Getting nervous for an upcoming Marathon

tropic_runner

Hello my fellow fitness pals! So come December 8th I am running my first full, the Honolulu Marathon. It will be my first and my nerves are starting to get to me. I just had to take a week off training for a death in the family/travel, and I am worried that I lost fitness. I just ran a half on 12 October and my longest run is 17 miles so far. I have a 19 miler and a couple 20's then taper and then the race. I don't know what to expect, and have been reading about other peoples experiences alot which some are good and some are bad. I know I need to be mentally prepared which I try to accomplish by never running with music, playing mind games with objects/miles left, trying to stay positive on my long runs. Physically I don't feel a 100%... is this normal? Any advice/stories would be helpful, thank you!

schmenge55

Good morning my friend. I am sorry to hear of the death in your family. Beyond that I have nothing but good news. Losing that week is nothing in the scope of your overall training. Fitness loss after one week is very minimal and will come right back. Being nervous is totally normal. Expect to "nail" some of your runs in the future. Expect some to be hard. Trust your training. You are on a good path!

schmenge55

http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/how-to-deal-with-prerace-anxiety?cm_mmc=Twitter-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-Training-_-PreraceNerves

Might read this

DaveTMK

Hi, sounds like you are well on track. I did the London marathon this year, and my long runs were two 17 milers, an 18 and a 20.
The last few weeks I felt a weakness in my right leg so I didnt run at all for the last two weeks.
On the day I got to 20 miles no trouble,then my thighs seized up so the last 6 was tough, but I wasnt going to stop.
Those long boring runs give you the mental strength to get though, and a break in training in not a bad thing at all.
Sorry for your loss, and good luck for the marathon.

tropic_runner

Thank you everyone for the kind words and advice! I'm not so worried now and when I do I can read these replies!

hecham

I don't have much in the way of advice, but just chiming in to say I am right there with you. I am training for a marathon this coming spring (April) and my furthest distance so far has been a horrid 16 miler. Running my second half next weekend and have not run that distance since my fist half marathon a month ago.
I think you can use the upcoming weeks to get in a few solid runs to build up your confidence, but really it's the positive mindset that will get you to the finish line. If you believe you will cross the finish, then you will!
Any runners feels free to add me. Always looking for someone to bounce ideas off of and talk running!

vmclach

What is your running background. Sometimes taking a week off can actually benefit you. My advice is DO YOUR LONG RUNS. I went into my first marathon only doing a 14,16,19.4 miler... my 19.4 was 8 weeks before my marathon. I didn't follow a plan. I thought I knew what I was doing- my weekly mileage was 55-65, and I had a running background, but I was not okay. You don't just magically feel good at mile 16 in a marathon and find the stregnth to finish... I thought for some reason this would happen lol..

How you feel on your longs runs is how you will feel during the marathon give or take.

Since my first marathon, i've ran 2 more, and they were a lot better. 4:09, 3:47, 3:45.. My first was in May of this year.. I have another in 3 weeks... I can attest that you will NOT lose fitness from taking a week off... inbetween my 1st and 2nd, I had 11 weeks. My longest run was 15, and I PRed by 21 min...

From my most recent marathon til my next marathon will be 6 weeks, and I'm not going over 14 miles, and I am not a bit worried.


I would suggest doing your long runs as this is your first marathon and will be a shock to your body.. Have fun

schmenge55

I don't have much in the way of advice, but just chiming in to say I am right there with you. I am training for a marathon this coming spring (April) and my furthest distance so far has been a horrid 16 miler. Running my second half next weekend and have not run that distance since my fist half marathon a month ago.
I think you can use the upcoming weeks to get in a few solid runs to build up your confidence, but really it's the positive mindset that will get you to the finish line. If you believe you will cross the finish, then you will!
Any runners feels free to add me. Always looking for someone to bounce ideas off of and talk running!

I think the saying is something like the first 15 miles with your legs, the next 5 with your mind and the rest with your heart

gavini

Good morning my friend. I am sorry to hear of the death in your family. Beyond that I have nothing but good news. Losing that week is nothing in the scope of your overall training. Fitness loss after one week is very minimal and will come right back. Being nervous is totally normal. Expect to "nail" some of your runs in the future. Expect some to be hard. Trust your training. You are on a good path!

what he said.

taking a week off can actually help you so dont worry about that at all.

sounds like you have a good plan to have your body ready for the marathon now worry about your head since a marathon is much more a mental task than shorter distances. keep reading others experiences and talk to veteran runners and most of all, on race day, be sure to go out slow. i have heard at least 100 stories from friends who went out too fast and crawled to the finishline, never once have i heard anyone talk about how they went out too slow in a marathon. running with a pace group can really help relax you and keep you on a steady pace and even better is if you have a friend who can meet you at mile 16 and run with you for a few miles or even up to 25.

you will do great, good luck