Are these normal times for runs? Anyone doing a Full in May?
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samkelly89
Posts: 198 Member
Hello,
I am new to this group and new to running in general. I never feel like a "runner" even though it is something that I truly enjoy. I am currently training for a full marathon (May 19th) and I am confused if my run times are average or below average or what... My longest run so far has been 9 miles which I completed in 96 min. My short runs are 3 miles which I usually finish in 28 min. My 6 mile run is at 58 min. And I don't know what to make my goal time for the marathon? I used to have asthma but since I have lost weight and slowly increased my running, it has seemed to dissapear. I used to have to stop running after 30seconds but now I am able to run the long runs in my training schedule without stopping! Is anyone else doing a marathon in May??
I am new to this group and new to running in general. I never feel like a "runner" even though it is something that I truly enjoy. I am currently training for a full marathon (May 19th) and I am confused if my run times are average or below average or what... My longest run so far has been 9 miles which I completed in 96 min. My short runs are 3 miles which I usually finish in 28 min. My 6 mile run is at 58 min. And I don't know what to make my goal time for the marathon? I used to have asthma but since I have lost weight and slowly increased my running, it has seemed to dissapear. I used to have to stop running after 30seconds but now I am able to run the long runs in my training schedule without stopping! Is anyone else doing a marathon in May??
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you're times are actually pretty good for those distances. I know a lot of people who wish they could get a 5km time under 30 mins.
I don't ever intent to run a marathon. But I'm assuming you will most likely get it done in 4h30m more or less.
What type of plan are you following?0 -
They sound like very respectable paces to me. I run similar myself and whilst you and I are not at the level of those folks who have been running for a number of years, I'd say you were at the quicker end of someone new to running.
My experience is only in half mara's so I cannot comment on what you might achieve in a full. Looks like your half mara pace would be sub 2 hours0 -
Your times are good and you will also get faster the more you run. I believe you will better all your times during your marathon training. My times are similar to yours now, so it might give you an indication. I believe I can go faster in my marathons, the past year each one was either done undertrained, or done as a training run for a longer distance. There are a few marathon predictors on the google machine, I think they take half marathon distance multiplied by 2.42 over similar courses.
10 km: 56:58
15 km: 01:26:46
21 km: 02:08:56
32 km: 03:38:32
42.2 km: 04:55:230 -
Its not a good idea to try and estimate marathon pace off of training runs. The best way is to do a max effort race and plug the time into a prediction calculator like http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/ . Even then the prediction is only accurate if you do the goal race training assumed by the calculator (a good base and fairly high mileage).
Another way is to go out and run a maximum effort mile and multiply that pace by 1.3. That approximates your best marathon pace on a good day after good marathon training.0 -
I'd say your times look good for training runs, keep in mind that your long training runs are not supposed to be run at race pace. A general rule of thumb is to take your 10k race pace and multiply it by 5.
I'm running a marathon May 26th, feel free to add me if you'd like some motivation/training support!0 -
My advice is this...
If this is your first full marathon do not set a goal time to finish. Your goals should be 1. have fun and 2. finish!0 -
If you want to improve your times you should do slower long runs, around 11:00 miles. Don't try to train near your race pace, especially when you get to 12+ mile training runs. Even if you run the marathon just for fun without a goal pace, training too fast will lower your chances of finishing. If you want to improve even more, you should also do sprints for one of your runs, and tempo pace for the other. There is a lot of info and lots of programs online that can explain what that means. A good book is Run Less Run Faster.0
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Thank you everyone for the advice! I have so much to learn about running. I am following a 25 week training program that I printed offline but I have no idea what it's called. I run short runs on Wed/Fri and on Thurs I either do intervals or crosstraining depending on the week. I rest on Sat/Tues and long run on Sundays. The long runs started at 3 miles and now this week is 10 miles. They vary week to week and taper toward the race. Mon is my recovery day. I usually try to run the long runs at a 5.4 pace at least. This is all very good advice though and I have a lot to think about/change. I feel overwhelmed! lol I do want to have fun though and my number 1 goal is to finish.0
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You might consider doing a time trial so you know what pace you should train at. Not to make the pace during the race, but just to be sure you don't overtrain.0
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Your times are very similar to mine. I've run a couple of half marathons and completed my first full back in October. I went in with a goal of 4:30 and finished it in 4:35. I agree with the others, don't put so much emphasis on a time goal, just aim to finish it. And when you do you'll feel amazing!! Good luck with your run
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Your times are similar to mine too. I found that for my first marathon I didn't really worry about times and just tried to train for distance. I did a 6 week training program after averaging between 30-40 miles per week for about 18 months. Just have fun with it and enjoy your accomplishment!0
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Your times are very similar to mine! I'm focusing on speed work and making my long runs a little faster than previous as i'd like to complete my marathon in May in 4:30 or less. This is my first though so I'm not overly worried about what I finish in, but I do better with a specific number in mind.0
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Your times are very similar to mine! I'm focusing on speed work and making my long runs a little faster than previous as i'd like to complete my marathon in May in 4:30 or less. This is my first though so I'm not overly worried about what I finish in, but I do better with a specific number in mind.
I am like you. My main goal of course is to finish and have fun. But I like to push myself and even my long runs go better if I have a goal in mind. I am a very goal-oriented person.
When I don't have a time goal in mind, I have nothing to hold myself accountable to and I feel like giving up. 4:30 or less sounds like a great goal! I might copy you 
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Your times are very similar to mine! I'm focusing on speed work and making my long runs a little faster than previous as i'd like to complete my marathon in May in 4:30 or less. This is my first though so I'm not overly worried about what I finish in, but I do better with a specific number in mind.
I am like you. My main goal of course is to finish and have fun. But I like to push myself and even my long runs go better if I have a goal in mind. I am a very goal-oriented person. When I don't have a time goal in mind, I have nothing to hold myself accountable to and I feel like giving up. 4:30 or less sounds like a great goal! I might copy you
Copy away lol. We can compare notes in May ha. I'm starting my training plan on Monday. Nervous and excited all at once0 -
Have you run a half marathon yet or are you just going straight for the full? I started doing half marathons last year. Planning on a full in the next year or so.
I can run 8 min miles for 3-4 mile runs, but I average 11 min miles when I do longer distances. If you're like me you'll finish somewhere in the middle of the pack, which is quite satisfying as a new runner.
Are you doing interval training to work on your speed? I was, and it was really helping. Unfortunately, I developed EIA, so my training has kinda veered in a different direction. Rather than speed, I've had to work on breathing and avoiding triggers. I did great on my last race, so I'm hoping to pick up the pace a bit again before my next one. Good luck and I'd love to hear how it goes!0 -
Have you run a half marathon yet or are you just going straight for the full? I started doing half marathons last year. Planning on a full in the next year or so.
I can run 8 min miles for 3-4 mile runs, but I average 11 min miles when I do longer distances. If you're like me you'll finish somewhere in the middle of the pack, which is quite satisfying as a new runner.
Are you doing interval training to work on your speed? I was, and it was really helping. Unfortunately, I developed EIA, so my training has kinda veered in a different direction. Rather than speed, I've had to work on breathing and avoiding triggers. I did great on my last race, so I'm hoping to pick up the pace a bit again before my next one. Good luck and I'd love to hear how it goes!
I did a "half" last year but it wasn't a race. It was just on my own and I didn't train for it. It was just a spur of the moment confidence booster to show myself that I was capable of going the distance. I finished in 3:18 with walk/jogging. Since then I have gotton way more serious about running and actually follow a training schedule. I do intervals once a week for 30-45 min. I sprint hard for 4 min then jog comfortably for 1 and keep repeating. I think this has helped my speed the most and really I didn't care about speed before but now I can feel my body changing and I want to go faster! What is EIA? I do have trouble breathing sometimes... I was diagnosed with activity-induced asthma in high school and it hasn't seemed to come back. Only sometimes does it bother me to the point where I feel like I need to stop running.0 -
Have you run a half marathon yet or are you just going straight for the full? I started doing half marathons last year. Planning on a full in the next year or so.
I can run 8 min miles for 3-4 mile runs, but I average 11 min miles when I do longer distances. If you're like me you'll finish somewhere in the middle of the pack, which is quite satisfying as a new runner.
Are you doing interval training to work on your speed? I was, and it was really helping. Unfortunately, I developed EIA, so my training has kinda veered in a different direction. Rather than speed, I've had to work on breathing and avoiding triggers. I did great on my last race, so I'm hoping to pick up the pace a bit again before my next one. Good luck and I'd love to hear how it goes!
I did a "half" last year but it wasn't a race. It was just on my own and I didn't train for it. It was just a spur of the moment confidence booster to show myself that I was capable of going the distance. I finished in 3:18 with walk/jogging. Since then I have gotton way more serious about running and actually follow a training schedule. I do intervals once a week for 30-45 min. I sprint hard for 4 min then jog comfortably for 1 and keep repeating. I think this has helped my speed the most and really I didn't care about speed before but now I can feel my body changing and I want to go faster! What is EIA? I do have trouble breathing sometimes... I was diagnosed with activity-induced asthma in high school and it hasn't seemed to come back. Only sometimes does it bother me to the point where I feel like I need to stop running.
Yea exactly that - Exercise-Induced Asthma. I'm perfectly fine and then all of the sudden I'm coughing and it feels like there's cotton in my throat and my lungs feel tight. I've learned to trigger a small attack and then use the refractory period to my advantage. Anecdotally, I know quite a few runners who had asthma in high school, but are perfectly fine now as adults. Unfortunately, I'm the opposite.
From what I've read, the full is a whole different animal than the half. I'm trying to decide if I want to make my last race this year a full or keep it at a half. Just need to make sure I can fit enough runs each week to get my miles up.0 -
I get exponentially slower with distance and I of of others who do too, so I wouldn't base my marathon time on my time over short distances.
As others have already said, build up to doing the distance first and for your first attempt just get out there and have fun.0
