How much harder is a full marathon compared to a half?

seekingstrengthX2

I did my first half marathon last month. I am 43 years old and it was a bucket list sort of thing. I thought it would be so dreadful that there'd be no way i would ever do another. Now i am wondering if i should try a full!

I struggled a lot during training but the actual race was amazing. It was like total Zen....i was in the zone and enjoyed it so much. My time was 2:15:30. Not bad for my first time, especially considering my advanced age. LOL.

So.... tell me like it is. I felt like i could have kept running at the end of my half. Not for 13 more miles of course, but i wasnt ready to fall down and crawl up into a ball.

How much harder is it? When does the WALL hit? How much more training is required? I trained 4 months for the half, never running more than 11 miles.

Thoughts?

seekingstrengthX2

Bump

CarsonRuns

The HM and the full are two completely different animals, from both a physiological and a psychological perspective.

The human body, when properly fueled, can store enough glycogen to run about 20 miles. So, you simply have enough stored fuel to run a HM and you don't for a full. So, with the full marathon, you not only are contending with fatigue, but fuel issues. So, if you happen to go out too fast and start to get tired at the end because you don't have the fitness to sustain your pace, you also have to deal with the lack of fuel for your muscles. This creates the classic bonk, where you just can't go any longer.

Psychologically, it differs because in most novice and intermediate training plans, your longest run prior to the race will be 20 miles. So, at a 9 minute mile pace, you will still have nearly another hour to run longer than you ever have when you hit the 20 mile mark in the race. Also, it's very difficult to convince yourself that a specific pace is what is right for you. You will have done so much training that you feel fantastic for the first 10 to 15 miles. You start to think "I'm running at x:xx pace right now like I planned to, but I feel great so I'm going to go 15 seconds per mile faster". Then, you hit 20 and those additional 15 seconds per mile catch up to you and you hit the wall. Had you kept your intended pace, as determined by your training and build up races, you probably would have been fine.

If you want to do it, just make sure that you continue to run consistently and that you have the buy-in from any family members. The last 8 to 12 weeks of marathon training will consume you. You will nap on long run days and be pretty useless around the house. It's a big commitment, but it's extremely rewarding.

rybo

Congrats on your half!

A full is A LOT more difficult. The training is far more time consuming and the race itself is difficult even when properly trained.

That said, I ran my 1st half and decided to run a full the following year. So I was pretty much in the same boat as you. Although it is hard, it's more than doable if you make it a goal. You will find the time to train. The first time going thru you have all the mental hurdles of running farther than you ever have before but it's exciting.

As far as the wall goes, it all depends. Proper training & realistic pacing during the race can avoid hitting the wall. I hit the wall in my first, but not my second.

My advice is to build as good a base as you can. Schedule a race far enough out that gives you time to slowly & safely build. That way when you do start and "official" program you are already ahead of the game. Good luck!

tenunderfour

I agree completely with the above posters. They are two COMPLETELY different races. A half is fun. A full is grueling. For most people it's a real test of endurance. Your body and your mind will be challenged in ways you never thought possible. I have done four marathons.... thinking about a 5th this Fall.... not sure I will do another one though. It's a big commitment of time and energy. If you have the itch though, I say go for it!

tenunderfour

Oh... and regarding "the wall"..... I only physically bonked once. It was on a training run prior to my first marathon. It was a spring race and this was supposed to be a 16 miler. It was one of the first warm days we had. I was pretty cocky - thought I could just go out and run 16 miles. I was not properly hydrated or fueled and the temp was in the high 70s. By mile 13 I was nauseous, dizzy, vomiting on the side of the trail. Mentally, I felt like I wanted to just lie down and curl up. It was almost like being drunk. I could NOT run another inch. I managed to walk the last 3 miles back to my car.

Mentally - I hit a wall at mile 23 every time I do a marathon. In fact, I usually start crying.... lol. Then I give myself a mental pep talk and run the last 5K. That's just my thing.... It is when I hit utter physical exhaustion and my mind starts playing games with me. I know it's gonna happen and I'm prepared now. It means I'm almost done!!!

zoom2

I've run 6 HMs and 3 fulls. I love the HM...I loathe the full. I gave it 3 tries and never could get beyond 22 miles on race day without horrific stop-me-in-my-tracks calf cramps, regardless of pace, hydration, or training. And the training is hard and very time-consuming--at peak mileage (55mpw, which is still on the low end, but at my slow pace it took about 10.5 hours of training/week) I started to feel like running was consuming my life. After about 16 miles my long runs are no longer really "fun." I have no plans of every doing another full, but I love every distance up to the 25k.

chanstriste13

wowza! kudos to all of you long-distancers! i just recently hit 5k and am hoping to get that up to 5 miles - *maybe* a 10k if i'm really digging it. but then i'll probably call it good. more power to you!

grinch031

Its certainly more than twice as hard. I feel like going from mile 20 to 26 is like running a half in and of itself. If you are athletic, you can wing a half with very little training. I ran a half with 5 weeks of training with no aerobic base and did quite well (~1:45). My first full, I under-estimated the distance and hit the wall once in training (6 miles of the walk of shame where I had to sit down every mile or so) and ended up walking a few miles during the latter part of the race, although I still did *ok*, but not nearly up to my potential based on my half time.

So you need to put at least a bare minimum amount of training effort into the Full if you want to finish without wanting to cry. I would say if you aren't running at least as much as this plan, don't bother. But obviously if you want a better time you'll have to put even more time into it.

http://halhigdon.com/training/51137/Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program

arc918

I agree that a full is a just a whole 'nother beast. With a half you can go in undertrained and "muscle" your way to the finish. Not so with a marathon, the truth will come out around mile 22.

I've done 25 of them now and I'm still trying to decide whether or not I like them...

My thing was I knew I would run one, but I ran halfs for a couple years and then decided I was ready.

I do always say the best thing to ever happen to my half marathons was marathon training.

neverstray

A full has always been on my bucket list, but now I'm starting to back out. i'm running my first half in a couple weeks, and I think I'm happy there. A full just seems like it would really be a grind both mentally and physically, and I don't know if I need that in my life. I just wanna have fun and be fit, and the halfs fit that bill perfectly. But, in the back of my mind, I keep thinking about the bucket list. Damn. I'd hate to die always wondering if I could have done it. *kitten*.

sleepytexan

full = 2x half.

CarsonRuns

full = 2x half.

More like 3.5x half.

grinch031

A full has always been on my bucket list, but now I'm starting to back out. i'm running my first half in a couple weeks, and I think I'm happy there. A full just seems like it would really be a grind both mentally and physically, and I don't know if I need that in my life. I just wanna have fun and be fit, and the halfs fit that bill perfectly. But, in the back of my mind, I keep thinking about the bucket list. Damn. I'd hate to die always wondering if I could have done it. *kitten*.

I had no idea I wanted to do a Full at all until I ran my first half. During my first half, we started at the half way point of the Full and finished with the full runners. All I remember is feeling so much admiration for the full runners that day who were doing twice what I was doing. At that point I knew I had to do the full, it was inevitable. I regret the way I trained for the first full, but I'm glad I did it because it taught me a tough lesson.

montana_girl

A full has always been on my bucket list, but now I'm starting to back out. i'm running my first half in a couple weeks, and I think I'm happy there. A full just seems like it would really be a grind both mentally and physically, and I don't know if I need that in my life. I just wanna have fun and be fit, and the halfs fit that bill perfectly. But, in the back of my mind, I keep thinking about the bucket list. Damn. I'd hate to die always wondering if I could have done it. *kitten*.

This is where I'm at.... I've done 6 half marathons (with two more planned for this year), but now I want to try something a bit more challenging. I want to do a full just to see if I can do it (physcially and mentally), but I'm not sure I really want to put myself through it.

I've been doing a lot of reading (message boards, blogs, etc) and talking with friends who have done a full marathon. Still considering it...

neverstray

A full has always been on my bucket list, but now I'm starting to back out. i'm running my first half in a couple weeks, and I think I'm happy there. A full just seems like it would really be a grind both mentally and physically, and I don't know if I need that in my life. I just wanna have fun and be fit, and the halfs fit that bill perfectly. But, in the back of my mind, I keep thinking about the bucket list. Damn. I'd hate to die always wondering if I could have done it. *kitten*.

This is where I'm at.... I've done 6 half marathons (with two more planned for this year), but now I want to try something a bit more challenging. I want to do a full just to see if I can do it (physcially and mentally), but I'm not sure I really want to put myself through it.

I've been doing a lot of reading (message boards, blogs, etc) and talking with friends who have done a full marathon. Still considering it...

It seems like doing a full takes the fun out of it. It's more serious. Halfs are kind of easy. I think the full is 26.2 for a reason. That is a very difficult length. It wasn't an accident that they picked that distance. It's very difficult, from what I hear. If it was 20, anyone vcould do it. It's the extra 6.2 that makes it a different thing entirely.

mlb929

Twice as hard, plus some. The plus some is mental. I can easily run a half any time I want, very little training as I've maintained the mileage. What I find, when now training for my 2nd full, is that not only is it a bigger time commitment, which is a given, I have to spend more time cross training, more time taking care of my aging body, recovery, more focus on diet and the right foods, more cross training. My family knows that while training I need their support more, my friends give me more encouragement, and it's a whole commitment that everyone gives in to me.

My "goal" is to stay trained up so that I can run the full like I do the half now... I do not need to run 25 (ARC you are my hero), but more that I can do a couple a year I want to. I'm not setting a time goal, but a finish goal - run the whole thing goal, and no injury goal.

CarsonRuns

It seems like doing a full takes the fun out of it. It's more serious. Halfs are kind of easy. I think the full is 26.2 for a reason. That is a very difficult length. It wasn't an accident that they picked that distance. It's very difficult, from what I hear. If it was 20, anyone vcould do it. It's the extra 6.2 that makes it a different thing entirely.

Depends upon what you consider fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the training required for my first marathon. It was hard, yet very rewarding. I did wait until I had been running for about 6 years before I decided to do it, so having that base established was a really big help.

As for the race being 26.2 miles, here is an interesting tidbit that I read in Running Times. The Olympic distance for the marathon was 25 miles prior to 1908 in London. For that Olympiad, the race was increased to 26.2 miles so that the finish line would be in front of the Royal's box in the stadium. So, it is that distance for a reason, just maybe not entirely because of the difficulty.

scottb81

If you are trained for the distance and race it you can finish a half feeling tired but still good. After the full you feel like somebody beat you with a bat and dumped you on the side of the road.

gavini

first of all, you should do it. i am not going to look up the stat but it is fewer than 5% of the population that has finished a marathon. if you enjoyed the half then go big! it will make subsequent half mary's seem short and even more enjoyable than the one you just did.

i have done 14 fulls and 10 halfs and i definately agree with what has been said here that a full is a completely different beast. not just the event but also the time committment to do those long runs every weekend. The mental aspect of going that long of a distance for that long of a time on your feet is huge and tough to train for. you can make your body do most anything, the mind is often a tougher nut to crack.

if at all possible, find a training group or running club that is training for a local marathon, every race has one or two, maybe several if it is a big race or you live in an urban area.

the advice of other runners, the comradery on the runs and on race day as well as many other factors will make a big difference whether it is your first time or not.

neverstray

It seems like doing a full takes the fun out of it. It's more serious. Halfs are kind of easy. I think the full is 26.2 for a reason. That is a very difficult length. It wasn't an accident that they picked that distance. It's very difficult, from what I hear. If it was 20, anyone vcould do it. It's the extra 6.2 that makes it a different thing entirely.

Depends upon what you consider fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the training required for my first marathon. It was hard, yet very rewarding. I did wait until I had been running for about 6 years before I decided to do it, so having that base established was a really big help.

As for the race being 26.2 miles, here is an interesting tidbit that I read in Running Times. The Olympic distance for the marathon was 25 miles prior to 1908 in London. For that Olympiad, the race was increased to 26.2 miles so that the finish line would be in front of the Royal's box in the stadium. So, it is that distance for a reason, just maybe not entirely because of the difficulty.

Ha, ha. That's awesome. I love trivia like that.