Marathon Training Advice
sgonzalezblanco
Posts: 18 Member
Hi,
I’m looking for advice from experienced marathon runners on a couple of issues. I just finished my first 5K last Saturday, November 16th. I was able to run the whole thing, but this is the longest distance I have run in my entire life. Needless to say, I caught the running bug! I’m currently following Hal Higdon’s 10K training program, but would like to work up to a marathon eventually. The marathon I’m looking at doing is on October 5th, 2014 pending all my training goes as planned. So here are my questions:
-Am I giving myself enough lead time for a marathon?
If so…
-I’ve included a schedule of races that I’m looking at doing below. Is doing one race a month too much, especially for a beginner?
If so…
-Can you make suggestions about which races would most effectively facilitate my training?
Thanks for everyone’s help!
Date Name Distance
December 7th, 2013 Reindeer Run 5K
December 21st, 2013 Jumping Jack Frost 5K
January 25th, 2014 Securian Winter Run 10K
February 22nd, 2014 Cowtown Marathon 10K
March 8th, 2014 100% Irish for a Day 10M
April 12th, 2014 Goldy’s Run 10M
April 26th, 2014 Get In Gear 10K
May 4th, 2014 Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon 13.1M
June 7th, 2014 Lola’s Half Marathon 13.1M
July 4th, 2014 Red, White, and Boom 13.1M
August 2nd, 2014 Minnesota Half Marathon 13.1M
September 6th, 2014 Graniteman Half Marathon 13.1M
October 5th, 2014 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon 26.2M
I’m looking for advice from experienced marathon runners on a couple of issues. I just finished my first 5K last Saturday, November 16th. I was able to run the whole thing, but this is the longest distance I have run in my entire life. Needless to say, I caught the running bug! I’m currently following Hal Higdon’s 10K training program, but would like to work up to a marathon eventually. The marathon I’m looking at doing is on October 5th, 2014 pending all my training goes as planned. So here are my questions:
-Am I giving myself enough lead time for a marathon?
If so…
-I’ve included a schedule of races that I’m looking at doing below. Is doing one race a month too much, especially for a beginner?
If so…
-Can you make suggestions about which races would most effectively facilitate my training?
Thanks for everyone’s help!
Date Name Distance
December 7th, 2013 Reindeer Run 5K
December 21st, 2013 Jumping Jack Frost 5K
January 25th, 2014 Securian Winter Run 10K
February 22nd, 2014 Cowtown Marathon 10K
March 8th, 2014 100% Irish for a Day 10M
April 12th, 2014 Goldy’s Run 10M
April 26th, 2014 Get In Gear 10K
May 4th, 2014 Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon 13.1M
June 7th, 2014 Lola’s Half Marathon 13.1M
July 4th, 2014 Red, White, and Boom 13.1M
August 2nd, 2014 Minnesota Half Marathon 13.1M
September 6th, 2014 Graniteman Half Marathon 13.1M
October 5th, 2014 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon 26.2M
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Replies
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Sounds like an injury waiting to happen. I'm sure it "can" be done -but...should be done is a different question. Respect the marathon, respect the distance and train smart to be injury free. There are SO many questions you haven't answered, which would lead me to believe that you don't know what you are getting into. Miles and experience running will give you a large eye opening, a few injuries, hopefully small ones, will help you understand it better. A marathon is double the distance as a half marathon and 3x the training. I'm presently running 30 miles a week, training for my fourth marathon, I have one half mid-training. But running a distance and racing it are two different things. My opinion, slow down and enjoy the journey - pick one half, be successful in your training before picking the next one, get a couple half's under your belt before you take on a full marathon.0
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I can't speak as a marathoner (I won't do one until February 2015 - currently in 70.3 training mode), but I'm big in to racing, I LOVE IT. It's really what gets me excited and keeps me training. In the last year and a half, I've done 26 races. By the time 2013 is over I will have done 18 races this year alone (mix of 5ks, 10ks, triathlons, and half marathons), which if you do the math is more than one race a month. mlb929 is absolutely right - respect the distance, train smart, enjoy the journey but there's no real reason you can't do a race a month, if you're smart about it. Not every race has to be run at your fastest pace, some can be done for the fun of it at a slower pace. So, enjoy the ride and figure out a schedule that works for you. And keep that post race high going!0
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I think training for 11 months is more than plenty. I'm not sure about all those races though, but when you're in full training mode you will be running those distances multiple times a week. When I trained, I bought a book about training for a marathon with a specific schedule (I don't remember the name but it was about a college class in Iowa that took marathon training as a course). I followed it exactly - I think it was a 4 mo training.0
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The timeline is fine. You can do a marathon in a year if you train smart. Running those bunch of half marathons a month apart next summer/fall... is not smart. It is not only going to increase your chances of injury, but it's going to mess up your marathon training schedule. At that point you are going to need to get in some nice, long runs - 16-22 milers. Doing a half marathon race will NOT help you. I would suggest doing the half in May or June --- then focus on running longer in preparation for the full.
My .02
I've done 4 full marathons and about a dozen half marathons.....0 -
Train wreck. Stick with halves for 2014. Build your aerobic base by getting at least a couple thousand miles under your belt. Even then, you won't be ready. Don't rush it.0
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I don't see a problem with doing a marathon in a year's time. I do see a problem with racing a Half the 5 months leading up to your Marathon.0
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I have done 4 marathons and countless halves. I would not advise running a marathon within a year of starting running. You need to take time to build a base. You should only be increasing your total miles for each week by 10%. This is the recommended amount to avoid injury, so if you do 20 miles in total this week, next week should be no more than 22. About every 6 to 8 weeks you should have a lighter week to allow the body some recovery time. Be careful about going to hard at it.
Join a running club if you can - there will be plenty of people with experience to help with advice.0 -
I believe that one should have a base of at least 25 miles per week CONSISTENTLY for 12 to 18 months before starting a marathon training program. Can it be done with less? Sure. But I want first time marathoners to actually enjoy the experience of training for and completing the marathon. Without the appropriate base, I think you are setting yourself up for a less than desirable experience. As was stated by another poster, you have to respect the marathon. It's not just two half marathons. It's a completely different beast.
As for your race schedule, it seems aggressive to me, especially for a newer runner. If you actually plan to RACE each one of them, you are setting yourself up for injury in disappointment. If you go out and just run them and slightly faster than your easy run pace, then your just spending money on a supported training run. If that's what you want to do with your money, then go for it.
My advice is to just slow down. Enter one race at a time once you are reasonably sure you can complete the distance and that you can arrive at the starting line healthy. Start thinking about a marathon after you have run a couple half marathons and you know what you are getting yourself into.0 -
Hi,
I’m looking for advice from experienced marathon runners on a couple of issues. I just finished my first 5K last Saturday, November 16th. I was able to run the whole thing, but this is the longest distance I have run in my entire life. Needless to say, I caught the running bug! I’m currently following Hal Higdon’s 10K training program, but would like to work up to a marathon eventually. The marathon I’m looking at doing is on October 5th, 2014 pending all my training goes as planned. So here are my questions:
-Am I giving myself enough lead time for a marathon?
If so…
-I’ve included a schedule of races that I’m looking at doing below. Is doing one race a month too much, especially for a beginner?
If so…
-Can you make suggestions about which races would most effectively facilitate my training?
Thanks for everyone’s help!
Date Name Distance
December 7th, 2013 Reindeer Run 5K
December 21st, 2013 Jumping Jack Frost 5K
January 25th, 2014 Securian Winter Run 10K
February 22nd, 2014 Cowtown Marathon 10K
March 8th, 2014 100% Irish for a Day 10M
April 12th, 2014 Goldy’s Run 10M
April 26th, 2014 Get In Gear 10K
May 4th, 2014 Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon 13.1M
June 7th, 2014 Lola’s Half Marathon 13.1M
July 4th, 2014 Red, White, and Boom 13.1M
August 2nd, 2014 Minnesota Half Marathon 13.1M
September 6th, 2014 Graniteman Half Marathon 13.1M
October 5th, 2014 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon 26.2M
I've been running for 13 years, have done countless half marathons, one full marathon and 2 Ironmans.
my opinion, yes you can do a marathon in you first year on training, but it's generally not recommended. I would wait a year personally.
as for the race schedule, I think it looks ambitious, particularly for a first marathon, remember that you will also have to fit training in there somewhere. A half marathon every month? you would need to taper the week before and have a shorter long run the week after. if you want to race each month,I would find shorter races, like 5Ks or 10Ks tat you can incorporate into rest weeks or include as a portion of a long run - like 3K warm up, 10K race, 10K cool/down.0 -
If what you want to do is complete a marathon, the time frame is fine. The races sound fine to me, but the caveat is, you need to run within yourself. You need to do almost all of your runs at a "conversational pace," nice, easy runs where you feel like you could have kept on going. Follow a careful program of building mileage. If you find races motivational, that's great, but again, you don't want to race them too hard.
Finally, you need to be able to step back if you get injured. That's the hardest thing to do, and if you are careful and especially if you do runner-specific strength training, you probably won't have to do that.
If you want to do a fast marathon, that's a different story, and you'd be better of just gradually building mileage, limiting your races, until you have a solid mileage base.0 -
Hello, I went from couch to marathon in my first year of running, despite dire warnings of my feet falling off, insanity, permanent and irreversible death and the like. I followed the Higdon beginners plan, and nothing bad happened...until the actual race. I was not prepared. One 18 miler and one 20 miler were not enough for me, and an unseasonably warm fall -- my 20 miler and the actual race were about 20 degrees warmer than most of my long runs--- had me walking for too long. But I finished.
If all you want to do is finish, go for it. But if you want to run the whole thing and finish with a smile on your face, I would ramp up your mileage slowly (10% is the norm), with step-back weeks, meaning increased mileage every other weekend, not every week. When you are running 20 miles a week comfortably, find a good program. It's a bit dated by now but I love "The Competitive Runner's Handbook" by Glover. Don't let the title intimidate you, there is a good beginning marathon plan in it.
Good luck, be conservative, but don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something...0 -
I wouldn't. This coming from someone who ramped up far too quickly after 6 months and had some serious IT band issues as a result, so I'm a bit jaded. After that, I built up gradually over the course of ~2 years until I did my first 26.2. Not saying it can't be done but in order to make the entire experience of training not suck completely, I'd be more conservative.0
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BUMP for later.0
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Hi,
-Am I giving myself enough lead time for a marathon?
Yes.
Is doing one race a month too much, especially for a beginner?
Not necessarily, but your schedule looks a little to intense for a new runner.-Can you make suggestions about which races would most effectively facilitate my training?
Based on your diffifulty with the first 5K I would say you still have some base building to do so taking it slow with the race schedule is advised.
Date Name Distance
December 7th, 2013 Reindeer Run 5K
January 25th, 2014 Securian Winter Run 10K
February 22nd, 2014 Cowtown Marathon 10K (I considered dropping this, but being around a bunch of marathoners will give you a better idea what you are commiting to)
April 12th, 2014 Goldy’s Run 10M
May 4th, 2014 Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon 13.1M
July 4th, 2014 Red, White, and Boom 13.1M
August 2nd, 2014 Minnesota Half Marathon 13.1M
October 5th, 2014 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon 26.2M0 -
I am speaking from experience here, I was a runner in high school. I ran cross country and track I thought I was in great shape to train for a marathon. I signed up with a running group and started training with them it was great until I hit mile 16 as part of the training. I never really ran during the week I ran here and there and than ran long on Saturdays with the group. I thought since I had experience running in high school I could tackle the marathon. Big mistake, I injured myself my knees were swollen for days. It was hard for me to walk and when I tried to run again I could not my knees were damaged.
My dream of running a full marathon was gone because I was too ambitious. I was not able to run for years, until last year when I started training for my first 5k I was able to run it with very little pain on my knees. This race gave me the running bug back and started training again but this time I was smart about it. I started increasing my miles slowly. I ran two 5ks last year, this year I have completed 2 10ks and I am currently training for my first Half Marathon. I also follow Hal Higdon training plan.
My ultimate goal is to run that full marathon but this time I am taking it slow. I plan to run a couple more Half Marathons next year and improve my pace during that time. And in 2015 I want to start training for my full marathon and achieve my dream. Like someone else said you have to respect the Full Marathon.
I hope you make the right decision and do not get injured by going too fast. Your race schedule for next year looks too aggressive in my opinion.
Good luck0 -
Racing a marathon (going for a specific time) is far different from running a marathon (just trying to finish without much suffering and before the cut-off). You need to decide what your goal is, and go from there. Running more miles is always a good idea, regardless of your goal. Also, that racing schedule looks a little ambitious. Race less, train more.0
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I went from sedentary to marathon runner in one year (though to be fair I ran track in high school - but only ran sporadically in college).
I also ended up with tendonitis in my knee because of it, and I only ran one 10k and one half in that time. 10 years later, I race three times during the course of marathon training, but that is an incredibly ambitious plan. Decide what is most important to you, and what your goals are. Racing a half once a month is a recipe for disaster for a new runner.0 -
I went from sedentary to a marathon in one year with no issues. The marathon wasn't fun (5:35!) but I did it. You can do it.0
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Which is exactly why I said...I went from sedentary to a marathon in one year with no issues. The marathon wasn't fun (5:35!) but I did it. You can do it.I believe that one should have a base of at least 25 miles per week CONSISTENTLY for 12 to 18 months before starting a marathon training program. Can it be done with less? Sure. But I want first time marathoners to actually enjoy the experience of training for and completing the marathon.
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Listen to Carson!
Are you looking to become a runner for life? If so, take your time and build your base. Learn how to race.
There is NO magic to running 26.2, it is a long way even when properly trained.
Just say no to death marches!0 -
Way too many races!!
A marathon about a year from now is definitely doable. But stick to only doing 5K races and use them as your speedwork prep. And be careful to only increase your mileage 10% a week (or every two weeks).0 -
Hi,
I just finished my first 5K last Saturday, November 16th. I was able to run the whole thing, but this is the longest distance I have run in my entire life. Needless to say, I caught the running bug! The marathon I’m looking at doing is on October 5th,
HI to you too !
I consider myself pretty good at running. I attribute my speed to the fact that I didn't RUSH into any long distance race, EVER.
Here is my running timeline:
May 2008- ran for the first time
Summer 2009- was running 10 miles a week consistantly
Summer 2010- was running 15-20 miles consistantly
Summer 2011- Ran my first 5k @ 24:48 mileage up to 25-35
Fall 2011- Ran subsequent 5ks got down to 22:22- mileage up to 35-45
Summer 2012- RAN MY FIRST 10K 46:26 & got my 5k down to 20:50 mileage up to 40-50
Summer 2013- RAN MY FIRST FULL & HALF- mileage up to 50-80
i didn't run a full or half for YEARS after I started "running"... What exactly is your goal? Would you rather be fast/good at running? Or do you want to just dive in head first and only care about the distance? You have your whole life to run a marathon. Why not build a good base first? I view the marathon like I view marriage. I knew I always wanted to do one, but I wanted to be "ready" for it when the time came. I knew I didn't want to "rush" into it when I wasn't ready, IE not enough years under my belt. haha
5k PR- 19:56
1/2 PR- 1:40
Marathon- 3:430 -
This!Listen to Carson!
Are you looking to become a runner for life? If so, take your time and build your base. Learn how to race.
There is NO magic to running 26.2, it is a long way even when properly trained.
Just say no to death marches!0 -
HA! Don't know if I would've compared it to marriage but good analogy I suppose. :-)
I did my first marathon a few years after I started running. I had no idea what I was doing. I jumped from a 5k to full without knowing how to build up my base and run consistently. It was a miserable death march for me during the last 10 miles. I walked in at 5:47. I wish I knew then what I know now.
It can be done but just be careful about jumping in so fast. All those races could be a recipe for injury.Hi,
I just finished my first 5K last Saturday, November 16th. I was able to run the whole thing, but this is the longest distance I have run in my entire life. Needless to say, I caught the running bug! The marathon I’m looking at doing is on October 5th,
HI to you too !
I consider myself pretty good at running. I attribute my speed to the fact that I didn't RUSH into any long distance race, EVER.
Here is my running timeline:
May 2008- ran for the first time
Summer 2009- was running 10 miles a week consistantly
Summer 2010- was running 15-20 miles consistantly
Summer 2011- Ran my first 5k @ 24:48 mileage up to 25-35
Fall 2011- Ran subsequent 5ks got down to 22:22- mileage up to 35-45
Summer 2012- RAN MY FIRST 10K 46:26 & got my 5k down to 20:50 mileage up to 40-50
Summer 2013- RAN MY FIRST FULL & HALF- mileage up to 50-80
i didn't run a full or half for YEARS after I started "running"... What exactly is your goal? Would you rather be fast/good at running? Or do you want to just dive in head first and only care about the distance? You have your whole life to run a marathon. Why not build a good base first? I view the marathon like I view marriage. I knew I always wanted to do one, but I wanted to be "ready" for it when the time came. I knew I didn't want to "rush" into it when I wasn't ready, IE not enough years under my belt. haha
5k PR- 19:56
1/2 PR- 1:40
Marathon- 3:430
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