Anyone done a marathon?

cartmania

Has anyone here ever run a marathon? It's one of my life aims I'd love to get some advice. I'm fit as it is but am thinking about doing one in a couple of months... I'm wondering what kind of time I should be aiming for. All advice welcome! :happy:

RedHotRunner

I'm doing a half in the fall. I suggest hooking up with some sort of training group. Check with your local running stores or google.

taryn_perry

I've done 2 marathons and a few 1/2 marathons. They are so much fun to do and such a reward to finish. Regardless of your time.

I would suggest to give yourself 6 months to properly train. You'll want to gradually increase your mileage with each week, then bring it back down. There are a ton of running schedules out there, and you could find one that fit your running level. This is the one I followed: http://www.runningnw.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=17. You could find a race that was around the date the one in your area is, and go with that schedule.

Also, I wrote a blog article about training for my 1st marathon. As important as it is to condition yourself with runs and the various tempos and speeds, it's important to strength train as well. Biggest mistake people make is not strengthening their core, which is what keeps you strong and will enhance your endurance throughout your runs. Here's the article I wrote: http://choose2befit.com/2009/06/29/my-journey-across-the-finish-line-with-p90x-–-seattle-rock-n’-roll-marathon-race-preparationtraining/

P90X was my program of choice to train with. It was phenomenal. Good luck!!!

shaggys

Hey!You are going to love it!!!!
One thing I would suggest,is definitely throwing races in throughout your schedule,and since most training plans top out at 18 or twenty miles,I would run a test 26.2 as your final long run before tapering,so that you know what it feels like.There is no substitute for preparation!
Race morning,you may be tempted to drink a lot ,but don't overdo it because there will be a ton of water and drink stops and you don't want to have to stop during the run... .Also,unless you have a favorite,no need to stuff your pockets with gels because they may have those too-definitely check and see what kind of support they will have.Keep a couple of Motrins or Tylenols in your pockets so you don't have to stop-they hand them out but the little packets are a pain!
Hope that helps,good luck

coronalime

I have done 3. Chicago is next for 4. I started out for my 1st reading the book a "A non runners guide to running a marathon". Its a 18 wk program. Its easy and its just to get you to the finish with no time in mind. Its hard to judge time. I can do a 1/2 in 2:10 but I have yet to break 5 for a full. For my upcoming I am doing Hal Higdon which is another 18 wk program. I am just not a fast runner and very injury prone so faster I go the worse i am in the long haul. NYC I was set to be at 4:30 at 1/2 point but went down at mile 15 and ended up with an IT tear finishing in 5:20
Its totally doable. I just suggest training not with a time in mind but with a goal to finish and then go from there.
Also you do not need to go past 20 miles in training. You really do ALOT of damage to your body running long distances and need time to recover from it. You wont get that time in order to get fully recovered during training.
Good Luck!

MissingMinnesota

If you have a team in training in your area check with them. That is how my sister got into doing century bike rides and marathons.
http://www.teamintraining.org/

cartmania

Cheers for all your help guys. I was thinking about doing one in a couple of months as I already have high fitness levels (I do a lot of sport, play football and hit the gym regularly). However I've been losing weight recently to tone up (that's why I'm here!) and it's taken a bit of a toll on my body, I've been feeling a bit achy and had a bit of a cold, so I don't think I'm ready to start intensive training. Also I found out my little bro did a half marathon in 1:48 so when it comes to doing a full one I want to get under 3:30 - don't want to risk going for it and not dominating his time! Cheers for the advice though, I'll bear it all in mind when I find the time to properly train for one.

Ted