Training for a marathon after finishing half marathon

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lizmcvey
lizmcvey Posts: 64 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I completed my first half marathon on Saturday and I am signed up for a full in March along with several other races throughout the year. I'm wondering if there are any apps or training plans that are designed for moving between the half and full. I don't want to start back at the beginning. I'm willing to pay for an app, I just don't know which one. For the half I used the runkeeper training plan for miles and used 10k trainer at the same time to build up my running and I was really happy with the way my race went. I downloaded the 26.2 app by the same company as 10k trainer, I just want to make sure I'm maximizing my time, I can already run a solid 13 miles.

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  • lizmcvey
    lizmcvey Posts: 64 Member
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    Bump.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
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    Not sure about apps, but I used Runners World Smart Coach to train for my a few marathons. Their plans only suggest running 3 days a week, so I added an extra day of hills to the schedule. If you already have a decent base, you won't have to start over. Generally it only takes 16-18 weeks to train for a marathon if you have a base of about 25 miles/week, but I guess that would mean starting in November. You could expect your first long run to be 8 miles or so.
  • JaimeLoves2run
    JaimeLoves2run Posts: 9 Member
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    bump
  • KinoM
    KinoM Posts: 359 Member
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    I haven't used it myself but the Higdon Novice 2 Marathon App might suit you if you have an iPhone.

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hal-higdon-marathon-training/id485501222?mt=8

    Hal's training plans are very well regarded, and the iPhone apps get very positive reviews. Steer clear of it on Android though as it's a buggy implementation.

    There is a marathon trainer app for android from the same people who did the C25K App, might be worth checking out https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.c26_2forpink2&hl=en
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Hal Higdon has very popular training programs.
    If you can safely do so(listening to your body to avoid injury) I'd suggest adding another easy run day to his beginner plans.
  • lucyprunner
    lucyprunner Posts: 55
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    I'm a Hal higdon fan. His schedules are fab :smile:
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    My $.02 - just jump into a regular marathon training plan (like Higdon), but leave your long run where it is right now. You can either get ahead on your long runs or start the program a couple weeks in (so perhaps jump right to week 5 of the program instead of week 1).
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    find a training program for someone who is at an intermediate running level and jump in wherever you want.
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
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    +1 for jumping in to a full programme where the 'long' run was your 13 miler.

    I did my marathon using higdon's novice 2 and it worked for me!
  • lizmcvey
    lizmcvey Posts: 64 Member
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    Thanks for the tips! Counting down the days to March!
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,311 Member
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    Hal Higdon has very popular training programs.
    If you can safely do so(listening to your body to avoid injury) I'd suggest adding another easy run day to his beginner plans.

    Hal Higdon.... I skipped the Half and did the Full first. Then 7 months later I did a Half with almost no training. Over coming the mental game is HUGE
  • Pinkranger626
    Pinkranger626 Posts: 460 Member
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    Congrats on your half marathon! I too completed my first half this past Saturday! I agree with everyone else as far as switching gears to the new program.

    But I also wanted to add in that you should allow your body a week or two to recover before you go full speed ahead into marathon training. Runners World had an article about recovering from a marathon or half marathon that may be helpful for you. You want to give your body a chance to recover fully from what you just put it through before you ask more out of it... and we all know that race day is a bit crazier than your normal long run even if you had been running the same distance ( I blame my competitiveness and adrenaline)!
  • lizsmith1976
    lizsmith1976 Posts: 497 Member
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    I did my first full 2 months after my first half! I just started from there, and it worked very well.

    This one is free and I think it is fantastic.

    http://running.about.com/od/marathonprograms/a/Intermediate-Marathon-Training-Schedule.htm

    ETA CONGRATULATIONS!!! And also, I guess you caught the running bug :)
  • leefox79
    leefox79 Posts: 19 Member
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    I agree with the others that have said jump into a full schedule basically where your half left off (prior to the tapering, ofcourse).
    Having just completed my first marathon, let me give you one piece of advice, continue with weight training and if you haven't, start. I stopped weight training almost entirely for about 3 months prior to my marathon so I could focus on getting every last mile in, BIG MISTAKE. Having strong leg, back and core muscles are so important in running especially the last few miles when your getting tired and your form is braking down.

    I finished my marathon in 4hrs and 45 minutes (wanted under 4:30), so I am aiming towards a spring marathon next but this time I will weight train atleast 2 days a week and make add a mile or two to my long runs to make up for it,


    Good Luck!
  • arikag
    arikag Posts: 94 Member
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    Thanks for asking this- I am at the same place (just finished my first 2 halfs this month) and was just wondering the same question!! :) And thanks for all the advice guys!

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