Eyes on my first Marathon

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camdoyle8906
camdoyle8906 Posts: 19 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Looking to kick up my running a bit ... Or a lot.. and shoot for the Marathon. I have a 25k planned in May, half marathon in June and full Marathon in October. I have a long ways to go and I'd love to add similar runners for motivation. I'm easing into the distance based on these goals but I'm wondering what advice you have for the first marathon dreamer like myself?

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  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
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    Build your base. Lots and lots of miles every week. Start slowly and add slowly. Allow your body to get used to the distance and be consistent. This is the exact approach I am taking in 2016. My one and only planned marathon is in the fall and I have every intention of not only running it, but running it fast enough to qualify for Boston. :-)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I just posted this elsewhere, but here's a good group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/94-long-distance-runners.

    I am training for my second ever marathon on 2/28, so can't speak from experience yet, but I find the discussions in this group helpful. I was undertrained for my first marathon (back in '05, I did finish it in about 4:30) so my focus now is getting in 5 days of running per week and bringing up the overall mileage, as well as the long runs (for the first one I did the long runs but was not consistent with the overall mileage). You've got lots of time so can really focus on getting in that mileage. I'd also urge you to cross train. I do tris and while I may not be as fast as if I just focused on running spending time biking and swimming has made a big difference in being able to workout more without feeling sore or getting injured.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    I just ran my first marathon in November and it was a great experience. It's definitely a great goal to look forward to!

    I think for me the biggest struggle was just how much TIME training took up. I never really thought about how much it would take over my life. Getting up early on weekends to run long distances meant I couldn't really go out with my friends on weekend nights, and I had to make time before work to run on weekdays. Mentally, it really became a struggle towards the end of training because I was so ready to just be done and have my life back. So I would say go into it knowing that this is going to have to be your MAIN priority for a little while, but it will be worth it.

    Also, stick to a good training plan. I love the Hal Higdon plans and the ones offered through the Runkeeper app. I used a combination of those two to train for mine.

    I personally ran four days a week and did strength training two days. Might have improved my pace more if I had run five days a week, but I think I would have gone crazy from too much running. I think the strength training was really helpful, though, as I noticed myself getting much stronger and faster.

    Good luck and have fun with all your goals this year!
  • pegharper
    pegharper Posts: 2 Member
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    Just a question--you do know that the 25K you have planned for May is longer than a half mary? A half is 21K--not a huge difference, but FYI.
  • kjauthier
    kjauthier Posts: 24 Member
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    Good for you, Definitely start now and build your base slowly and CONSISTENTLY. I suggest getting a garmin or other pacing tool to track improvement and avoid injury. Don't be an idiot like I was for my first-traing too much and inconsistently which led to injury. Go nice and slow, its a long race and as I found out the hard way you need a substantial base to draw from.
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
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    What does your mileage look like now? Have you run a half marathon before?

    The biggest thing with marathon training is time management and patience. Keep your runs at a conversational pace so that you aren't overtaxing your body and acquiring an injury leading up to race day. It may feel too slow, but you want to go slow. 80% should be slow and easy with only 20% of your miles/time being spend doing harder workouts. Your longest runs shouldn't be more than 3 or 3 hours and 15 minutes; more than that is too hard to recover from while still training. The daily miles are just as important as the long runs; they support your ability to run for 2 or 3 hours at a go. During my first round of marathon training, I figured I could skip a midweek run here or there, but that bit me when the marathon rolled around. I'm much more disciplined now.

    Also during training experiment with fuel and hydration so you have a good plan come race day and don't have to try anything new. That will be key, especially with the marathon!
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
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    If you can, do some long runs with experienced marathon runners. You can learn an awful lot just from listening to them chatter. I ran long runs mostly with marathon runners for a year before my first marathon, and that helped me avoid many of the classic rookie mistakes.

    Also, be aware that you *will* make mistakes in your first marathon. The goal in the first one is to finish, to learn from the experience, and to be able to make fewer mistakes in your second marathon . . . assuming the first one doesn't just show you that you don't like running marathons at all.

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