Stoshew71 wrote: »

I am going to offer this advice for what it is worth. Do not wait till 16 or 18 weeks before your marathon to start building up mileage. If you know you have many many months away for your marathon and you are pretty much healthy today, then start building up that mileage now. You will thank me later...

...Just my $0.02

Thanks for your post, @Stoshew71. This sounds like really sensible advice. I have an 18 week Hal Higdon novice plan that I am now going to extend out to my marathon in 27 weeks.

dan323

http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51137/Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program

Max out at 20. When you run the last 6 you'll be fine. You can always change it up how you want if you have that desire to go 24, 26 or 50 miles for a long run. Or just stick to what the experts recomend.

taeliesyn

glevinso wrote: »

There is something about running at marathon pace for an extended time that just hurts. You can't run at "marathon pace" during an Ironman for obvious reasons. At my last Ironman I ran 3:24, which works out to about a 7:45/mi pace. My usual easy run pace is more like 7:20-7:30, so 7:45 felt almost like a walk in the park. So although I was out there for 10 hours working hard, the pace I was running was easy on my body, so I didn't feel beat up afterwards.

Meanwhile my last marathon I ran in 3:04 which is right on 7:00 pace. I can run 7:00/mi for an hour or so with no lingering effects. I can maybe run for 2 hours at that pace and be fine. But 3 hours? Ouch. I was a total disaster for a week after that. I could barely get out of bed.

Not the IM comparison, but I feel the same way about a marathon vs an Ultra. Technically I've never ran a marathon and I'm not in a hurry to do so. Having my first attempt at 100k in a few weeks time though.

litsy3

I quite like running at marathon pace and don't find it as hard as trying to hold a faster pace in a half-marathon. I also don't find it beats me up that much afterwards; after my first marathon I was uncomfortable walking downstairs for a few days, but after the next two I was pretty much okay. Recovering speed and general fitness takes longer though. However, I think it depends how much you are used to running high-ish mileage all the time. For triathletes who sometimes do a standalone marathon, I'm guessing that the running volume is much lower EXCEPT when specifically marathon training, which isn't enough to get your body really used to it. Not a bad thing (different training priorities), just means it's harder to do and to recover from.

MobyCarp

I suspect how much MP beats you depends on what you consider MP. The text from Jack Daniels says MP is the pace you plan to run the marathon; but his calculator spits out the pace it thinks you should run the marathon based on the race time you put in. If I put in my half marathon PR, it spits out a 3:05 marathon and a 7:04 MP; but I don't think I can run that fast for 26 miles. My target for my second marathon is 3:15, which equates to an MP of 7:26 per mile. That would beat me up a lot less than 7:04 per mile would. So is my MP 7:04 or 7:10 or whatever the calculator spits out from a half marathon result; or is it the 7:26 I hope to run?

litsy3

Both? I planned (and trained) to run 7:26 pace one time but instead ran 7:06.

lporter229

litsy3 wrote: »

I quite like running at marathon pace and don't find it as hard as trying to hold a faster pace in a half-marathon. I also don't find it beats me up that much afterwards; after my first marathon I was uncomfortable walking downstairs for a few days, but after the next two I was pretty much okay. Recovering speed and general fitness takes longer though. However, I think it depends how much you are used to running high-ish mileage all the time. For triathletes who sometimes do a standalone marathon, I'm guessing that the running volume is much lower EXCEPT when specifically marathon training, which isn't enough to get your body really used to it. Not a bad thing (different training priorities), just means it's harder to do and to recover from.

I completely agree with this. I find that the shorter the race, the harder it is for me. I am sure that is because, despite doing tempos and speed work as part of my marathon training, the bulk of my training is focused on being able to run the marathon distance. I don't think running a marathon is particularly hard, but training for a marathon is a b*tch. I think that's the way it should be for any event if you train properly for it.