Would like to run a marathon!

lottie_28

I'm considering running in the London Marathon next year (if I can get a place!). The thing is, I am pretty much at the bottom of the fitness chain!
I am doing Couch to 5k, and I'm on week 3 at the moment which I am finding fine, but don't want to move up to week 4 too soon.

My question is, how long roughly do you think it would take to train for a marathon? Is couch to 26.2miles in 1 year feasible?!

Oh and I go running 4 or 5 times per week, and am prepared to put the work in!

EDIT: forgot to say, don't know if it means much but I am 20, and will be 21 by the time I run the marathon, so also hopefully I am at a prime age to be building up my fitness.

BarefootBrendan

Totally possible. Good Luck.

sawyerlm

Very doable! Go get 'em!

AWME

I think that's a bit ambitious, if your truly started at "couch." You could do it, but be prepared to walk some during long training runs and during the race. Work a 10K and half marathon into your training.

Take a look at the training plans on Hal Higdon's site. That might give you a better assessment of how possible it will be for you, based on your current fitness level.

jfcarlson713

I started running in late October (1 mile) and now am training for a half-marathon (May 6th). I didn't use any programs but have several friends that run so they supported and advised me. I would think if you're committed to a rigid training schedule you can do it. Probably do a couple of 10K's and half-marathons before hand so you get the whole "race" experience befre a full. Good Luck & keep putting one foot in front of the other!!

Bull2707

Doable!! I am running in a half marathon before i go for the big one. good luck!

ItsMeRebekah

i think you can do it. if i were you i would do a 1/2 mid way thru training so you know what you are getting into and what your body needs for races. IMO a race, and training are two different things and you will learn where your body will need to train more and target at (miles and stuff) by doing the 1/2

silkysly

Make it your goal & do it. Period. I’m running my first marathon on May 5th & never thought I could. You got this.., so go for it!

Swanson83

That is plenty of time! I started as a couch potato! and I am training for a 1/2 marathon that is in 5 weeks and I started reallly running in February. So I am only 11 weeks in and I can run 10 miles now! Just take it slow don't over do it. Once you are done with the C25K just keep up with your running. There are a lot of training programs out there for what you are looking for!

GOOD LUCK!!

neverstray

Google, "how to run a marathon". There are some great training programs. Just follow one of them.

I'm training for a half right now. I thought it would be hard, but it's kind of easy. If it goes well, I'll be running a full marathon in November.

51powerski

I'm considering running in the London Marathon next year (if I can get a place!). The thing is, I am pretty much at the bottom of the fitness chain!
I am doing Couch to 5k, and I'm on week 3 at the moment which I am finding fine, but don't want to move up to week 4 too soon.

My question is, how long roughly do you think it would take to train for a marathon? Is couch to 26.2miles in 1 year feasible?!

Oh and I go running 4 or 5 times per week, and am prepared to put the work in!

Yes you can do it. Odds are you wont get a place though (unless you go for a charity one), so you might have even longer than you think.

Chagama

Absolutely. After the 5K, follow a 10 K plan,, then a 1/2 marathon plan, and then the full marathon plan. It's less than 52 weeks total, so there is no reason why you can't do it.

Good luck

lilyjay_

I'm considering running in the London Marathon next year (if I can get a place!). The thing is, I am pretty much at the bottom of the fitness chain!
I am doing Couch to 5k, and I'm on week 3 at the moment which I am finding fine, but don't want to move up to week 4 too soon.

My question is, how long roughly do you think it would take to train for a marathon? Is couch to 26.2miles in 1 year feasible?!

Oh and I go running 4 or 5 times per week, and am prepared to put the work in!

I decided a few weeks ago that I am going to run a marathon, am on week 7 of c25k now... I wasn't going to do it for a few years yet but this is tempting me to try next year too!

LM297

Quite possible. 4 years ago I never ran & started C25K once I finished that I signed up for a half marathon with Team in Training. I highly recommend seeing if there is a chapter near you. You raise money for the leukemia & lymphoma society & they will train you. It is an incredible experience! By the way I am still running today love it!

lilyjay_

Absolutely. After the 5K, follow a 10 K plan,, then a 1/2 marathon plan, and then the full marathon plan. It's less than 52 weeks total, so there is no reason why you can't do it.

Good luck

Ooh this is what I was going to do but hadn't worked out timeframes... I want to do this too!

msmith2020

Its a dream for me as well. But let me give you some couch to 5k advice from my experiences- I did the couch to 5k program and it was great- I signed up for a 2 mile race here in my town and the hills killed me! I love running on a treadmill, but put me on the road and its like I have no endurance, I would say keep 70% of your training runs outside to build up to the natural turane of the earth, the roads and especially the hills!!

Good luck! I hope to one day run the Disney Princess Marathon!!

I'm about to start training for a 10k so that way when I do a 5k in October I'll be able to KNOW I can hit 6.2 miles so 3.1 wont be so bad lol..

sufikitkat

Absolutely doable! Just train smart. I started training for distance January 2011 (half marathon) and am running my first marathon this May. I could have done it sooner but money held me back from signing up. Just remember to up your long runs by 10% each week, run a 5k, 10k, 15k, half marathon in the time between for that race experience too. Once you have your weekly mileage up to 25, add in a speedwork or tempo run day to help with pace. You can definitely do this!!

ashreynolds09

I agree, you can totally do it! Get off your rear and get movin now!

Good luck! keep us posted on it!

KahuNZ

Its a dream for me as well. But let me give you some couch to 5k advice from my experiences- I did the couch to 5k program and it was great- I signed up for a 2 mile race here in my town and the hills killed me! I love running on a treadmill, but put me on the road and its like I have no endurance, I would say keep 70% of your training runs outside to build up to the natural turane of the earth, the roads and especially the hills!!

Good luck! I hope to one day run the Disney Princess Marathon!!

I'm about to start training for a 10k so that way when I do a 5k in October I'll be able to KNOW I can hit 6.2 miles so 3.1 wont be so bad lol..

Totally agree MsSmith - I am 51 yrs so loads older than you. I have completed the C25K and now on B210K. I have been doing this all on the treadmill except for my final day on C25K when I ran outside on the road. Totally different! When I ran a 1/2 marathon at 48yrs, I only ran outside to train - think this is the best way. I use the treadmill for fitness rather than doing training for a fun run or marathon.

siobhabutler

Definately can be done 30-40 weeks training should do it if you just want to do and don't worry about times and all that jazz. Doing one in October fingers and toes crossed!

lottie_28

Thank you for the replies!

I'm going to try my hardest to get a place, and once that happens.... argh! I'm going to try for a charity place, I want to run it for Beat (the UK eating disorder charity) so fingers crossed I get it

I'm going to finish couch to 5k, and then do the 'boost to 10k' option. Then I will trawl the app store for the next step up!

I honestly used to HATE running. I mean, it hurt. It made me feel like I was going to die! My lungs would hurt, I'd feel sick, I'd lose vision, bla bla blaaa... unpleasant experience! But since doing the couch to 5k, I've learnt that if you actually keep your training at a reasonable level, it's really quite fun! I don't feel like I'm going to die, I feel a lot more invigorated and I actually enjoy it! (What is this madness?!).

I actually live in London, and I do all my running outside as it is (can't afford the gym and enjoy the scenery!). The area I live in is slightly hilly, not too steep - but yep it's central london so not too different from the marathon!

Ah damn you for being so motivational... what have I got myself into?!

lottie_28

Also good luck to everyone training for or running a marathon! I am aspiring to be you

sufikitkat

Hal Higdon's training app is great...its not free (9.99 from what I hear) but his training plans are really effective and I have pulled advice from him that has helped!

BrianSharpe

I'll add my voice to the chorus of ambitious but attainable.

The key is to train consistently and progress slowly (keep it to a maximum 10% in overall volume week after week) and take your recovery days / lower volume weeks. Strength training will also help considerably.

As the others have suggested, get some shorter races in along the way & have fun!

Aperture_Science

OK I'm going to throw my thoughts into the mix:

Yes it's possible. With determination and the training you have enough time and at 20 - 21 you should respond to the training well, increasing fitness progressively. Running is brilliant and despite the anti-cardio brigade's moaning is great for you and good for weight loss.

But, do not underestimate the commitment required to get through a marathon. On the day it is hard: Very, very hard but that is NOTHING compared to the months of running you need to put in to get to the level required to contemplate over 4 hours of running. Most training programs have long runs scheduled for the weekend, over three hours of running towards the end. This means that not only are your Sunday mornings spent running but your Sunday afternoons are spent on the sofa recovering and your Saturday nights are spent sipping cocoa tucked up in bed. If this doesn't fit in with your lifestyle or that of your significant other's lifestyle you may have some arguments in store.

Also, as great as running is, and as hard as training for a mara is, it is much, much harder if you are trying to lose weight at the same time: Not impossible, but much harder. Many people put on weight whilst training for distance events. Why? During training your priorities change from eating and running to lose weight to eating to fuel your runs. If during mara training your cals dip too low you can get ill and/or injured so many choose to maintain for the last two to three months of training.

I don't want to sound down about it all, it really is a brilliant thing to do, but you need to go into it with your eyes wide open.

Best wishes.

lottie_28

Thank you for the advice! To be honest I hadn't really considered how hard the actual race would be... it always looks so easy on the TV :P Haha, no I know it would be hard so I'm just going to take it as it comes!
I'm doing my degree at the moment, and next year will hopefully only have about 5 hours of lectures a week, so actually this could be the perfect project to keep my mind occupied! And significant other?! Don't be silly :P Haha, forever alone

And I'm not trying to lose weight so that should make things easier When I get into serious running I think I'm going to try and find meal plans designed for runners, so that will help as well!

mznisaelaine

I think you can definitely do it! I'm about to start training for a half marathon very soon just in case! I have this one half marathon/full marathon I'm tempting to sign up for that is in October. I ran track all my life until I was 18 (I'm 22 now) but I never ran a marathon so I know the ins and outa of how to train but I never ran that log of a distance before (although I was a long distance runner back then lol) so hopefully this training helps me get bak in running shape. You can definitely run a marathon in a year, just remember to fuel your body!

Smuterella

Golly, I'd love to be able to do this. I'm going for the 5K then bridge to 10K this year, hopefully I can then build from that.

CarsonRuns

I'm going to jump in here are the voice of reason. I think that, if you want to run a marathon and actually enjoy the experience, you shouldn't start training for one (meaning a typical 16 week program) until you have a base of at LEAST 25 miles per week for 12 to 18 months consistently. The marathon is a completely different animal from a half marathon, which can be done on much less base and far fewer training miles.

There are a few different things that can happen if you try to run that marathon before you body is truly ready for it.

1. You get hurt and never make it to the starting line and vow to never do another one.
2. You hate the training because it's too much too fast and never make it to the starting line and vow to never do another one.
3. You make it to the start and have to DNF the race because you are under-trained and vow to never do another one.
4. You make it to the start, but slog your way to the finish in gut wrenching agony because you are under-trainedand vow to never do another one..
5. The least likely to happen, is you run the race, finish, and have enjoyed the experience.

Take your time building up. Don't rush it. Fall in love with running before you take on something as huge as the marathon. You don't have to do a marathon to be a "real runner". There are many intermediate goals that will require just as much dedication to training as training for a marathon, but without the huge mileage. Maybe try for a 25 minute 5K or a sub 2 hour Half Marathon. There is a lot of joy to be had in running. Find it first before you make that leap.

Dragonfly1996

I am running VLM this year!! My first marathon!! Two years ago I took up running on a regular basis & going to the gym. It was really hard at first but it soon stopped hurting as much & I could run further for longer. I didn't follow any program just did it myself & on advise from running friends. Before this I couldn't run more than two lamp posts distance!! A year would be possible but make sure u enter a few races over the year ie 5k, 10k & a half marathon. Don't just do the training & go straight into a marathon - it's good to get some experience of races of 10k & over.

Also the mental side is very important & you have to make sure you will be able to dedicate a least 16 weeks to a proper training plan which for London means running in winter weather during training!!! All I have thought about since Xmas is "marathon" - first thing when I wake up & last thing before going to sleep & I read EVERYTHING to do with running!!! It is all consuming & very addictive!!! Once in your training plan you also have to rethink what you eat & your social life!!!

Would also advise you don't try & lose weight at the same time by cutting calories. Since my mileage has ramped up I have gone onto maintenance as you can't run long distance if your body isn't fuelled right!! I have put on 4lb since January & I have a stone left to lose but I will go back to weightloss at the end of April now. TBH I really haven't worried about my weight since training as marathon thoughts take up too much brain space!!

Make sure you get trainers fitted to match your gait by a proper running store & west running sox. Just a pointer as I have had knee pain during this latter part of training which the physio thinks is not having trainers for over pronation!! Too late to change them now!!

Would definately go for it & apply you will know in October!! Just keep up the running in the meantime & increase your mileage & pace SLOWLY!!!

Wish you the best of luck with it all!! :flowerforyou:

PS of course I may have a less positive attitude once I finish my marathon in a week & a halfs time - I hope I don't say "never again"!!!

ktbia

Totally doable. My sister started from nothing.. trained last summer (in june ) for a Sept half.. kept on training and did a full in March. And she kicked *kitten*, she did it just around 4 hours!