My first marathon 1 month away!

WannabeStressFree

hi all!

Please help! I've done half marathons but no full ones yet! I'm running NYC ING this November 3rd.
Any tips are appreciated. What should I expect, do, any crucial last minute training? There's a month left, yet I feel the marathon is tomorrow!
I didn't train as hard because I'm recovering from plantaar faciitis on my right foot, which I'm glad is mostly gone. My foot feels sore but not in pain (yay!)
I'm planning on sticking to my Hal Higdon Novice Plan this month, no excuses, I'll also cross train to strengthen my legs.

I'll research more, but thought I'd ask MFP buddies first-
cheers!
M

arc918

You sound undertrained, but the question is how much did your PF slow you down.

What have your long run and weekly mileage looked like? In a normal training cycle you'd be almost done and ready to taper.

Don't be in a hurry to taper down while undertrained.

There's no such thing as critical last minute training, it is a long process to properly train for a marathon.

Let's see what your long runs look like and then perhaps tweak your plan for the last month.

WannabeStressFree

thanks for your reply! My longest mileage is 15m, this week will be 20m.
If it sounds like I'm undertrained, could I keep running longer like you said without tapering off too much?
thanks!

daj150

Going from a half to a full with little training and coming off PF...15 miles max distance...20 miles long run this weekend and then 1 month before the race? This sounds like a recipe for disaster. However, let's go with the tried and true method of analysis here.

1) When did you run 15 miles?
2) How did you feel after your 15 mile run?
3) If you didn't run the 15 miles within the last week or two, what was the longest distance you have run in the past week or two?

Ultimately, if you run your 20 this weekend and don't feel too bad, you are a beast and will be fine. If you body angrily says "NO! I won't go that far!" then you are probably not going to be able to handle the marathon.

If you haven't ran the 15 in a while and plan to just magically do 20 this weekend, then I hope your body doesn't make you pay for it. Even if you did 15 this past weekend, bumping up 5 miles in 1 week is extremely not recommended. If this is your last race for the year, and you understand you may be walking a lot during the marathon, and there is a high chance for injury, then you may be okay. But I still want to throw a huge caution sign at this.

In regards to the tapering...you technically can keep going with your training up until about 2-3 days before the race. You will need that time for your body muscles to recover from the training.

Good luck!

ibleedunionblue

I believe that the 20 mile long run is an essential element of your marathon training. As mentioned, depending upon how you feel could tell you if you are ready to run New York.

Having said that - you could incorporate a run / walk strategy for New York. Run the first 13 miles. Then alternate jogging 3, walking 1 which will take you to mile 25. And running the final mile.

As for training and tapering: you could do a 20 miler this weekend, and an 18 miler the weekend of October 20, which will give you 2 more long runs. Just taper the last week. I think more progressive tapers are for higher milage runners (i.e. I am doing 80 miles a week).

Good Luck.

arc918

My $.02: 15 to 20 is a BIG jump if you've never gone past 15 before.

I think I'd be ready to shut it down at 17 or 18 this weekend (unless you're feeling great) - and try for a 20 the following weekend.

amandamurdaugh

You're IN? You're doing the NYC marathon?! No matter what, you can finish the marathon. It may be painful, but you're running one of the most sought after marathons in the world. Do your best with the time you have left for training, but then just enjoy the experience come race day.

SonicDeathMonkey80

I would guess that around mile 20 you'll get a rude awakening, but other than that, I would just take it very easy and don't overdo the first 13.1 split.

WannabeStressFree

HI ALL!

Thanks for your insights.
I ran 15m this past weekend, per a buddy's advice, I'll do 18m this coming weekend and 20m the next, then taper closer to the event. Stretching a lot and watching my foot.
This is my 3rd try at the marathon , the last one was cancelled by Hurricane Sandy, the previous year I wasn't ready.
So even with my PF, I'm doing it unless my body screams NO!
I'm planning on adding walking, the last thing I want to do is quit at this point, I've struggled so much with my foot and this is the best it's been in over a year. I don't have pain anymore, only soreness.

I thank you all for your concern, I'm def not in this for a PR of any sorts, I'm hoping to simply finish.
Sorry if this dissapoints hard core runners, but I've come a long way and simply don't wanna quit, unless of course an injury comes along.
thanks again
;-)

coronalime

There is no reason for you to taper. You are not racing it. You didn't train for 18 weeks straight. In a great world your weekly runs should equal your long run. Your long run should not be jumping more then 10-20%.
However. I did NYC undertrained. injured. etc.. and finishing was not a problem. But it was a horrible "time". I mean the race is awesome. But Im disappointed today on the outcome. I was fat and didn't take it serious at all.

However. What is done is done for you. You need to stay strong and not more injured then you are today. Strength will help the most. I don't run over 18 miles training normally. But my weekly miles are high and I swim and bike.

I wouldn't even hit 18 miles this weekend. And I don't know what your weekly mileage is minus the long run. If you only ran a few miles this week you should not be out there hitting huge long runs...or you get injured.

CarsonRuns

...your weekly runs should equal your long run...

More like, your long run shouldn't exceed 1/3 of you total weekly mileage. 1/4 is better.

Yes, that means you would be running 60 miles per week on the weeks that you run a 20 mile long run. Of course, there is some wiggle room once you get up into the 18+ range, but the LSD run being 1/2 your total weekly mileage is a bit too much...rather, the total mileage is too little. I think 50 MPW is the bear minimum for the heaviest volume week of the marathon training cycle.

arc918

Carson is wise...

WannabeStressFree

hi guys

Thanks for your replies, I trust them, and honestly I'm not sure I can do this and prevent further injury. I think I might post pone til next year (again! sigh) but I really want to improve and further injury is not what I need!
I feel ready to do half marathons, so I think I'll stick to that, work on this and come back stronger.

thanks again.

MinimalistShoeAddict

I have nothing to add above what the more experienced runners above have already said.

I just wanted to say, be safe (because of both the PF and mileage concerns) and good luck!

Let us know what you decide and how things turn out.