Tips for a ROOKIE REGISTERED for a FULL MARATHON
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This thread makes me sad. If you want something, go get it. Period. Life is a learning process. If you fall on your face, who cares? People are so afraid of failure that they aren't willing to take risks. I commend your couagous decision to venture into the sport of distance running. As you can tell, it's a VERY bold move. I, for one, love you for it.
I started smoking at age 16. Running helped me quit.
I ran my first marathon 13 months ago, I have ran 6 more marathons taking my time from 4:09 down to 3:27.. I've BQed twice. I've also completed an ultra marathon 31.5 miles ~9:10 pace (second female overall).
Lots of people think I'm crazy/don't agree with my training.
People tried to scare me out of running my first marathon too, and I listened. I should have just done it when I wanted to.
You'll be totally fine
People sharing their opinions (even when the disagree with OP's) in a public forum makes you "sad"?You'll be totally fine
This dismissal of reasonable and experienced countering opinions makes me sad.0 -
This thread makes me sad. If you want something, go get it. Period. Life is a learning process. If you fall on your face, who cares? People are so afraid of failure that they aren't willing to take risks. I commend your couagous decision to venture into the sport of distance running. As you can tell, it's a VERY bold move. I, for one, love you for it.
I started smoking at age 16. Running helped me quit.
I ran my first marathon 13 months ago, I have ran 6 more marathons taking my time from 4:09 down to 3:27.. I've BQed twice. I've also completed an ultra marathon 31.5 miles ~9:10 pace (second female overall).
Lots of people think I'm crazy/don't agree with my training.
People tried to scare me out of running my first marathon too, and I listened. I should have just done it when I wanted to.
You'll be totally fine
People sharing their opinions (even when the disagree with OP's) in a public forum makes you "sad"?You'll be totally fine
This dismissal of reasonable and experienced countering opinions makes me sad.
She's said multiple times that she's going to train. You honestly think a person who spends a year training cannot walk 26.2 miles?
Yes, it makes me sad that people try to "scare" others out of running a marathon.0 -
I'm bumping this for some of the information I was seeing, I want to start running (I'm not looking to do a marathon or even half marathon anytime soon, but thought a good deal of the info could still be of great help for any training) and have seen some good tips on this board I'd like to revisit.
Check out the Couch to 5k group:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/30-couch-to-5k-running-program-c25k0 -
This thread makes me sad. If you want something, go get it. Period. Life is a learning process. If you fall on your face, who cares? People are so afraid of failure that they aren't willing to take risks. I commend your couagous decision to venture into the sport of distance running. As you can tell, it's a VERY bold move. I, for one, love you for it.
I started smoking at age 16. Running helped me quit.
I ran my first marathon 13 months ago, I have ran 6 more marathons taking my time from 4:09 down to 3:27.. I've BQed twice. I've also completed an ultra marathon 31.5 miles ~9:10 pace (second female overall).
Lots of people think I'm crazy/don't agree with my training.
People tried to scare me out of running my first marathon too, and I listened. I should have just done it when I wanted to.
You'll be totally fine
People sharing their opinions (even when the disagree with OP's) in a public forum makes you "sad"?You'll be totally fine
This dismissal of reasonable and experienced countering opinions makes me sad.
She's said multiple times that she's going to train. You honestly think a person who spends a year training cannot walk 26.2 miles?
Yes, it makes me sad that people try to "scare" others out of running a marathon.
It's not "scaring". People aren't telling her to not run a marathon. They're telling her that she's more likely to be successful if she dials it back to a half this year and does a full marathon next year. We want her to run a marathon and have a great experience with it.
There are main risk factors for running injury:
1. newness to the sport - the body takes time to adapt to running
2. aggressive training - compounded by #1 because the runner hasn't learned how to listen to their body or adapt their plan
3. a history of prior injury
"I want to do a full marathon in a year" sets off bells for #1 and #2.
ETA - Also walking a marathon in 7 hours sound like a world of suck. I wouldn't do a marathon that I didn't train to do in under 4:30 because running for longer than that sounds joyless. As a friend of mine put it, "My BIL asked why I want to run for 2 1/2 hours because he dreads driving for that long."0 -
Yes, it makes me sad that people try to "scare" others out of running a marathon.
Nobody tried to scare anyone out of anything.
EXPERIENCED runners advice was not "don't do it", but rather "not yet". Taking a cautious and reasonable approach to this goal is good sound advice.0 -
It's not "scaring". People aren't telling her to not run a marathon. They're telling her that she's more likely to be successful if she dials it back to a half this year and does a full marathon next year. We want her to run a marathon and have a great experience with it.
There are main risk factors for running injury:
1. newness to the sport - the body takes time to adapt to running
2. aggressive training - compounded by #1 because the runner hasn't learned how to listen to their body or adapt their plan
3. a history of prior injury
"I want to do a full marathon in a year" sets off bells for #1 and #2.
Also walking a marathon in 7 hours sound like a world of suck. I wouldn't do a marathon that I didn't train to do in under 4:30 because running for longer than that sounds joyless. As a friend of mine put it, "My BIL asked why I want to run for 2 1/2 hours because he dreads driving for that long."
QFT
And Victoria, you should already know this.0 -
This thread makes me sad. If you want something, go get it. Period. Life is a learning process. If you fall on your face, who cares? People are so afraid of failure that they aren't willing to take risks. I commend your couagous decision to venture into the sport of distance running. As you can tell, it's a VERY bold move. I, for one, love you for it.
I started smoking at age 16. Running helped me quit.
I ran my first marathon 13 months ago, I have ran 6 more marathons taking my time from 4:09 down to 3:27.. I've BQed twice. I've also completed an ultra marathon 31.5 miles ~9:10 pace (second female overall).
Lots of people think I'm crazy/don't agree with my training.
People tried to scare me out of running my first marathon too, and I listened. I should have just done it when I wanted to.
You'll be totally fine
Me and you are soul sisters somewwere in this past life!0 -
Yes, it makes me sad that people try to "scare" others out of running a marathon.
Nobody tried to scare anyone out of anything.
EXPERIENCED runners advice was not "don't do it", but rather "not yet". Taking a cautious and reasonable approach to this goal is good sound advice.
Exactly.
And there's a big difference between what someone who has been running consistently for a while can do vs what an untrained adult can do in a relatively short period of time. Might she be okay? Absolutely possible. Is her plan an ideal course of action? Not even close (for the many various and valid posts that have been made so far).
Whether she decides to do it or not...and whether or not she's ultimately successful in her goal...I hope she follows through on her commitment to give us an update on her experience next year. Will also be interesting to see what advice she has next year for someone who is considering a similar undertaking. Experience tends to be a wonderful (but unforgiving) teacher in ways that nothing else can.0 -
Congratulations on your decision to run a Full Marathon! I was in your shoes myself once... I took up running and completed a full marathon with 11 months of training.
I guess you are looking for advice on how to accomplish this? I've just jotted down some thoughts for you... random as they may appear, I hope they are helpful. As an FYI, I didn't read everyone else's posts. I wanted to give you my own perspective.
1. Tune out the naysaysers! You can do this. It is possible, and it has been done.
2. Find a sensible plan and stick to it. There are many great plans out there by experienced runners (Jeff Galloway, Hal Higdon, John Stanton etc all have books and plans to suit people of all backgrounds.
3. Set milestones for your training... It helps to run a 5K, a 10K or a half marathon along the way to prepare yourself for race conditions.
4. Cross train. Because you are new to running, I would break up your week and allow for a couple of cross training sessions. Many full marathon programs jump into 5-6 days of running a week. Replace one or two of these runs to give your legs a break and strengthen the rest of your body.
5. Find a friend to train with... it helps keep you accountable to your plan.
6. Don't forget to incorporate a rest day (or two into your routine). Running stresses the body and causes a build up of microscopic tears into your muscle tissue. These tears need recovery time. Failing to rest and recover eventually leads to injury.
7. Track your mileage and don't increase your weekly mileage by more than 10% per week. If you run 20 Miles this week... Run 22 next week.
8. Tracking your mileage is great... but don't forget to track the mileage on your shoes... they will break down every 500 miles or so
9. Make sure you are adding a little extra sleep to your routine. You should try to add a minutes sleep per night for every mile you run during the week (within reason) If you run 30 miles this week... add 30 minutes of sleep a night. Your body will thank you!
10. Optional -> Ensure you eat a well balanced diet and consider adding a multivitamin. This is debatable and doesn't apply for everyone.. I've been told by numerous doctors and nutritionists, that runners can deplete a great number of vitamins and minerals including iron, B and D vitamins. This is part and parcel to our bodies constantly repairing itself. A well balanced diet with a multivitamin can only help you as a distance runner.
Feel free to add me. I've run several marathons (although I've lately settled on half marathons) and have previously coached on behalf of the Running Room up here in Canada. I'm told I'm a pretty good source of information for runners and generally willing to offer practical non-judgemental advice.
Good Luck and again congratulations on your decision!0 -
Congratulations on your decision to run a Full Marathon! I was in your shoes myself once... I took up running and completed a full marathon with 11 months of training.
I guess you are looking for advice on how to accomplish this? I've just jotted down some thoughts for you... random as they may appear, I hope they are helpful. As an FYI, I didn't read everyone else's posts. I wanted to give you my own perspective.
1. Tune out the naysaysers! You can do this. It is possible, and it has been done.
2. Find a sensible plan and stick to it. There are many great plans out there by experienced runners (Jeff Galloway, Hal Higdon, John Stanton etc all have books and plans to suit people of all backgrounds.
3. Set milestones for your training... It helps to run a 5K, a 10K or a half marathon along the way to prepare yourself for race conditions.
4. Cross train. Because you are new to running, I would break up your week and allow for a couple of cross training sessions. Many full marathon programs jump into 5-6 days of running a week. Replace one or two of these runs to give your legs a break and strengthen the rest of your body.
5. Find a friend to train with... it helps keep you accountable to your plan.
6. Don't forget to incorporate a rest day (or two into your routine). Running stresses the body and causes a build up of microscopic tears into your muscle tissue. These tears need recovery time. Failing to rest and recover eventually leads to injury.
7. Track your mileage and don't increase your weekly mileage by more than 10% per week. If you run 20 Miles this week... Run 22 next week.
8. Tracking your mileage is great... but don't forget to track the mileage on your shoes... they will break down every 500 miles or so
9. Make sure you are adding a little extra sleep to your routine. You should try to add a minutes sleep per night for every mile you run during the week (within reason) If you run 30 miles this week... add 30 minutes of sleep a night. Your body will thank you!
10. Optional -> Ensure you eat a well balanced diet and consider adding a multivitamin. This is debatable and doesn't apply for everyone.. I've been told by numerous doctors and nutritionists, that runners can deplete a great number of vitamins and minerals including iron, B and D vitamins. This is part and parcel to our bodies constantly repairing itself. A well balanced diet with a multivitamin can only help you as a distance runner.
Feel free to add me. I've run several marathons (although I've lately settled on half marathons) and have previously coached on behalf of the Running Room up here in Canada. I'm told I'm a pretty good source of information for runners and generally willing to offer practical non-judgemental advice.
Good Luck and again congratulations on your decision!
I appreciate your advice. I guess when I posted I wasnt really looking for permission, I was looking for tips. Alot of people mentioned mostly it was not recommended at my current running level-not what I need to hear. lol Im running , god willing, the whole race and will complete it. The challenge may just be in how much time etc. I am not looking for a time. I know where I stand, my goal is to finish. To push myself. To accomplish something great for myself. From going from being immobile to running this marathon will just let me know all the sweat and tears of these past 2 years were only the beginning. Enough of that cheesy stuff...
I loved #1. I loved that you gave me advice on how to finish without reading all the negative posts ive received. The first month(now) im working on the act of jogging, building stamina. The c25k is where im at right now, along with walking for the rest of the hour after I finish the c25k.I have been incorporating some dumbbells/core exercises on off days and walking. I will incorporate biking now too, as a great tip from someone who was in my current position and finished a marathon himself.
I have incorporated a multi already as well. I need to work on the sleep part.
Once again, I thank you for advice. I hope to be back to this forum and update on my running results in a year .
Congrats on finishing a full as well. 0 -
This thread makes me sad. If you want something, go get it. Period. Life is a learning process. If you fall on your face, who cares? People are so afraid of failure that they aren't willing to take risks. I commend your couagous decision to venture into the sport of distance running. As you can tell, it's a VERY bold move. I, for one, love you for it.
I started smoking at age 16. Running helped me quit.
I ran my first marathon 13 months ago, I have ran 6 more marathons taking my time from 4:09 down to 3:27.. I've BQed twice. I've also completed an ultra marathon 31.5 miles ~9:10 pace (second female overall).
Lots of people think I'm crazy/don't agree with my training.
People tried to scare me out of running my first marathon too, and I listened. I should have just done it when I wanted to.
You'll be totally fine
+1
I may be on North Pole to Victoria's South Pole but I'm with her on this one.
Alright Victoria!!!
Edit : I have great typing skills. Editing to fix them.
0 -
Yeah shes awesome!This thread makes me sad. If you want something, go get it. Period. Life is a learning process. If you fall on your face, who cares? People are so afraid of failure that they aren't willing to take risks. I commend your couagous decision to venture into the sport of distance running. As you can tell, it's a VERY bold move. I, for one, love you for it.
I started smoking at age 16. Running helped me quit.
I ran my first marathon 13 months ago, I have ran 6 more marathons taking my time from 4:09 down to 3:27.. I've BQed twice. I've also completed an ultra marathon 31.5 miles ~9:10 pace (second female overall).
Lots of people think I'm crazy/don't agree with my training.
People tried to scare me out of running my first marathon too, and I listened. I should have just done it when I wanted to.
You'll be totally fine
+1
I may be on North Pole to Victoria's South Pole but I'm with her one this one.
Alright Victoria!!!0 -
Yeah shes awesome!This thread makes me sad. If you want something, go get it. Period. Life is a learning process. If you fall on your face, who cares? People are so afraid of failure that they aren't willing to take risks. I commend your couagous decision to venture into the sport of distance running. As you can tell, it's a VERY bold move. I, for one, love you for it.
I started smoking at age 16. Running helped me quit.
I ran my first marathon 13 months ago, I have ran 6 more marathons taking my time from 4:09 down to 3:27.. I've BQed twice. I've also completed an ultra marathon 31.5 miles ~9:10 pace (second female overall).
Lots of people think I'm crazy/don't agree with my training.
People tried to scare me out of running my first marathon too, and I listened. I should have just done it when I wanted to.
You'll be totally fine
+1
I may be on North Pole to Victoria's South Pole but I'm with her one this one.
Alright Victoria!!!
As a runner yes. I'll not comment about anything other than her running skills.0 -
I'd say it's possible. It's really, really, really hard, and perhaps inadvisable, but it is possible.
You're going to have to dedicate a of a lot of time to it to be ready in your given time frame. And also accept that as you progress with your training, you are going to be tired. It won't just be time spent running that you have dedicated to this goal, it will be time spent resting. You are also going to have to make the choice between recovering properly between training sessions, and continuing to lose weight. Because they are mutually exclusive*. Also, recognize that you are on a razor's edge between ramping up your training fast enough to be ready, and overdoing it and suffering an overuse injury that puts you out of the running altogether.
I'd recommend buying a bike. A bike? Yes, a bike. Cross-training on a bicycle is the best thing I ever did for my running. You will be able to increase your cardio fitness much faster, without all the extra impact of ramping up your running too quickly.
*Source: I'm in a similar position, getting fit again and decided to set myself a stretching goal of doing my first Olympic triathlon. I had hoped to drop another 5 pounds before race day, but eating at a deficit plus all the training I am doing just weren't compatible. I was exhausted all the time, and it lead to frequent binges when my body just totally overruled me and put me on autopilot to the carbs.
I started training at a much better position than you did - already able to run 10k+, swim a mile and I had lost most of the weight I wanted to. Yet my goal (1.5km swim, 40km cycle, 10k run) is still stretching me to my limits. Admittedly, I'm not happy with just crossing the finish line - I want to do it in under 3 hours.0 -
Eat small but sensible portions before a run, no worse feeling then getting defeated by runners trots
0 -
Very useful tips everyone, thanks!0
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This thread makes me sad. If you want something, go get it. Period. Life is a learning process. If you fall on your face, who cares? People are so afraid of failure that they aren't willing to take risks. I commend your couagous decision to venture into the sport of distance running. As you can tell, it's a VERY bold move. I, for one, love you for it.
I started smoking at age 16. Running helped me quit.
I ran my first marathon 13 months ago, I have ran 6 more marathons taking my time from 4:09 down to 3:27.. I've BQed twice. I've also completed an ultra marathon 31.5 miles ~9:10 pace (second female overall).
Lots of people think I'm crazy/don't agree with my training.
People tried to scare me out of running my first marathon too, and I listened. I should have just done it when I wanted to.
You'll be totally fine
WHEW! For a minute there i was worried that i wasn't going to get an update on your race times but there it was, right there in the second paragraph. thank you for providing that relevant information....
in every thread.
every.
single.
thread.0 -
I'd say it's possible. It's really, really, really hard, and perhaps inadvisable, but it is possible.
You're going to have to dedicate a of a lot of time to it to be ready in your given time frame. And also accept that as you progress with your training, you are going to be tired. It won't just be time spent running that you have dedicated to this goal, it will be time spent resting. You are also going to have to make the choice between recovering properly between training sessions, and continuing to lose weight. Because they are mutually exclusive*. Also, recognize that you are on a razor's edge between ramping up your training fast enough to be ready, and overdoing it and suffering an overuse injury that puts you out of the running altogether.
I'd recommend buying a bike. A bike? Yes, a bike. Cross-training on a bicycle is the best thing I ever did for my running. You will be able to increase your cardio fitness much faster, without all the extra impact of ramping up your running too quickly.
*Source: I'm in a similar position, getting fit again and decided to set myself a stretching goal of doing my first Olympic triathlon. I had hoped to drop another 5 pounds before race day, but eating at a deficit plus all the training I am doing just weren't compatible. I was exhausted all the time, and it lead to frequent binges when my body just totally overruled me and put me on autopilot to the carbs.
I started training at a much better position than you did - already able to run 10k+, swim a mile and I had lost most of the weight I wanted to. Yet my goal (1.5km swim, 40km cycle, 10k run) is still stretching me to my limits. Admittedly, I'm not happy with just crossing the finish line - I want to do it in under 3 hours.
Thank you for the advice. I wish you luck on your goal. I am ok with whatever time I get. Just dont want to get picked up by the slow wagon. :drinker: 0 -
Eat small but sensible portions before a run, no worse feeling then getting defeated by runners trots
I can imagine, and I do wworry about this. lol0 -
This thread makes me sad. If you want something, go get it. Period. Life is a learning process. If you fall on your face, who cares? People are so afraid of failure that they aren't willing to take risks. I commend your couagous decision to venture into the sport of distance running. As you can tell, it's a VERY bold move. I, for one, love you for it.
I started smoking at age 16. Running helped me quit.
I ran my first marathon 13 months ago, I have ran 6 more marathons taking my time from 4:09 down to 3:27.. I've BQed twice. I've also completed an ultra marathon 31.5 miles ~9:10 pace (second female overall).
Lots of people think I'm crazy/don't agree with my training.
People tried to scare me out of running my first marathon too, and I listened. I should have just done it when I wanted to.
You'll be totally fine
WHEW! For a minute there i was worried that i wasn't going to get an update on your race times but there it was, right there in the second paragraph. thank you for providing that relevant information....
in every thread.
every.
single.
thread.
Man, runner's are a special breed. lol........0
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