First Marathon... Should I

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  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
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    Why do we have to maths this out??? Just run it! If you get tired, slow down... tired again, walk, then crawl. No need to over analyze...

    That's a terrible strategy for marathon, one that is sure to have the OP cursing while hobbling across the finish line, if she makes it there at all.
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
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    For the weeks you were going to do 22/23, just do 20/21. Perhaps even take the first one of those off from that long a run and do 10-12 instead. You'll still get in 3 20+ mile long runs, more than enough. Rest your legs a bit by giving them a cutback - even though you'll taper into the race.
    This...
    My recommendation on long runs would be to do 3 more 20s on 7 Sep, 28 Sep, & 19 Oct. On the weeks in between you should run for 2 to 2.5 hours for whatever distance that comes out to at your training pace. If that is too much then you could reduce one of those 2 hr runs to 90 min so you have a cycle of 20 mi - 2 to 2.5 hr - 90 min every three weeks.

    It would also help if you can stretch out one of your midweek runs out to around 90 minutes each week if you can do it without getting hurt.
    Or this. Either will work.
  • Happylady123
    Happylady123 Posts: 166 Member
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    Thank you guys so much for the advice. It really helps a lot! I am also afraid of the taper... I get the theory behind it, but with me being somewhat of an overachiever... it is hard to sit back and wait! Please tell me why the taper is so important and what is going on while I'm tapering. I am not going to lose my ability to go the distance, am I? Please forgive me for sounding stupid. I am just nervous about not running...
  • CathOh
    CathOh Posts: 72 Member
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    It depends on what your training has been and what your goal is. I've always run with no technology (I set my watch/ heartrate monitor at the beginning and turned it off at the end, and don't look at it once throughout the run). For those events, I have run at a pace I was comfortable at based on my training, and my goal was to "finish with a smile on my face". For my next marathon, I will be running with a friend who will be pacing me because I will be trying to qualify for Boston.
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
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    Thank you guys so much for the advice. It really helps a lot! I am also afraid of the taper... I get the theory behind it, but with me being somewhat of an overachiever... it is hard to sit back and wait! Please tell me why the taper is so important and what is going on while I'm tapering. I am not going to lose my ability to go the distance, am I? Please forgive me for sounding stupid. I am just nervous about not running...

    While you are training, you are constantly tearing down muscle tissue. While you are tapering, you are giving the tissue time to heal. You are getting rest that your body needs. You won't lose any fitness, you'll be fresher than you have been during the last 12 weeks of training. Your taper should not have a drop off in intensity, only in volume. So, if your tempo run was12 miles with 8 miles tempo pace, during taper you might be 7 miles with 2 miles at tempo pace. You are still teaching the body to run the right paces, but you are giving it time to heal and rejuvenate. Don't cut short your taper.
  • CathOh
    CathOh Posts: 72 Member
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    You've already put the work in in getting your cardio and endurance to where it needs to be. Leading up to the race, make sure you're eating well, hydrating well and getting lots of sleep. I understand about the taper just feeling wrong, but then I remember how awesome a run feels after a rest day when my legs have had the chance to recuperate.
  • Zekela
    Zekela Posts: 634 Member
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    Why do we have to maths this out??? Just run it! If you get tired, slow down... tired again, walk, then crawl. No need to over analyze...

    That's a terrible strategy for marathon, one that is sure to have the OP cursing while hobbling across the finish line, if she makes it there at all.

    Well she knows not where to find me! And if she happens to find me, she has to be able to outrun me to kick my *kitten* :-D
  • Jessie__86
    Jessie__86 Posts: 71
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    How many half marathons have you completed? What's your training schedule look like? When is the marathon?
    I have run two half marathons: 2:01:45 and 2:06I:02. I just completed my longest run to date (20 miles @ 10:18 avg. per mile). I am running 5, 6, and 5 miles during the week with a long run on the weekend. My long runs add a mile each weekend. I have not been including a cut back week on long runs, but will probably start now that I have reached the 20 mile mark. I will probably do 15 this weekend and then go up to 21 the next weekend and so on until I get to 23 miles max. That sould bring me up to tapeiring time.

    I would run a pace to bring you in around 4:30 based on the numbers above. That's a 10:19 pace. Run that for about the first 16 to 18 miles and see how you feel. If you are feeling good, pick it up some, but not too much. I would caution running any mile faster than about 9:30 pace.

    Also, I would suggest not doing a 23 mile training run. The recover takes too long. I wouldn't go over 21 (20 is even good for most).
    The finishing time of 4:30 feels right to me, too. That is what I have been comfortable with at this point. I have until Nov. 9th to train. What should my long runs look like from here on out?

    november 9th? Thats the date of my very first marathon!!! Are you doing the rock and roll by any chance?

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