Marathon Training - Tips, Advice, Help?

I'm training for a half marathon and I'm learning about hydrating and fueling for my long runs. Like you I didn't venture beyond 5 miles, though I was running 5-6 days a week.

I'm in week 7 of my training plan (found it on the Boston marathon website) and now that the weather is much warmer, my hydrating plan needs to be much different.

Start tracking the mileage on your shoes, you'll want to replace them every 350-500 miles. I seem to get around 400 miles out of mine before my hips and feet start hurting.

Don't underestimate good running socks.

There are a lot of experienced runners on this site - I've learned a lot from their posts! There's also a long distance running group that you might get insight from.

I've run three marathons and been a reader on Runners World and Running Ahead forums for several years, so I've learned a lot about training from people who run a lot more than I do.

For a first marathon, don't worry much about your time, just focus on finishing the race with a smile on your face. Hal Higdon's plans are very popular and get a lot of people to the starting line without injury. I did his Intermed. 2 for my first and third, the advanced for my second and met my goals for #1 and #3 including a BQ. (#2 was a disaster due to heat and overdoing it the day before the race.) My first marathon was a blast. I had spent so much time picturing race day and the reality exceeded my expectations. It was also really hard. But that was expected.

Spend the next several months building your base. Start with adding a day to your running, then another day, so you are running at least 5 days a week. Before starting your marathon specific training, you should be running at least 35 miles a week, more is better. It will be easier and safer if your long run is not more than 50% of your total miles, 40% is better. Since your training will last several months, it helps if you enjoy the training. I loved the fact that I was able to get into terrific shape but it took a lot of time and a lot of miles to get there. for a lot of people, finding the time to run all those miles is the hardest part of marathon training. It's not so bad when it's only for 12-18 weeks, but when you're planning a year in advance, that's a long time to keep your focus.

Look at long runs as rehearsals for your races. When they get to be more than 10 miles, start experimenting with some sort of fuel, whether Gel, shot blocks, fruit, jelly beans or whatever you choose. (During races, I eat something every 45 minutes or so.) Pay attention to the food you eat before and after your runs. See what works for you, and what sends you to the nearest bathroom. (Fiber and fat generally don't work. Sugar doesn't work for me, but a frequent marathoner I know starts race day with 2 donuts and Mountain dew. YMMV.) Try different clothes options and run as much as you can in different conditions, since you don't know whether it will be hot, cold, rainy or icy during your race. You want to find out what clothes work and which will chafe.

I gained a few pounds while training for my first two races, mostly because the two weeks before the race you cut back on training and then after the race training was also limited while I recovered, but I still ate as if I was running 50 mpw. For my last race, but logging what I ate, I was able to lose weight while training and didn't gain it back afterwards.

Do some racing this year so you can figure out training paces. Training for short races will help you develop speed and give you race day experience. During your marathon training you will probably do a HM about 5-6 weeks before the race so you can figure out the pace you want to run during the race. Keeping to that goal pace is really important. Too fast will lead to a bad blowup in the later miles. One of the things to work on as you build your base is control of your paces. Slow runs should be really easy, speedwork should be hard.

One thing to think about when choosing your marathon: do you want to be doing the bulk of your training in summer or winter? I do badly in summer heat and humidity, so all of my marathons have been in spring. I also have a treadmill and have ended up doing 20 mile runs on that machine when it wasn't safe to run outside. I can't imagine doing 3+ hour runs in August, but many people do. Other considerations are: do you want to do a local race, so you can sleep at home the night before, or do you want to make the race a destination race and take a few days vacation to do it? Both have pluses and minuses. Find out everything you can about the race before you do it. Try to train in similar conditions. If it's a hilly race, find some hills. If it's going to be hot (i.e. Disney races) then you need to train in heat.