Marathon training panic!
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I kinda figured that I was the odd one out after reading about everyone else's experiences. It's just very strange to me that most of them differ vastly from my own.
I ran my first marathon in October. I trained for 3 months. I averaged about 25-30 miles per week during my training. My longest run prior to the marathon was 15 miles. I can count on one hand the number of runs I had over 12 miles during my training.CarsonRuns wrote: »My recommendation is, and always has been, that one should have a base of ~25 miles per week for a period of 12 to 18 months prior to starting marathon training.
I finished with a time of 3:18:38.
25miles/week for 12-18 month is a ludicrous prerequisite for marathon training. That basically was my training except for 4-6 times longer.
Don't take this the wrong way but you are a drastic outlier. An exception. You could, with proper training, easily be in the 2:50-3:00 range. Very few people are gifted at running as you apparently are. For the VAST majority of people on this planet, they will need to be doing quite a bit more running to even consider tickling 5 hours, let alone 4.
But I'd argue that I'm not a gifted runner. The guys who finished an hour ahead of me are gifted. I was fast but never stood out when I competed in high school (2nd or 3rd fastest on my cross country team) and I'm not a giant with 20ft strides (only 5' 10"). I just take a no-nonsense approach to running. For me, the only 2 reasons to stop during a run is when waiting to cross the road or a freaking gnat flies into your eye. Other than that, I just set a route based on distance and complete it as fast as I can. No intervals, no resting, no formal training program. Just running.
I'm shooting for under 3 hours when I run my next marathon but that won't be for a couple years. I'm going to try my hand at lifting for a while.0 -
arussell134 wrote: »OP your splits are on point, way better than when I attempted this distance years ago. See another marathon in your future?
Yeah a friend of mine that did the half asked me if I would do another and I opened my big mouth and said I would if he did the full distance.
He signed up yesterday morning lol
So, I'm going to make good on my word.
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25miles/week for 12-18 month is a ludicrous prerequisite for marathon training. That basically was my training except for 4-6 times longer.CarsonRuns wrote: »My recommendation is, and always has been, that one should have a base of ~25 miles per week for a period of 12 to 18 months prior to starting marathon training.
There is nothing ludicrous about my recommendation. As others have stated you are an extreme outlier when it comes to marathon finish times. You obviously have youth and a largely developed aerobic base on your side. Don't ignore the fact that you are, indeed, gifted as a runner. Yes, the front-runners clocking 2:15s are gifted too, but they have also put in years of 100+ mile weeks to get there. There is no mystery to marathon training. It's volume that matters.
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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 am sure you can finish a marathon at 25 miles per week, but you aren't properly training if that is all you are doing. Obviously the marathon distance is hard, and you have to find the right balance between over-training and risking injury and not doing enough and having to run really slowly or doing a lot of walking to get to the finish line.
25 miles a week would be okay (maybe) for a half marathon as long as you mixed in some runs of 10-14 miles. But to be trained for a full marathon you need probably 3 20+ mile runs and I'd say 35-40 miles a week is the lowest you can get away with.
Again, everyone is different. This is just my experience having run for 3 decades.
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arussell134 wrote: »OP your splits are on point, way better than when I attempted this distance years ago. See another marathon in your future?
Yeah a friend of mine that did the half asked me if I would do another and I opened my big mouth and said I would if he did the full distance.
He signed up yesterday morning lol
So, I'm going to make good on my word.
That you still want to do another one is awesome. And if you spend the intervening time building up a good solid base before you start "official" training the next one should be even more enjoyable. I was screwing with Carson but his advice is solid.
If you're planning on running Austin again the "good" thing is you never know what the weather will be. This one was waaay too humid. The temperature wasn't *too* bad but the humidity sucked. Last year I did the half and it was warmer and more humid than it was this year. The year before that I did the half and it was absolutely beautiful. Clear and 45 degrees. What I consider perfect running weather. So.... you know.... maybe it'll be nice and cool next year..... maybe.0 -
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 am sure you can finish a marathon at 25 miles per week, but you aren't properly training if that is all you are doing. Obviously the marathon distance is hard, and you have to find the right balance between over-training and risking injury and not doing enough and having to run really slowly or doing a lot of walking to get to the finish line.
25 miles a week would be okay (maybe) for a half marathon as long as you mixed in some runs of 10-14 miles. But to be trained for a full marathon you need probably 3 20+ mile runs and I'd say 35-40 miles a week is the lowest you can get away with.
Again, everyone is different. This is just my experience having run for 3 decades.
Hopefully if she decides to run it the OP will come back and let us know how she did.0 -
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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/M
Great job! I just moved from Austin, so I had a lot of friends from my old run group at the race last weekend. From the sounds of it, the weather was not cooperative...very humid and warm for February. Good job!
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arussell134 wrote: »OP your splits are on point, way better than when I attempted this distance years ago. See another marathon in your future?
Yeah a friend of mine that did the half asked me if I would do another and I opened my big mouth and said I would if he did the full distance.
He signed up yesterday morning lol
So, I'm going to make good on my word.
Yeah, good for you!! As I mentioned earlier, I shaved over 40 minutes from my first to my second marathon. Keep your base mileage steady before launching into your official training and I bet you'll see a big improvement, too. Good luck!
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arussell134 wrote: »OP your splits are on point, way better than when I attempted this distance years ago. See another marathon in your future?
Yeah a friend of mine that did the half asked me if I would do another and I opened my big mouth and said I would if he did the full distance.
He signed up yesterday morning lol
So, I'm going to make good on my word.
That you still want to do another one is awesome. And if you spend the intervening time building up a good solid base before you start "official" training the next one should be even more enjoyable. I was screwing with Carson but his advice is solid.
If you're planning on running Austin again the "good" thing is you never know what the weather will be. This one was waaay too humid. The temperature wasn't *too* bad but the humidity sucked. Last year I did the half and it was warmer and more humid than it was this year. The year before that I did the half and it was absolutely beautiful. Clear and 45 degrees. What I consider perfect running weather. So.... you know.... maybe it'll be nice and cool next year..... maybe.
I found the weather to be awesome, actually. I'm from Houston so 80% humidity is fine for me as was the temperature. I don't like running below 50F. I realize I'm probably alone in this hahaha I did see a lot of people struggling until the wind picked up a bit.
I was totally comfortable the whole time, could not have asked for better, especially the cloud cover.
Humidity helps me breathe, cold and dry air = coughing fits0 -
arussell134 wrote: »OP your splits are on point, way better than when I attempted this distance years ago. See another marathon in your future?
Yeah a friend of mine that did the half asked me if I would do another and I opened my big mouth and said I would if he did the full distance.
He signed up yesterday morning lol
So, I'm going to make good on my word.
That you still want to do another one is awesome. And if you spend the intervening time building up a good solid base before you start "official" training the next one should be even more enjoyable. I was screwing with Carson but his advice is solid.
If you're planning on running Austin again the "good" thing is you never know what the weather will be. This one was waaay too humid. The temperature wasn't *too* bad but the humidity sucked. Last year I did the half and it was warmer and more humid than it was this year. The year before that I did the half and it was absolutely beautiful. Clear and 45 degrees. What I consider perfect running weather. So.... you know.... maybe it'll be nice and cool next year..... maybe.
I found the weather to be awesome, actually. I'm from Houston so 80% humidity is fine for me as was the temperature. I don't like running below 50F. I realize I'm probably alone in this hahaha I did see a lot of people struggling until the wind picked up a bit.
I was totally comfortable the whole time, could not have asked for better, especially the cloud cover.
Humidity helps me breathe, cold and dry air = coughing fits
My problem was that my body glide was insufficient to deal with the humidity. And I didn't notice until I was back at the car. I was wondering why the aid station people were pushing vaseline on me for the last 8 miles. And looking incredulous when I turned it down.
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arussell134 wrote: »OP your splits are on point, way better than when I attempted this distance years ago. See another marathon in your future?
Yeah a friend of mine that did the half asked me if I would do another and I opened my big mouth and said I would if he did the full distance.
He signed up yesterday morning lol
So, I'm going to make good on my word.
That you still want to do another one is awesome. And if you spend the intervening time building up a good solid base before you start "official" training the next one should be even more enjoyable. I was screwing with Carson but his advice is solid.
If you're planning on running Austin again the "good" thing is you never know what the weather will be. This one was waaay too humid. The temperature wasn't *too* bad but the humidity sucked. Last year I did the half and it was warmer and more humid than it was this year. The year before that I did the half and it was absolutely beautiful. Clear and 45 degrees. What I consider perfect running weather. So.... you know.... maybe it'll be nice and cool next year..... maybe.
I found the weather to be awesome, actually. I'm from Houston so 80% humidity is fine for me as was the temperature. I don't like running below 50F. I realize I'm probably alone in this hahaha I did see a lot of people struggling until the wind picked up a bit.
I was totally comfortable the whole time, could not have asked for better, especially the cloud cover.
Humidity helps me breathe, cold and dry air = coughing fits
My problem was that my body glide was insufficient to deal with the humidity. And I didn't notice until I was back at the car. I was wondering why the aid station people were pushing vaseline on me for the last 8 miles. And looking incredulous when I turned it down.
Another bleeding heart liberal in Austin. Go figure.
I wore these during December's race. I didn't even notice they were there and forgot all about them till I got home and was taking a shower.
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CarsonRuns wrote: »
There's been a lot of Desitin in my life for the past three days.0 -
CarsonRuns wrote: »
Lol. Johnny, I agree with the weather from the previous races. I did the half last year (see my profile pic), and it was so stinking humid. Didn't do it this year since I recently moved to CO.
The year before was my first full marathon...the weather was perfect.
Last summer in Austin when I was training for marathon #2, body glide wasn't cutting it for my nips. Ended up going with some medical tape...it was the right combo of not too sticky but water resistant. The trick was to use only a small bit to cover the nips only. Maybe a half inch in length?0 -
arussell134 wrote: »OP your splits are on point, way better than when I attempted this distance years ago. See another marathon in your future?
Yeah a friend of mine that did the half asked me if I would do another and I opened my big mouth and said I would if he did the full distance.
He signed up yesterday morning lol
So, I'm going to make good on my word.
That you still want to do another one is awesome. And if you spend the intervening time building up a good solid base before you start "official" training the next one should be even more enjoyable. I was screwing with Carson but his advice is solid.
If you're planning on running Austin again the "good" thing is you never know what the weather will be. This one was waaay too humid. The temperature wasn't *too* bad but the humidity sucked. Last year I did the half and it was warmer and more humid than it was this year. The year before that I did the half and it was absolutely beautiful. Clear and 45 degrees. What I consider perfect running weather. So.... you know.... maybe it'll be nice and cool next year..... maybe.
I found the weather to be awesome, actually. I'm from Houston so 80% humidity is fine for me as was the temperature. I don't like running below 50F. I realize I'm probably alone in this hahaha I did see a lot of people struggling until the wind picked up a bit.
I was totally comfortable the whole time, could not have asked for better, especially the cloud cover.
Humidity helps me breathe, cold and dry air = coughing fits
My problem was that my body glide was insufficient to deal with the humidity. And I didn't notice until I was back at the car. I was wondering why the aid station people were pushing vaseline on me for the last 8 miles. And looking incredulous when I turned it down.
Another bleeding heart liberal in Austin. Go figure.
I wore these during December's race. I didn't even notice they were there and forgot all about them till I got home and was taking a shower.
This is amazing.
I did have chafing from my heart rate monitor after it slid up under my girls. it looks like I had a bit of elective surgery at the moment.
If anyone has a suggestion for a softer strap HRM let me know.0 -
CaseySteenport wrote: »CarsonRuns wrote: »
Lol. Johnny, I agree with the weather from the previous races. I did the half last year (see my profile pic), and it was so stinking humid. Didn't do it this year since I recently moved to CO.
The year before was my first full marathon...the weather was perfect.
Last summer in Austin when I was training for marathon #2, body glide wasn't cutting it for my nips. Ended up going with some medical tape...it was the right combo of not too sticky but water resistant. The trick was to use only a small bit to cover the nips only. Maybe a half inch in length?
Body glide had worked fine for me all through training except for one 20 miler when it was pouring down rain the entire run. So I had no reason to doubt it this weekend.
Live and learn. I guess I should have gone ahead and taken the vaseline that was offered at the aid stations.0 -
arussell134 wrote: »OP your splits are on point, way better than when I attempted this distance years ago. See another marathon in your future?
Yeah a friend of mine that did the half asked me if I would do another and I opened my big mouth and said I would if he did the full distance.
He signed up yesterday morning lol
So, I'm going to make good on my word.
That you still want to do another one is awesome. And if you spend the intervening time building up a good solid base before you start "official" training the next one should be even more enjoyable. I was screwing with Carson but his advice is solid.
If you're planning on running Austin again the "good" thing is you never know what the weather will be. This one was waaay too humid. The temperature wasn't *too* bad but the humidity sucked. Last year I did the half and it was warmer and more humid than it was this year. The year before that I did the half and it was absolutely beautiful. Clear and 45 degrees. What I consider perfect running weather. So.... you know.... maybe it'll be nice and cool next year..... maybe.
I found the weather to be awesome, actually. I'm from Houston so 80% humidity is fine for me as was the temperature. I don't like running below 50F. I realize I'm probably alone in this hahaha I did see a lot of people struggling until the wind picked up a bit.
I was totally comfortable the whole time, could not have asked for better, especially the cloud cover.
Humidity helps me breathe, cold and dry air = coughing fits
My problem was that my body glide was insufficient to deal with the humidity. And I didn't notice until I was back at the car. I was wondering why the aid station people were pushing vaseline on me for the last 8 miles. And looking incredulous when I turned it down.
Another bleeding heart liberal in Austin. Go figure.
I wore these during December's race. I didn't even notice they were there and forgot all about them till I got home and was taking a shower.
This is amazing.
I did have chafing from my heart rate monitor after it slid up under my girls. it looks like I had a bit of elective surgery at the moment.
If anyone has a suggestion for a softer strap HRM let me know.
What are you using now? I have one of the softer Garmin ones and it gives me no problems. I also have one of the older Garmin ones that was more rigid and the softer one is a big improvement.0 -
Congrats on finishing it so well! Guess you are signed up for the next one?
Stef.0 -
arussell134 wrote: »OP your splits are on point, way better than when I attempted this distance years ago. See another marathon in your future?
Yeah a friend of mine that did the half asked me if I would do another and I opened my big mouth and said I would if he did the full distance.
He signed up yesterday morning lol
So, I'm going to make good on my word.
That you still want to do another one is awesome. And if you spend the intervening time building up a good solid base before you start "official" training the next one should be even more enjoyable. I was screwing with Carson but his advice is solid.
If you're planning on running Austin again the "good" thing is you never know what the weather will be. This one was waaay too humid. The temperature wasn't *too* bad but the humidity sucked. Last year I did the half and it was warmer and more humid than it was this year. The year before that I did the half and it was absolutely beautiful. Clear and 45 degrees. What I consider perfect running weather. So.... you know.... maybe it'll be nice and cool next year..... maybe.
I found the weather to be awesome, actually. I'm from Houston so 80% humidity is fine for me as was the temperature. I don't like running below 50F. I realize I'm probably alone in this hahaha I did see a lot of people struggling until the wind picked up a bit.
I was totally comfortable the whole time, could not have asked for better, especially the cloud cover.
Humidity helps me breathe, cold and dry air = coughing fits
My problem was that my body glide was insufficient to deal with the humidity. And I didn't notice until I was back at the car. I was wondering why the aid station people were pushing vaseline on me for the last 8 miles. And looking incredulous when I turned it down.
Another bleeding heart liberal in Austin. Go figure.
I wore these during December's race. I didn't even notice they were there and forgot all about them till I got home and was taking a shower.
This is amazing.
I did have chafing from my heart rate monitor after it slid up under my girls. it looks like I had a bit of elective surgery at the moment.
If anyone has a suggestion for a softer strap HRM let me know.
What are you using now? I have one of the softer Garmin ones and it gives me no problems. I also have one of the older Garmin ones that was more rigid and the softer one is a big improvement.
I have two of the same Garmin "soft straps". One cuts me to ribbons right under the transmitter pod. The other gives me no trouble at all. So even the "same" strap can have different effects I guess.0
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