Marathon training panic!
agomez281
Posts: 7 Member
I'm training for the Austin marathon on Feb 15th (exactly a month away) and I'm scared the training plan I've been following from runkeeper isn't getting me properly ready. Everything I read has said I need to be doing about 15 miles more a week than I have been and for a lot longer! I've been averaging 25 miles a week the past three months per my plan.
I've done a half marathon and my long runs have been over 13 miles for weeks now but the farthest I've ever gone is 16 and that's the top mileage of my training plan.
A friend of mine that will be running it with me has me freaked out since his plan is way more intense than mine ever was.
I'm scared I'm not ready but I'm almost not sure if it's just nerves.
16 miles is uncomfortable but it doesn't flatten me. The next day is painful sure but I recover pretty well fast.
I'm having trouble with my quads but everything else feels fine.
I need some discussion on this, like will I be able to finish or am I risking too much injury?
My pace right now, if I do what I normally do and walk/run has me finishing at about 6 hours (that's using the slate calculator that adds on more time than other counters). My splits are very consistent (about 13:10 min/miles) when do steady runs and my heart rate is around 160 (I'm 28) over long runs.
What do y'all think?
I've done a half marathon and my long runs have been over 13 miles for weeks now but the farthest I've ever gone is 16 and that's the top mileage of my training plan.
A friend of mine that will be running it with me has me freaked out since his plan is way more intense than mine ever was.
I'm scared I'm not ready but I'm almost not sure if it's just nerves.
16 miles is uncomfortable but it doesn't flatten me. The next day is painful sure but I recover pretty well fast.
I'm having trouble with my quads but everything else feels fine.
I need some discussion on this, like will I be able to finish or am I risking too much injury?
My pace right now, if I do what I normally do and walk/run has me finishing at about 6 hours (that's using the slate calculator that adds on more time than other counters). My splits are very consistent (about 13:10 min/miles) when do steady runs and my heart rate is around 160 (I'm 28) over long runs.
What do y'all think?
0
Replies
-
Pose your question in the Long Distance Runners group:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/94-long-distance-runners0 -
First marathon, I assume?
Biggest issue with the first is overtraining, getting shin splints, etc. If you're targeting "just finish", then it sounds like you're on the right training schedule. Sounds like your friend is targeting a much faster finishing time, setting himself up for injury, or both.
0 -
I've seen lots of different plans and there seems to be many schools of thought. Some plans say you never need to train more than 16 miles. Some say you should do several 20 mile runs.
Nova had a segment a few years ago called "Marathon Challenge". It was a great show and one of the things that stuck with me was that after you've run 10 miles, your cardio can handle a full marathon and all you have to do is get used to running over three hours at a time.
I have done two marathons. The first one I ran about the same miles per week as you and I was fine. I found that I hit the wall at 22 miles or so and had to walk a lot in the last 4 miles, but I finished it. For the second one, I loosely followed the Hal Higdon Novice 1 plan which put in more miles weekly and did a 20 mile training run as my longest long run. I ended up with a faster finishing time but I've run a bunch of half marathons in between and my finishing time is generally getting faster anyway.
Bottom line: you'll probably be nervous no matter what you do. Take it one mile at a time and take more walk breaks if you need them. I don't see any reason that you're under training. You still have time to fit in an 18 miler before the taper if you feel like that will give you more confidence, but I don't think it's essential.
Congratulations on signing up for your first marathon!0 -
My first marathon is in 10 days. I know what you mean. I have run many 1/2s and what I have found works for me is one long run day (Sunday), shorter run (Tuesday) and medium run (Friday). I got to the point for training for one of the 1/2s that I was over training and runs became slower and just horrible (mentally) for me if that makes any sense. I have done 20 miler and that is as far as I will run until I do the 26.2.
Good luck!0 -
Also, if your quads are tight, you could try using a foam roller on them.0
-
Only 1 month out there isn't anything you can change so just go with it. I am shocked the RunKeeper plan only have you running 25mi/week at this late stage in the game. You should be well into the 40s or ideally over 50, with 20 being the long run of the week (next week).0
-
Only 1 month out there isn't anything you can change so just go with it. I am shocked the RunKeeper plan only have you running 25mi/week at this late stage in the game. You should be well into the 40s or ideally over 50, with 20 being the long run of the week (next week).
never trained for a marathon- wait not- I have - but the BaTa'an Death march is different- but yeah- I'd fully agree with this- you're on a long term program- changing it essentially last min won't do anything for you.0 -
I've done 9 marathons and my long run is typically a 30K run, which works out to about 18.5 miles. That has always been enough. 16 does seem to be a slightly on the short side but the miles per week is far more important. 25 miles per week is fine to finish. The purpose of really high weekly mileage is to improve your time but it also puts you at risk for injury.0
-
If you can run 16 miles, you can physically run 26.2. Psychologically, the end might be tough.
I agree that a month out, your fitness is in the bank. Taper smart, avoid injury, hydrate well the day before and the morning of. If you are planning to run/walk, stick to the schedule instead of getting ambitious and trying to run too much, too early.0 -
cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »If you can run 16 miles, you can physically run 26.2. Psychologically, the end might be tough.
I agree that a month out, your fitness is in the bank. Taper smart, avoid injury, hydrate well the day before and the morning of. If you are planning to run/walk, stick to the schedule instead of getting ambitious and trying to run too much, too early.
This. You'll be fine. You're already a run/walker so you'll be comfortable doing that in the last miles of the race at which point you may find that you need to walk more but you'll finish.
I have a half marathon on Sunday, certainly not my first, but I always start to worry at this point that I'm not ready. I always am and you will be, too.0 -
I've done 9 marathons and my long run is typically a 30K run, which works out to about 18.5 miles. That has always been enough. 16 does seem to be a slightly on the short side but the miles per week is far more important. 25 miles per week is fine to finish. The purpose of really high weekly mileage is to improve your time but it also puts you at risk for injury.
Once you are more experienced there isn't much reason to go past the 18 mile mark for your long runs. Most first-timer plans at least get you to 20 though, and once you know what you are doing you can reduce that.
I disagree, however, that 25mpw is enough at the end of even a "just finish" marathon build. Sure you can "just finish" on that, but is "just finishing" >5 or >6 hours really the point here? Also you run the risk of acute injury on the course when attempting to run that far without the requisite long run adaptation. Then again, on such little run training, the last 10 miles will be nothing more than a miseryfest of slow shuffling, so perhaps that doesn't really matter.0 -
If your training plan is time-based, and you are only getting through 16 due to a slower pace than the average runner who uses/trains with it (or starting off at a body weight that won't let you go faster without cramping), you might want to add in an 18 or 20 (after a taper week from the 16) this weekend/next, just to give you 2-3 weeks to taper after it.
I've had that problem with the garmin heart rate/time based plans when training for my first, and did better after switching to a distance based plan (HH Novice 1 worked well for me).0 -
your top weekly mileage on your training plan is less than the entirety of the marathon itself. that does not seem logical.0
-
I did one so I'm no expert. I did two 19 mile runs and then tapered down. During the race I hit the wall in the low twenties but that was made worse by the warm weather (Houston Marathon). Be careful on how much fluid you drink at all the support stands, I over drank and paid the price. Make sure you shoes fit--things happen to your feet on the long run that don't happen on your normal runs.0
-
Boom! Head-shot. That doesn't make any kind of sense at all. The 5 - 6 hour prediction sounds accurate here. Good luck.michellemybelll wrote: »your top weekly mileage on your training plan is less than the entirety of the marathon itself. that does not seem logical.
0 -
michellemybelll wrote: »your top weekly mileage on your training plan is less than the entirety of the marathon itself. that does not seem logical.
I can't even begin to imagine attempting a full marathon on weekly mileage that low. Personally I wouldn't even attempt a half marathon with weekly mileage that low.
Sorry OP but I am not one to sugar coat things. You will be in for a rough time.0 -
The good news is that at 25 miles a week, you are perfectly set up to begin marathon training.
The bad news is that you have a month until your marathon.
Others have said it, but I'll just reiterate. I'm sure you'll be able to finish. I am not sure about how much fun it will be. I would work up to at least 18 miles before a taper. Other than that, hydrate, take it slow, and don't try to be a hero.0 -
I've just had a look at Runkeeper and even the beginner to completion plan is at 35 mpw by the time the long runs are at 16mi, so something doesn't add up.
That said, 16mi does seem low in the plan, on the day that's barely over half way.0 -
Pose your question in the Long Distance Runners group:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/94-long-distance-runners
Heh. Where Carson will tell her that no one should run a marathon until they've averaged 125mpw for 17 years. :laugh:0 -
Pose your question in the Long Distance Runners group:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/94-long-distance-runners
Heh. Where Carson will tell her that no one should run a marathon until they've averaged 125mpw for 17 years. :laugh:
Oh snap!0 -
michellemybelll wrote: »your top weekly mileage on your training plan is less than the entirety of the marathon itself. that does not seem logical.
Actually the plan has kind of an interval set up. One week my miles add up to 20, another they are over 40. It just happens that the average over all is 25.
I'm not sure why my plan has shaken out to be that, it might be because I missed a week in December when I was down with flu (got my shot but didn't spare me! lovely)
I have a 14 this week followed by an 16 next before the plan has me taper with a 10 as my last long run.
I might push one of those to an 18 and see how I feel then, would that be advisable?0 -
michellemybelll wrote: »your top weekly mileage on your training plan is less than the entirety of the marathon itself. that does not seem logical.
I can't even begin to imagine attempting a full marathon on weekly mileage that low. Personally I wouldn't even attempt a half marathon with weekly mileage that low.
Sorry OP but I am not one to sugar coat things. You will be in for a rough time.
Is it strange that a half marathon doesn't phase me? I'm not fast, ever, but when I finish them I'm not even sore. I actually have never experienced soreness after a run (or race) until I hit 15 miles, 16 hurts the next day but I feel like I can keep going. I get tight after a 13 but with rolling and yoga it's no big (except my quads, I roll those but just can't quite get it)
I've done halfs for a year and a half now consistently. It's like my comfort distance. I'm still really concerned that my overall average weekly mileage is as low as it is. I don't want a catastrophic injury, obviously. Who does?
I just want to finish this one, not finish with good (even for me) time. I just want to survive it, hopefully without anything in my body exploding.0 -
If you keep to the 10% weekly mileage increase rule I don't see where that would be a problem. You might want to shorten one or both of the other runs that week to compensate for the extra two miles, if needed.michellemybelll wrote: »your top weekly mileage on your training plan is less than the entirety of the marathon itself. that does not seem logical.
Actually the plan has kind of an interval set up. One week my miles add up to 20, another they are over 40. It just happens that the average over all is 25.
I'm not sure why my plan has shaken out to be that, it might be because I missed a week in December when I was down with flu (got my shot but didn't spare me! lovely)
I have a 14 this week followed by an 16 next before the plan has me taper with a 10 as my last long run.
I might push one of those to an 18 and see how I feel then, would that be advisable?
0 -
michellemybelll wrote: »your top weekly mileage on your training plan is less than the entirety of the marathon itself. that does not seem logical.
I can't even begin to imagine attempting a full marathon on weekly mileage that low. Personally I wouldn't even attempt a half marathon with weekly mileage that low.
Sorry OP but I am not one to sugar coat things. You will be in for a rough time.
Is it strange that a half marathon doesn't phase me? I'm not fast, ever, but when I finish them I'm not even sore. I actually have never experienced soreness after a run (or race) until I hit 15 miles, 16 hurts the next day but I feel like I can keep going. I get tight after a 13 but with rolling and yoga it's no big (except my quads, I roll those but just can't quite get it)
I've done halfs for a year and a half now consistently. It's like my comfort distance. I'm still really concerned that my overall average weekly mileage is as low as it is. I don't want a catastrophic injury, obviously. Who does?
I just want to finish this one, not finish with good (even for me) time. I just want to survive it, hopefully without anything in my body exploding.
No. That's not strange at all. I can run a half marathon every weekend and never feel sore. Not just casually either. 2 hours isn't that difficult to hit. I did my first full marathon last month. It felt like I ran about 3 half marathons back to back to back, non-stop. That's pretty much what it felt like the next day. I was pretty sore. Nothing crippling but even by the next weekend my hamstrings were still a bit fussy about it.
What's your half marathon time? Double that and then add 30 - 45 minutes. That's my guess as to how long it's going to take you to do the full.
0 -
Nerves running up to your first marathon is very normal. I happened to do mine in a similar timeframe to several other MFP friends and many of us were getting anxious about a different doubt each week; have I done enough enough miles, what pace should I go, is my nutrition plan right, have I done enough long runs, etc.
What you're about to do is a big challenge, it's something quite new and so it's normal to have these doubts. You're a month out. You've done the work, there's not much you can do now that will make a difference. Accept that as fact and it will help.
Will you reach the finish line? Sure you will. Will it be easy? Nope. Will it be comfortable? Probably not. Could you have done more and would it have been easier if you did? Yep, probably. Doesn't matter, you are where you are.
Personally, if I was in your position I'd go an do a 20mile long run this weekend. I think 4 weeks out to do a 20miler is fine. Take it easy though as it's quite a bit further than you've done before. 20 miles is a distance that should give you quite a confidence boost.
"Is it strange that a half marathon doesn't phase me?" - a half mara and a full mara are very different beasts. The half is a closer relation to a 10km than it is to a marathon. You definitely need to respect the distance.
0 -
If you're nervous about your fitness now, you're going to be a wreck during taper week. I followed a more strenuous training plan and completed 2 or 3 20 mile runs. During taper, there's nothing you can or should do to increase your fitness and I was worried that I hadn't done enough. I also was stressed that I was going to step off a stair crooked and sprain my ankle or something days before the race I had trained months for.
Don't freak out too hard. There's not much time to make any big changes. You may be able to stretch one of your long runs a mile or two longer but don't push yourself so much you get injured. Save that for mile 24 of the marathon.0 -
So OP update:
I ran it Sunday, the full marathon. Didn't hit the wall, no blisters, no lost toe nails, etc and I finished comfortably with a 13:06 min/mile which was my speed more or less through the whole thing, there's a 15 second difference and i think that's because i took a lou break. My splits were super super super consistent and faster than my training runs.
I finished 17 minutes under my goal and about 30 under what I realistically thought I would get if I did my very best. I had fun, wasn't super wiped after, could have kept going. Heart rate was always below 80%.
Yesterday I was a little tight in the calfs and my knee hurt somewhat but today I'm 95%.
I could go for a run today.
So, yeah. I think I might have gotten blessed by the marathon fairy?
Miles per week might be deceptive but omg pre-race jitters are REAL. I almost vomited several times the morning of and absolutely had a panic attack the night before. Need not have worried.
Splits:
Chip Time: 5:43:04.62 Pace: 13:06/M
5K Time: 40:15.72 5K Pace: 12:54/M
10MI Time: 2:08:12.55 10MI Pace: 12:49/M
13.1MI Time: 2:49:01.66 13.1MI Pace: 12:54/M
18MI Time: 3:53:41.22 18MI Pace: 12:59/M
20MI Time: 4:19:42.46 20MI Pace: 12:59/M
23.1MI Time: 5:02:29.78 23.1MI Pace: 13:06/M
26.2MI Time: 5:43:04.62 26.2MI Pace: 13:06/M0 -
nicely done- and great job on the splits- that is AWESOME to have such consistent running. I find that a very satisfying thing to view- for some reason. Consistency almost matters more to me than speed when it comes to those long runs.... I'm impressed- that's great.
Great job!!!! you should be really proud of yourself!0 -
thanks for the update! good to hear you were able to finish, and do so faster than you goal. good on you!
0 -
Pose your question in the Long Distance Runners group:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/94-long-distance-runners
Heh. Where Carson will tell her that no one should run a marathon until they've averaged 125mpw for 17 years. :laugh:
I like you0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 426 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions