New to group/First time marathon advice
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marathonmom72
Posts: 191 Member
I started running 4 years ago this month, after a 50 pounds weight loss and wanting to bump my fitness up to the next level. I have run several half marathons, and started doing sprint triathlons two summers ago. I'm finally ready to take the plunge and run my first full marathon this April. I started following a 16 week training schedule earlier this month, but got side tracked when I got sick. Working my way back into the grove now, and looking for advice and suggestions for moving forward.
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Replies
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I can't offer you any sound advice, as I am in the same boat
Although, I have never done any triathlons. My first Marathon is in May. Happy Training and feel free to add me 0 -
The best thing I did when I started training for my first marathon was start reading. I went to the bookstore and got several different training guides for marathons, and a bunch of books for motivation and inspiration.
I really thought the information provided in Hal Higdon's 'Marathon' and Jack Daniel's 'Daniel's Running Formula' was helpful to me. I wasn't as big of a fan of Jeff Galloway, but I don't like the run-walk method so that's probably why.
For fun reading I felt quite inspired reading basically everything Dean Karnazes has every written- my favorite of his was UltraMarathon Man (Run! was a close second). I thought Mark Remy's 'Runner's Field Manuel' and 'The Runner's Rule Book' were hilarious, entertaining, and informative.
All in all- if you have a training plan and you stick to it, you should be able to complete your marathon. It's really all about maintaining the motivation to keep going and making sure you're being smart so you don't get injured. Eat enough food and don't skimp on the carbs so you have plenty of energy, and get enough sleep at night.
Enjoy your training and best wishes to you for your marathon!0 -
There is an old adage that says: Running a marathon is easy if you can survive the training. I know many people that did not fully respect training and ended up injured. Four tips for you:
* Resist the urge to increase mileage too quickly. Since you were sidelined for a while there will be a tendency to "catch up." Rule of thumb is not more than a 10% increase per week. This also depends a bit on what your weekly mielage was before getting sidelined
* In general your long runs should be a pretty easy pace. 1-2 minutes slower than 5k pace. Should be able to hold a conversation without gasping
* Get a foam roll (Google ways to use), especially for the piriformis and IT bands
* Do some glute exercises several days a week to keep them strong and firing. Only takes 1--2 minutes a day and you can do them daily or at least several times per week
Have fun and enjoy the journey. Feel free to add me if you like0 -
My one big piece of advice is...watch out for advice, lol. There is SO much out there about how to train, what and when to eat, how to recover etc....Much of it is really good stuff but it simply just may not work for you, your body and/or your lifestyle.
So read and listen a lot to all of it, and just try some things and see what works best for you...if it works keep it, if not, dismiss it. To me this is one of the greatest parts about distance running; learning deeply about your mind and your body.
Have a blast!0 -
There is an old adage that says: Running a marathon is easy if you can survive the training. I know many people that did not fully respect training and ended up injured. Four tips for you:
* Resist the urge to increase mileage too quickly. Since you were sidelined for a while there will be a tendency to "catch up." Rule of thumb is not more than a 10% increase per week. This also depends a bit on what your weekly mielage was before getting sidelined
* In general your long runs should be a pretty easy pace. 1-2 minutes slower than 5k pace. Should be able to hold a conversation without gasping
* Get a foam roll (Google ways to use), especially for the piriformis and IT bands
* Do some glute exercises several days a week to keep them strong and firing. Only takes 1--2 minutes a day and you can do them daily or at least several times per week
Have fun and enjoy the journey. Feel free to add me if you like
^^This! Respect the training and the distance and you'll have an awesome first marathon. Consistency is key.
ITBS is one of the most common running injuries. It can be prevented by not doing too much too soon, good shoes, a good strength training routine, and regular massages/yoga/foam rolling etc.
Good luck and have fun!0 -
Thanks everyone!0
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My one big piece of advice is...watch out for advice, lol. There is SO much out there about how to train, what and when to eat, how to recover etc....Much of it is really good stuff but it simply just may not work for you, your body and/or your lifestyle.
So read and listen a lot to all of it, and just try some things and see what works best for you...if it works keep it, if not, dismiss it. To me this is one of the greatest parts about distance running; learning deeply about your mind and your body.
Have a blast!
I'm going to second this advice. What works for one person doesn't necessarily end up working for everyone. So your training is a little bit of a trial and error process to find what works best for you. In addition to the mileage, you want to find the fueling strategy that works best for you. This includes both what you eat pre-run (which can sometimes be what you eat the previous day) and during the run. Your long runs are a great opportunity to experiment with this. And then there's convincing your mind that you really can do this (and you can). Good luck with your first marathon!0 -
Might I suggest
http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51137/Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program
He has a number of training programs depending on your level. I kinda combined novice1 and novice2 to make sure the half marathon you do about 1/2 way through fell on a weekend and location I liked.
I ran my first 1/2 marathon back in october and I'm a pretty big 5k/10k junky. When my mother passed away I weighed over 250 pounds hadn't ran further that the bathroom since little league and I had the crazy thought I would run the Boston Marathon in her memory. I've since modified that goal to a marathon because they don't let you walk in off the street and run it, you have to qualify to run and I'm not quite that fast yet, maybe when I'm 49 I can run and post a time for a 50 year old qualifying since it's 5 minutes longer/slower/whatever. I'm turning 44 next month. I'm giving myself until then to qualify and failing that I'll raise money to run as a charity runner. I almost donated a portion of the sale of my mother's house in order to run now but that money will be better suited to move my daughter into a bigger house with a yard suitable for a doggie and a swing set.0 -
It's nearly impossible to give ad hoc advice for a first marathon without really knowing what those 4 years of running looked like. Yes, you have done some races, but what was your training volume? Did you do those HMs on 20 MPW or 60 MPW? Are you a 2:30 HM runner or a 1:30 HM runner? There are just too many factors to be taken into consideration to give sound advice without more information. There are, however, a few general guidelines that can be stated.
1. Don't go out too fast.
2. Respect the distance.
3. You can't muscle your way through a marathon.
4. For your first marathon you won't run a marathon time equivalent to your other race times. Add 20 minutes.
5. Don't go out too fast.0 -
Couldn't have said it better than Carson!0
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It's nearly impossible to give ad hoc advice for a first marathon without really knowing what those 4 years of running looked like. Yes, you have done some races, but what was your training volume? Did you do those HMs on 20 MPW or 60 MPW? Are you a 2:30 HM runner or a 1:30 HM runner? There are just too many factors to be taken into consideration to give sound advice without more information. There are, however, a few general guidelines that can be stated.
1. Don't go out too fast.
2. Respect the distance.
3. You can't muscle your way through a marathon.
4. For your first marathon you won't run a marathon time equivalent to your other race times. Add 20 minutes.
5. Don't go out too fast.
Thanks for sharing this. I had not read or heard that before. I'm running my first marathon in 6 weeks and I knew the equivalent time I was seeing on some calculators seemed unrealistic. I hope to be in under that 20 minutes but it seems like a reasonable number.0 -
That's fair - and a very good point. My first year I ran a 5k, 10k, and a half marathon. Since then I've run six 5ks, four 10ks, and eight half marathons with a PR of 2:11. I average between a 10 and 11 minute miles depending on my distance and running conditions. Prior to marathon training, I was running between 22 and 25 miles per week. In addition to running, I lift weights 2 to 3 days per week in the winter and have spent the last two summers completing sprint triathlons, so extra time is spent biking and swimming. In all, I usually workout six and a half to seven hours a week, with one rest day. Fueling has been a bit of a challenge, as I am an insulin dependent diabetic. I've increased my carb intake to fuel for the higher miles, but I'm sure it will take some trial and error to figure things out. I appreciate all the help/advice and realize that I will need to take everything into consideration and see what will work best for me. The advice is helpful because it gives me a starting point.0
