Training for a marathon! PLEASE HELP!

brittanylynne1209
brittanylynne1209 Posts: 56
in Fitness and Exercise
HI!

I want to run the Chicago Marathon in October, so a little over 5 months away! Any tips on training?

I would be running for a charity that hits very close to home, and have wanted to run a marathon for years. I used to be an avid runner (was able to run 10-15 miles at a time), however after I got pregnant with my daughter, had her, and then 6 months later got pregnant with my son, and injured my pelvis, I have not kept up with running.

I know i can't just say "I wanna run 26.2 miles" and it will happen, but I am prepared to take all the necessary steps and training.

Any advice from anyone who has run a marathon????????

Replies

  • iuangina
    iuangina Posts: 691 Member
    Best advice I was given before my first marathon - enjoy the race and don't try to beat a certain time because you want to be excited and happy that you just accomplished 26.2 miles, not disappointed that you weren't able to do it in 4 hours. You can set a time goal on the second one because they you have an actual time to beat. Your first race will be your personal record!

    As far as training goes, find a plan and stick with it. Make sure that you don't do too much too fast. You want to SLOWLY increase your mileage so you don't end up injured and unable to do the race.

    Make sure you test out all the things you want to do during the race while you are training. Practice what you will eat and drink before, during, and after your training runs so that you know what will work on race day.

    Don't beat yourself up if you miss a training run or two, but try to do the majority of them.

    Good luck!
  • MallyPie
    MallyPie Posts: 81
    The best thing that worked for me was getting a partner. He helped push me, especially through the days that I didn't want to go and train. And also, take it slow. You do not want to injure yourself b/c you rushed your training. When I was training, I had one long run a week, and the distant went up every week.

    I think my schedule was something like this:

    Mon - 2 miles
    Tues - 4 miles
    Weds - Rest
    Thurs - 4 miles
    Fri - 2 miles
    Sat - Long run
    Sun- Rest

    GOOD LUCK!
  • tenunderfour
    tenunderfour Posts: 429 Member
    Get yourself a plan. Runnersworld.com has a "smart coach" which will plan one out for you. You can also check Hal Higdon's website or Jeff Galloway's site (if you prefer a run/walk hybrid). They both have free plans for downloading.

    Get some good running shoes. And have fun! You will never forget your first! ;-)
  • KellyBerb
    KellyBerb Posts: 1
    I am training for my first marathon which is coming up this Sunday!

    I looked at a few training plans and created my own based on two of them (for me it was Hal Higdon's and marathonrookie). Each week I did two shorter runs (toward the end they were 5 miles each), one medium run (started at 8 miles topped at 10 miles) and one long run (topping at 22 miles). I would add a mile each week to the long run to max out at 22 miles.

    When I completed the long runs I made sure to practice drinking and eating GU packets along the way. I quickly found out what my stomach liked and did not like while running.

    I am now tapering and have no advice for this. I am trying to beat the nerves right now and just keep thinking of the feeling of completing the marathon.

    Good Luck!
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    How many miles are you running per week right now? How long have you been running that many miles per week?

    5 months is not a long time to prepare for a marathon unless you have a base of about 35 miles per week for a year. You run the risk of not getting to the starting line if you ramp up to fast and if you don't put in the necessary mileage in training, you run the risk of having a horrible experience.

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