Marathon?
Livelongbambii
Posts: 1
Hey guys! I was wondering how do you guys train/prepare for a marathon? Im just curious on how others train.
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Replies
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Run 3 days a week, usually keep biking 2 other days. 2 days upper body lifting.
2 days are at 1 hr each.
1 day is easy and slow, recovery run, to train the fat burning system - required for endurance.
1 day is hard hill sprints, taking the place of lower body lifting usually since I can't fit it in the schedule, trains the carb burning system - not needed at all for endurance, but I like it.
1 day is the increasing distance day at easy pace to recover from, this is the one that gets longer and longer by time (no more than 10% weekly), until I get up to 3 hrs. Not really any benefit going longer than that running, but I will tack on a long walk before and after for total feet time equaling the expected marathon time around 4 hrs.0 -
Run 5-7x/wk. I switch things up constantly though.
Simple example:
Mon: off/xtrain/recovery run or hike
TUE: easy
Wed: easy or speedwork
Thur: easy
Fri: easy or tempo
Sat: off/xtrain/recovery run or hike
Sun: Long
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Currently running 6 times a week. Training wise it depends on how long until the race. At the moment I am just getting back in to it so am focusing at time on my feet.
Mon - 1 hour
Tue - 1 hour
Wed - rest
Thur - 1 hour
Fri - 1 hour
Sat - 2 hours
Sun - 3 to 4 hours
I'll look to increase my weekend runs by around 30 minutes each week.
But when I get within about 6-8weeks of the actual race I will get a proper training plan and work from that. There are lots and lots out there which give great info on what you should be doing and why.0 -
Follow a training plan.
Past the beginner level, basically all free plans involve three hard runs per week (speedwork, tempo/medium long run, long run) and three days of either easy runs or cross-training, depending on the plan.
I keep hurting myself trying to do speedwork on land, so it looks like I will be doing my intervals in the pool as water running for the foreseeable future. Yuck. But it works. I'll run at least two of the recovery days to make up for it. For me, I need 4x/wk of running for marathon distance.0 -
Mon - 1 hour NordicTrack skiing, 45 min power yoga
Tue - 1 hour tempo run plus 5 min warmup & 5 min cool down
Wed - 1 hour NordicTrack skiing, 45 min power yoga
Thur - 1 hour tempo run plus 5 min warmup & 5 min cool down
Fri - 1 hour NordicTrack skiing, 45 min power yoga
Sat - 2 to 4 hours race pace or slower running
Sun - rest0 -
I ran 4-6x a week, with 1 tempo and 1 LSD. The rest mostly easy miles, and mid week medium long run. I did some yoga and bodyweight exercises as x-training0
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Right now I'm basebuilding for a fall marathon or half marathon.
Mon 65 min easy
Tue 65 min easier
Wed 65 min easy
Thu 65 min easier
Fri 65 min easy
Sat 130 min easy
Sun 120 min easier
I'm running by heartrate so
easy is < 70% Heart rate reserve (HRR)
easier is < 60% Heart rate reserve (HRR)
I don't pay much attention to pace or distance. Just time and effort.0 -
The responses are going to vary greatly depending on level of experience. Experienced runners with a solid aerobic base are going to be running 60+ miles per week with goals related to time. There are also people out there that just want the experience of the marathon and only care about finishing that can get by with maxing out in the 30-40 mile per week range.
My suggestion for anyone interested in running a marathon would be to establish a base of at least 20 miles per week before entering into a training plan. Then pick one that is appropriate to your level of experience and goals. There are tons out there to choose from.0 -
I run a lot, with a long run on Saturdays. Week runs are usually 45-60 minutes with a midweek long run of 1-1.5 hours. This Saturday I have a 20 miler. 7x days a week for 121 days in a row.
If you are a beginner I recommend looking up a training plan. There are lots of them out there. My weekly miles average about 55.
I am shooting for a sub 3:30 for my first of the season May 9th!
Happy training!0 -
I'm training for my 3rd - still hoping for under 4:00. My training has been thwarted the last couple of times toward the "really long run" phase of my training. I've had conversations with my wife this time about me being ruthless about my training and realizing it's going to be 4 hours or more on every weekend morning as the race gets closer. Based on my training strength and my half marathon times, I think I can do it - or even faster.
Anyway - how do I actually train? I use the Nike+Running app, which has a 16 week marathon training plan designed by Alberto Salazar built in. It doesn't sync with MFP, but now both MFP and Nike+Running sync with HealthKit, so I'm hopeful for that in the future. So when it comes down to what I do on any given day? It's all up to the coach. Sometimes it's easy runs, sometimes it's speed work, sometimes a long run with a fast finish, sometimes fartleks - sometimes cross-training. It works out to between 29 and 59 miles per week.
The real issue for me right now is that I'm 8-10 pounds heavier than I want to be on race day - so I'm back on MFP tracking everything, hoping to drop those pounds before June 21st.0 -
I am using RunKeeper. I signed up for their marathon training program on there. Its FREE!0
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Generally per week:
- 1 long run. Start at around 20km and work up to ~32km by around 3-4 weeks before the marathon. Work on nutrition and hydration strategies with these.
- 1 tempo run. Try to run at target marathon pace. Start at ~10km work up to ~18km.
- 1 interval session. I am using 800m intervals with 400m recoveries. Normally between 6 and 8 reps. 800's around 10k pace, ultimate target is to get the recovery pace as close to marathon pace as I can.
- Some cycling 2-3 times a week
- 1 visit to the gym to build core and legs. Not in the 2 days before the long run if you are going to ache afterwards!
- Plenty of walking, and maybe the odd game of squash which serves as good cardio work or occasional swim.
- Cut the km in the last 2 weeks maybe compensate with walking and cycling.0 -
While not my favorite training strategy for more advanced runners Hal Higdon's plans have gotten many novice marathoners to the starting line and across the finish line.0
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lporter229 wrote: »My suggestion for anyone interested in running a marathon would be to establish a base of at least 20 miles per week before entering into a training plan. Then pick one that is appropriate to your level of experience and goals. There are tons out there to choose from.
Also this. If you have a base of 20 miles a week for at least 6 months, the build into a full marathon will be quite a bit easier to swallow.
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Typically...
Sunday: Long run (3 week rotation of 12-20 miles for two weeks, and an 8 mile recovery third week)
Monday: 3 miles slow recovery
Tuesday: Cross-train (rowing machine) and body weight training
Wednesday: 4-5 miles easy
Thursday: 6-8 miles tempo run
Friday: 4-5 miles easy
Saturday: Body weight training only/rest day
I'll do a third body weight day on Wed or Fri, if I feel like it.0 -
I'm in, mainly for some ridiculous answers.
The question? Completely relative to your abilities. Start with www.halhigdon.com and work your way up from there.0 -
Currently running 6 times a week. Training wise it depends on how long until the race. At the moment I am just getting back in to it so am focusing at time on my feet.
Mon - 1 hour
Tue - 1 hour
Wed - rest
Thur - 1 hour
Fri - 1 hour
Sat - 2 hours
Sun - 3 to 4 hours
I'll look to increase my weekend runs by around 30 minutes each week.
But when I get within about 6-8weeks of the actual race I will get a proper training plan and work from that. There are lots and lots out there which give great info on what you should be doing and why.
Let me know how this works out for you around week 9.
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Currently running 6 times a week. Training wise it depends on how long until the race. At the moment I am just getting back in to it so am focusing at time on my feet.
Mon - 1 hour
Tue - 1 hour
Wed - rest
Thur - 1 hour
Fri - 1 hour
Sat - 2 hours
Sun - 3 to 4 hours
I'll look to increase my weekend runs by around 30 minutes each week.
But when I get within about 6-8weeks of the actual race I will get a proper training plan and work from that. There are lots and lots out there which give great info on what you should be doing and why.
a 2 hour run on Saturday AND a 3-4 hour run on Sunday? You are trying to injure yourself, not run a marathon, right?
Also a "proper" training plan will likely have you on a 3 week taper, so you are going to use a so-called "proper" plan for all of 3 weeks? What is the point? Also those "proper" plans are probably not going to have you doing anything like what you are already doing (which is ridiculous)0 -
Currently running 6 times a week. Training wise it depends on how long until the race. At the moment I am just getting back in to it so am focusing at time on my feet.
Mon - 1 hour
Tue - 1 hour
Wed - rest
Thur - 1 hour
Fri - 1 hour
Sat - 2 hours
Sun - 3 to 4 hours
I'll look to increase my weekend runs by around 30 minutes each week.
But when I get within about 6-8weeks of the actual race I will get a proper training plan and work from that. There are lots and lots out there which give great info on what you should be doing and why.
a 2 hour run on Saturday AND a 3-4 hour run on Sunday? You are trying to injure yourself, not run a marathon, right?
Also a "proper" training plan will likely have you on a 3 week taper, so you are going to use a so-called "proper" plan for all of 3 weeks? What is the point? Also those "proper" plans are probably not going to have you doing anything like what you are already doing (which is ridiculous)
The only time I can imagine doing 2 hours Sat and 3-4 Sun is if you're training for the race and a half Disney challenge. My dad ran that in 2009, and he trained for it by running my half marathon long runs with me on Saturday and would run double the miles on Sunday. But even my dad admits that's not a good long-term plan, because it's real rough mentally and physically.0 -
I can see that.
But also a 4 hour long run? That is NOT good for you. Recovery from something like that will take too long and will wreck your training the next week.
That sort of thing should be the absolute longest you go ahead of a race, and even then 4 hours is too much.0 -
Currently running 6 times a week. Training wise it depends on how long until the race. At the moment I am just getting back in to it so am focusing at time on my feet.
Mon - 1 hour
Tue - 1 hour
Wed - rest
Thur - 1 hour
Fri - 1 hour
Sat - 2 hours
Sun - 3 to 4 hours
I'll look to increase my weekend runs by around 30 minutes each week.
But when I get within about 6-8weeks of the actual race I will get a proper training plan and work from that. There are lots and lots out there which give great info on what you should be doing and why.
a 2 hour run on Saturday AND a 3-4 hour run on Sunday? You are trying to injure yourself, not run a marathon, right?
Also a "proper" training plan will likely have you on a 3 week taper, so you are going to use a so-called "proper" plan for all of 3 weeks? What is the point? Also those "proper" plans are probably not going to have you doing anything like what you are already doing (which is ridiculous)
That would be a fine plan for an ultra, 50 miles or more (though you would work up to it and deload every few weeks of course) - but for an ultra you need to get used to running depleted. Plus presumably an ultra is not being attempted by a newb. This would be..extreme for a marathon unless you have some serious experience and serious time goals.
I follow a modified Pfitzinger method (also not a beginner plan). 5-6 times/week, high mileage (into the 70s), and many weeks were I will have a short race effort on Saturday (5-15k) followed by a long run Sunday. In between those weeks are 'steady-state' long runs were a portion of the total is done at goal race pace. It usually starts with a month of easy-paced runs to get up to the proper mileage though. Then one month with speedwork added in, and a brutal month with the races and steady state runs. After that is a 3 week taper. I also do strength training on low mileage days (focusing on glutes, quads, and core.0 -
ThickMcRunFast wrote: »Currently running 6 times a week. Training wise it depends on how long until the race. At the moment I am just getting back in to it so am focusing at time on my feet.
Mon - 1 hour
Tue - 1 hour
Wed - rest
Thur - 1 hour
Fri - 1 hour
Sat - 2 hours
Sun - 3 to 4 hours
I'll look to increase my weekend runs by around 30 minutes each week.
But when I get within about 6-8weeks of the actual race I will get a proper training plan and work from that. There are lots and lots out there which give great info on what you should be doing and why.
a 2 hour run on Saturday AND a 3-4 hour run on Sunday? You are trying to injure yourself, not run a marathon, right?
Also a "proper" training plan will likely have you on a 3 week taper, so you are going to use a so-called "proper" plan for all of 3 weeks? What is the point? Also those "proper" plans are probably not going to have you doing anything like what you are already doing (which is ridiculous)
That would be a fine plan for an ultra, 50 miles or more (though you would work up to it and deload every few weeks of course) - but for an ultra you need to get used to running depleted. Plus presumably an ultra is not being attempted by a newb. This would be..extreme for a marathon unless you have some serious experience and serious time goals.
I follow a modified Pfitzinger method (also not a beginner plan). 5-6 times/week, high mileage (into the 70s), and many weeks were I will have a short race effort on Saturday (5-15k) followed by a long run Sunday. In between those weeks are 'steady-state' long runs were a portion of the total is done at goal race pace. It usually starts with a month of easy-paced runs to get up to the proper mileage though. Then one month with speedwork added in, and a brutal month with the races and steady state runs. After that is a 3 week taper. I also do strength training on low mileage days (focusing on glutes, quads, and core.
Indeed - that sounds like a good plan for an experienced ultramarathoner. I suspect that isn't what that poster had in mind though
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ThickMcRunFast wrote: »Currently running 6 times a week. Training wise it depends on how long until the race. At the moment I am just getting back in to it so am focusing at time on my feet.
Mon - 1 hour
Tue - 1 hour
Wed - rest
Thur - 1 hour
Fri - 1 hour
Sat - 2 hours
Sun - 3 to 4 hours
I'll look to increase my weekend runs by around 30 minutes each week.
But when I get within about 6-8weeks of the actual race I will get a proper training plan and work from that. There are lots and lots out there which give great info on what you should be doing and why.
a 2 hour run on Saturday AND a 3-4 hour run on Sunday? You are trying to injure yourself, not run a marathon, right?
Also a "proper" training plan will likely have you on a 3 week taper, so you are going to use a so-called "proper" plan for all of 3 weeks? What is the point? Also those "proper" plans are probably not going to have you doing anything like what you are already doing (which is ridiculous)
That would be a fine plan for an ultra, 50 miles or more (though you would work up to it and deload every few weeks of course) - but for an ultra you need to get used to running depleted. Plus presumably an ultra is not being attempted by a newb. This would be..extreme for a marathon unless you have some serious experience and serious time goals.
Indeed - that sounds like a good plan for an experienced ultramarathoner. I suspect that isn't what that poster had in mind though
I was also about to suggest it might be ultra training. Back-to-back long run are necessary. But yeah, not marathon training for sure!!
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Well my hal higdon marathon plan had me doing 10 on Saturday and 20 on Sunday (not every week, over 6 weeks with a cutback week in between), so for me that was about a 2 hour run then a 4 hour run, because I'm slow as slow. But because I do what I want I usually broke up the 10 to 5 in the a.m. and 5 in the p.m. Sometimes I ran it all at once though. I don't know, I ran all the time during marathon training. Doubles four days a week.
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OP: I'm curious about your question. Are you asking because you're thinking of running a marathon (and never have before) or are you just wanting to compare training notes?
Curious if you've run a marathon or not and why you might have posed this question.
Can you share more? 0 -
While not my favorite training strategy for more advanced runners Hal Higdon's plans have gotten many novice marathoners to the starting line and across the finish line.
Agree on Hal Higdon. Take the guesswork out of it (if you're a novice) and is a great place to start.
I use a custom training plan through Endomondo, came off a HM base and am working towards 30km as an intermediate step.
4 days per week, 2 x long runs, 2 x shorter high intensity runs. High intensity is usually intervals.
For me it's about managing risk & injury, even moving from 3 to 4 runs a week had to be managed carefully (probs with Achilles). I would like to do 5-6 if I could.
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RunnerElizabeth wrote: »Well my hal higdon marathon plan had me doing 10 on Saturday and 20 on Sunday (not every week, over 6 weeks with a cutback week in between), so for me that was about a 2 hour run then a 4 hour run, because I'm slow as slow. But because I do what I want I usually broke up the 10 to 5 in the a.m. and 5 in the p.m. Sometimes I ran it all at once though. I don't know, I ran all the time during marathon training. Doubles four days a week.
Not that I didn't believe you, but I had to go see it for myself! Yep - The Intermediate 2, Advanced 1 and Advanced 2 both have weeks with a 10mi on Saturday with a 20mi on Sunday. Whew.
My Nike+Running app coach has the spread out the long runs a bit more. At the peak the long runs are on Tuesdays and Sundays - 16 on Sunday 12 on Tuesday and 20 on Sunday, etc.
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Livelongbambii wrote: »Hey guys! I was wondering how do you guys train/prepare for a marathon? Im just curious on how others train.
Also I'm currently doing about 50 miles per week on this training plan for running outside. Netflix marathons are great too however and easier to prepare for.0 -
How do people feel about the Hal Higdon plans? I am eyeing a marathon early next year. I plan to continue building my base (20-30 miles per week: easy, intervals, long) and use Higdon's Novice 2 plan, which has me starting beg. of December. My fear is that it never has you running the marathon distance prior to race day. I've always run the distance of my prior races beforehand. So for my recent 1/2 marathon for example, my training plan included multiple 12+ runs, 3 over 13.1, and topped out at 15.5. So on race day, 13.1 felt easy and I still had plenty of gas in the tank (ran a negative split) at the end when everyone else was fading.0
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How do people feel about the Hal Higdon plans? I am eyeing a marathon early next year. I plan to continue building my base (20-30 miles per week: easy, intervals, long) and use Higdon's Novice 2 plan, which has me starting beg. of December. My fear is that it never has you running the marathon distance prior to race day. I've always run the distance of my prior races beforehand. So for my recent 1/2 marathon for example, my training plan included multiple 12+ runs, 3 over 13.1, and topped out at 15.5. So on race day, 13.1 felt easy and I still had plenty of gas in the tank (ran a negative split) at the end when everyone else was fading.
I'm doing a 20 mile run tomorrow. This is going to be my longest run for the April marathon. I'll let you know April 4th how that goes. :laugh:
The benefit of running more than 3:30 isn't worth the injury risk. I took a full week off after the December marathon. Running the full 26.2 feels like you ran 3 half marathons back to back to back. Your training would come to a dead halt.0
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