Pros and Cons of Marathon Training

davemunger

The three most important pieces of advice are:

1. Join a running group. Folks in a running group will have great advice and will always be willing to help out when you have questions.

2. Join a running group. There is always someone who's just a little bit better than you to inspire you and motivate you to perform your best.

3. Join a running group. During long runs, they will keep you company, inspire you, and make the time fly by. They will become your best friends.

But beware, if you join a running group, they will probably talk you into running another marathon...and another, and another, and another!

SonicDeathMonkey80

The three most important pieces of advice are:

1. Join a running group. Folks in a running group will have great advice and will always be willing to help out when you have questions.

2. Join a running group. There is always someone who's just a little bit better than you to inspire you and motivate you to perform your best.

3. Join a running group. During long runs, they will keep you company, inspire you, and make the time fly by. They will become your best friends.

But beware, if you join a running group, they will probably talk you into running another marathon...and another, and another, and another!

I concur. My group took a little while to get warmed up to, but...

I met a friend who is similar speed as me and we've been pushing and PR'ing each other
I never had anyone cheer for me during a race until yesterday thanks to my group
Except for tapers, I haven't missed any of my long runs since joining my group

jenn26point2

I am in the final week of training (taper) for my marathon this Sunday and I am scared ****less. I will reiterate that those last 6.2 miles are what scare me. I didn't see them during training (and was told I didn't need them) and so they scare me. I did my 16 and 18 milers on a treadmill b/c it was bitterly cold outside. I am running my marathon in Vibrams so I am no help with shoes - however, I have had no running injuries in my vibrams (ran 10 half marathons previously, 4 of them in this same exact pair of vibrams - YAY for not needing to replace running shoes every other week!!).

Did I mention I'm scared? I'm also so ready to be done that I don't even want to run it. Training for a marathon is a LOT of running. It is a LOT of time. And if you have kids (I have a 7 year old and a 3 year old) it is a lot of time for someone else to commit as well (to babysit the kidlets).

I am considering a second marathon come this fall - but it's only an inkling right now. To be honest, I wish Sunday's run was only a half... A half I can do with no issues... a full? A full is scary.

Oh, and I didn't have a running partner. Every single one of my miles was done solo. So while a running partner (or bike partner) would have been superb, it's not necessary.



PS my body is capable - I just have to convince my mind that we'll be fine.

mbilling

The primary Con is simply the time commitment. Just get used to saying "I can't, I'm running..." or some variation of it.
You will also start to doubt yourself toward the end of training. There will be bad runs and you'll wonder if you're not just kidding yourself, but if you put in the time and the training, you can and WILL do it!

The Pros are definitely getting to eat a crap-ton of food without really having to track, at least toward the last weeks of training. Also, your legs will look ah-mazing! And your friends will all think you're a bad-*kitten*, which you are.

Oh, another Con is that it's hard to go back to calorie restricting when you cut back on running, I got a pretty nasty URI a few months after mine, and so I was sidelined for several weeks, and was eating for comfort, and used to being able to eat it all...and I gained quite a bit of weight in a relatively short amount of time. I don't recommend that.

I've only run one. I've run LOADS of half-marathons, but just the one full, so far. I am hoping to be ready for another next spring.

ThickMcRunFast

I am in the final week of training (taper) for my marathon this Sunday and I am scared ****less. I will reiterate that those last 6.2 miles are what scare me. I didn't see them during training (and was told I didn't need them) and so they scare me. I did my 16 and 18 milers on a treadmill b/c it was bitterly cold outside. I am running my marathon in Vibrams so I am no help with shoes - however, I have had no running injuries in my vibrams (ran 10 half marathons previously, 4 of them in this same exact pair of vibrams - YAY for not needing to replace running shoes every other week!!).

Did I mention I'm scared? I'm also so ready to be done that I don't even want to run it. Training for a marathon is a LOT of running. It is a LOT of time. And if you have kids (I have a 7 year old and a 3 year old) it is a lot of time for someone else to commit as well (to babysit the kidlets).

I am considering a second marathon come this fall - but it's only an inkling right now. To be honest, I wish Sunday's run was only a half... A half I can do with no issues... a full? A full is scary.

Oh, and I didn't have a running partner. Every single one of my miles was done solo. So while a running partner (or bike partner) would have been superb, it's not necessary.



PS my body is capable - I just have to convince my mind that we'll be fine.

Just wanted to say good luck!

The first marathon is oddly about trust...you have to trust that the training will work. In a way, training is just a formula. Want to run a marathon in "x" time? Apply "y" formula. Coaches and veterans know the formula works if you apply it correctly, but first timers just have to sort of blindly trust that the training won't let them down. Its totally normal to be freaked out. But crossing the finish line of my first marathon is something I will never, ever forget. Its up there in the top 5 all time greatest memories of my life.

tabbydog

I am currently a 19 miler and a 20 miler away from my first marathon. I am using Hal Higdon Novice 2 program. I started training for one last summer and ended up injured. Feeling good this time around. The time commitment is huge. And I can't wait to not have to run X number of miles/day/week/month when this is over. That said, I will likely do it again. I am not a fast runner, so the long runs are a huge time commitment. It took me 3 hours 21 minutes to run my 18 miler yesterday. I am going to run this one to finish. The next one I will try to improve my time. Or maybe work on my half marathon pace for a while before running another. We shall see. Good luck!

01226

Hi,
Ive done 6 full marathons.
If you can do a half, you can do a full. Its just a matter of more training (easier said than done). 18 / 20 milers are painfully dull, even my dog hates them but I would only do 20 miles twice in the run up to a marathon. Lets face it, you won't get 20 miles in and then think that you cant be bothered with the other 6!
If you are not over worried about the time you finish in, then train as well as you can and enjoy the journey. Make sure that your first marathon is a good one - popular, fun, an event. Mine was Amsterdam - very exciting, flat etc. Ive also done Loch Ness twice - not a first marathon to do!

Good luck. Its a very special experience.

Nickle526

I'm training for my first full marathon using Hal Higdon's novice 2 program. Saturday was a 12-miler and it felt pretty good. The time commitment is huge. It's also a commitment for my boyfriend, as I am a full-time special needs caregiver and he steps in while I'm running. I actually look forward to the long runs, as I don't get a lot of alone time. I do look forward to crossing the finish line in September and choosing my next goal to work on.

lporter229

I've lost count of the number of marathons, so obviously I love doing them, but here's my take (with a note that I am biased towards doing them)

It is a huge commitment, and not one you can half-*kitten*. Well, you can, but you will have a miserable experience race day if you do. The first time through training you will have all kinds of doubts as to whether or not you can even do it, plus chances are, you will only run up to 20 miles in training, and that last 10k will be a big question mark for you on race day. Don't worry about it, if you can run 20 miles, you can run 26.2. There is a social life restriction. No more Saturday nights out. It is incredibly difficult to lose weight while training, because you become a ravenous hunger monster.

However, its a great experience. Not only the race, but the 18 weeks of training you go through. It teaches you a lot about yourself, and what kind of discipline you have. I tend to stop weight training (but not strength training - I just back off to body weight) during high mileage training. I enjoy the peace of a long run and the way my body hums through the day after a morning interval workout (even though mile repeats make me want to barf).

If you want to do it, I say do it. Its not like you're committing to running them forever. If you don't like it, you don't have to do another one.

Although I have only run one marathon, I couldn't agree more with this post. I would only add, a half marathon and a marathon are TOTALLY different things. After doing a half, some people prefer to focus their energy on getting faster and slay the half marathon. A full marathon is not for everyone, although I do believe that anyone can and should do it if they want to. Just know what you are getting into and don't rush into it. There were 9 years between my first half marathon and my full marathon, and I will never claim that that time did not serve me well in my marathon training.

czmmom

I am in the final week of training (taper) for my marathon this Sunday and I am scared ****less. I will reiterate that those last 6.2 miles are what scare me. I didn't see them during training (and was told I didn't need them) and so they scare me. I did my 16 and 18 milers on a treadmill b/c it was bitterly cold outside. I am running my marathon in Vibrams so I am no help with shoes - however, I have had no running injuries in my vibrams (ran 10 half marathons previously, 4 of them in this same exact pair of vibrams - YAY for not needing to replace running shoes every other week!!).

Did I mention I'm scared? I'm also so ready to be done that I don't even want to run it. Training for a marathon is a LOT of running. It is a LOT of time. And if you have kids (I have a 7 year old and a 3 year old) it is a lot of time for someone else to commit as well (to babysit the kidlets).

I am considering a second marathon come this fall - but it's only an inkling right now. To be honest, I wish Sunday's run was only a half... A half I can do with no issues... a full? A full is scary.

Oh, and I didn't have a running partner. Every single one of my miles was done solo. So while a running partner (or bike partner) would have been superb, it's not necessary.



PS my body is capable - I just have to convince my mind that we'll be fine.

Just wanted to say "Good Luck"!! I am also my own worst enemy when it comes to running sometimes!

I was also debating making the jump to a marathon, so I decided to leave it up to fate and signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon lottery. I got in - so I will begin training for it pretty soon. It is a time commitment that I am up for. I also have a super supportive husband who won't mind the kiddos on my long runs. I am also just training to finish it.

pobalita

I went from running a 5K to running a marathon in one year using the Hal Higdon novice program. In hindsight, I wish I'd had more experience under my belt before I tried it, but I'm glad I did it. Everyone is giving great advice. I would only add that you should listen to your body. If you are not recovering enough between long runs, you could need to slow the program down a little.

I also trained for and completed my marathon with a vegan diet. Please carefully watch your protein intake and make sure you get an adequate amount because it is very important for muscle recovery. It's relatively easy to get enough protein as a vegan while doing a regular amount of exerscise, but a lot harder when you are doing endurance training. You may need to consider protein powders or supplements. I did not do this and it was a mistake. I ended up losing a lot of muscle mass and gaining a lot of body fat which really, really slowed me down.

Good luck.