Running my 1st full Marathon on Dec. 2nd!

I'm currently training past my half marathon that's happening in Sept, and going to run my very first full marathon on Dec. 2nd this year. I can't believe i actually registered and i'm really doing it! I'm not the most physically fit person but i love to run. I completed my first and only half marathon in March 2010 then stopped running (i was unprepared and it left me wanting to take a break). Now i'm completing a full training schedule and i'm running a half marathon in Sept., another half in November, and a full marathon in Dec. Of course i'll be running a ton of Half marathons in my training leading up to the marathon, but it's always nice to be able to fit in a race and wear the medal!

Any advice for a 1st time marathoner?

Replies

  • jturnerx
    jturnerx Posts: 325 Member
    Don't get caught up in the race atmosphere and go out too fast. A full is a different beast than a half and there's potentially a big price to pay if you screw up your pacing early on. Patience is your friend. And what feels great at the 10 mile mark may not at mile 20. Use the half marathons you are racing to determine a realistic pace for the marathon. And don't race your training runs. Save that for race days. I know so many people who do this then end up with epic fails on their actual race.
  • Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely put it to good use!
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
    Don't get caught up in the race atmosphere and go out too fast. A full is a different beast than a half and there's potentially a big price to pay if you screw up your pacing early on. Patience is your friend. And what feels great at the 10 mile mark may not at mile 20. Use the half marathons you are racing to determine a realistic pace for the marathon. And don't race your training runs. Save that for race days. I know so many people who do this then end up with epic fails on their actual race.

    This is the exact advice I give, but I generally list it as my top three tips:

    1) don't go out too fast!
    2) don't go out too fast!
    3) don't go out too fast!