How long to run a marathon?!
Sparx_81
Posts: 403 Member
I know this is a "how long is a piece of string" question but I want to make some longer term goals.
Has anyone gone from c25k to marathon? How long did it take you? And how much of your life was devoted to it?
My goals for this year are to get 5km by May, 10km before the end of year. Half marathon 2019 and marathon 2020! Essentially I want to run a marathon before I turn 40!
Has anyone gone from c25k to marathon? How long did it take you? And how much of your life was devoted to it?
My goals for this year are to get 5km by May, 10km before the end of year. Half marathon 2019 and marathon 2020! Essentially I want to run a marathon before I turn 40!
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Replies
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My first race was a HM and I decided to try it the day before the race. I was running close to thirty miles a week at the time so it wasn't difficult for me and the accomplishment felt great. If I were going for a full I think I would look up a structured plan to make sure I have enough gas in the tank. I am pretty sure you will need some long runs in that are greater than a HM to get in proper training. Good luck!2
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Thanks for the link. I'm wasn't planning on following a plan (well loosely but definitely not religiously!) I'm doing the c25k as one of the challenges on here but I have already completed it last year and did a 10k in august so I'm using it as a boost to just get me back out running!
Trust me I'm well aware it will take me longer than 10 weeks to run a marathon! Hence the 3 yr time frame! ;-)
My longest distance to date is 10km best time is only 1hr 18mins so I know I've a long road ahead of me!0 -
I know this is a "how long is a piece of string" question but I want to make some longer term goals.
Has anyone gone from c25k to marathon? How long did it take you? And how much of your life was devoted to it?
My goals for this year are to get 5km by May, 10km before the end of year. Half marathon 2019 and marathon 2020! Essentially I want to run a marathon before I turn 40!
That's quite a leisurely pace and certainly attainable.4 -
stanmann571 wrote: »I know this is a "how long is a piece of string" question but I want to make some longer term goals.
Has anyone gone from c25k to marathon? How long did it take you? And how much of your life was devoted to it?
My goals for this year are to get 5km by May, 10km before the end of year. Half marathon 2019 and marathon 2020! Essentially I want to run a marathon before I turn 40!
That's quite a leisurely pace and certainly attainable.
Would love to do it quicker but I have to remember I have kids plus study so can't let running get in the way of other parts of my life! :-)1 -
I know this is a "how long is a piece of string" question but I want to make some longer term goals.
Has anyone gone from c25k to marathon? How long did it take you? And how much of your life was devoted to it?
My goals for this year are to get 5km by May, 10km before the end of year. Half marathon 2019 and marathon 2020! Essentially I want to run a marathon before I turn 40!
I'm not sure I'm going to ever try a full marathon, but I'm kinda in your boat, just a year ahead.
Last year I did the C25K starting Jan 1 (2017). Did 1 5K in April and then started doing parkruns. Did a 10K in October (1:06 ish). I've done 2 10K so far this year. Now I've just started training for a half that will be mid June.
Unfortunately, I started my C25K at 51, so no chance of doing this before 40 for me
But I'll see what the fall and 2019 bring if I do try a full. I'm thinking more of a tri in 2019 (was thinking of doing one in 2018 but my swimming is weak). 1 -
I know this is a "how long is a piece of string" question but I want to make some longer term goals.
Has anyone gone from c25k to marathon? How long did it take you? And how much of your life was devoted to it?
My goals for this year are to get 5km by May, 10km before the end of year. Half marathon 2019 and marathon 2020! Essentially I want to run a marathon before I turn 40!
In principle you could get there in a year. It's high risk as it's not leaving any contingency for injury, illness or burnout.
From my experience, it to just over two years to get from couch to marathon, it would have been a bit less but I was ill and had to downgrade the planned first full to a Half.
That said, I did my first Ultra six weeks after the first full.2 -
I haven’t yet done a full and I’m not in any rush to do one. I trained for a 17 mile race last year. I’m not the world’s speediest runner and to do the mileage needed to train for the 17 mile race training was almost like having a second job (including running time and pre-post run/recovery stuff). I love running, so I enjoyed it. The race was amazing, and I wouldn’t change a thing about the whole experience. But I was also very thankful to have some more normal weekends (and even weekdays during peak training weeks) after the race was over.
Training for a marathon would be adding another 3+ hours of running (total-for me-for long runs and all the runs to support the long runs) per week to the amount I ran for the 17 mile race (which already felt like a second job). I just can’t fathom that right now.
I continue to work on getting faster and fitter and perhaps at some point, I can do the marathon training mileage in not much longer than I spent doing the 17 mile training. But until then, I just don’t have that kind of time/energy to devote to a race.
Physically, I could do it if I could manage to not be injured for 5 minutes. Mentally & life-wise, I don’t think I could put that much time into training. Half? No problem. Full? Ehhh-maybe someday.1 -
Thanks for the link. I'm wasn't planning on following a plan (well loosely but definitely not religiously!) I'm doing the c25k as one of the challenges on here but I have already completed it last year and did a 10k in august so I'm using it as a boost to just get me back out running!
Trust me I'm well aware it will take me longer than 10 weeks to run a marathon! Hence the 3 yr time frame! ;-)
My longest distance to date is 10km best time is only 1hr 18mins so I know I've a long road ahead of me!
If you haven't read the blog link yet, you may actually find it valuable. Part of the advise in that blog link says that if you do follow a plan, how to follow it loosely and not to follow one religiously.
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I think that running a marathon is definitely doable in your time frame. As far as how much time you can expect to devote to training, it really depends on what you want your marathon to be like. I have known people that have run marathons with training that maxed out at 30-35 miles per week including a 16 mile long run. Most of these people said it was a struggle and they were glad to cross it off of their bucket list and would likely not do it again. Most regular marathon runners peak at 50+ miles per week in training with at least two 20+ mile long runs.
There is a saying: "The harder the training, the easier the race. The easier the training, the harder the race. " So much truth there.6 -
stanmann571 wrote: »I know this is a "how long is a piece of string" question but I want to make some longer term goals.
Has anyone gone from c25k to marathon? How long did it take you? And how much of your life was devoted to it?
My goals for this year are to get 5km by May, 10km before the end of year. Half marathon 2019 and marathon 2020! Essentially I want to run a marathon before I turn 40!
That's quite a leisurely pace and certainly attainable.
Would love to do it quicker but I have to remember I have kids plus study so can't let running get in the way of other parts of my life! :-)
I run up to half distance, because I don't have the commitment to have my life taken over by a full.2 -
I know this is a "how long is a piece of string" question but I want to make some longer term goals.
Has anyone gone from c25k to marathon? How long did it take you? And how much of your life was devoted to it?
My goals for this year are to get 5km by May, 10km before the end of year. Half marathon 2019 and marathon 2020! Essentially I want to run a marathon before I turn 40!
It sounds like a very sensible approach. I see so many new runners in the forums who want to go from zero to marathon overnight (slight exaggeration). Taking your time to get there is much less likely to leave you injured and allows you to build up the distances at a rate where it's still fun. Running is one of those activities, at least for me, where the training is its own reward.
I would suggest that when you're training for the half & full marathons you do follow a training plan. Hal Higdon has some great free ones (for novice runners on to people who want to podium). I come from a long line of people who do things the hard way and having a structured training plan really does make your life simpler.2 -
I think your timeline is a good one. It gives you time to build your base conservatively, which helps avoid injury. I tried to go too fast and spent much of my first two years injured. I don't advise that. (I went from couch to HM in 6 months. A week before my HM, I developed a pelvic stress fracture. It took two more years before I was able to complete a half. My first marathon was a year later.) The more miles you run in training, the better your race will go. As stated above, there are beginner programs that only do 30-35 mpw, but they are intended to get you safely to the starting line, not necessarily the finish line. If you want to feel good about your race, you'll take your training a bit more seriously.
Taking your time also gives you time to figure out whether you actually enjoy really long runs and whether you enjoy racing. I have a love/hate relationship with both. They intimidate me and wear me out but I love the feeling of accomplishment at the end. My preference is for 5-6 mile runs, but I enjoy doing marathons, so I commit to the training, including long runs, that I need to do that as well as I can.
I disagree with the advise to not follow a plan. I didn't until I did my first marathon. That meant I did my earlier races only half trained. I finished, but I would have done much better if I'd had better training. For my marathon I was most concerned about doing too much. I can and do push myself too hard, which has led to injury. Following a plan (Higdon's Intermediate 2) meant I took rest days, enjoyed cut back weeks, built my fitness gradually, and was ready to race. My first marathon was a blast. I finished in the time I expected, and though I was exhausted and sore, I was happy and couldn't wait to do it again. I'm currently training for my 4th marathon (Boston) and chose a more challenging plan. I feel like I'm making good progress, but it also is keeping me from doing too much, as I would if I weren't following the plan. I make changes as necessary (switching days for runs to fit schedule or weather, and skipping runs when sick) but I try to follow it as closely as I can, so I get the result I want - a smiling face at the end of the race.3 -
At least 12 months or more depending on you. I tried for a half and got pretty far, but asthma made it too hard for me to break 2-3 miles. Just would nearly keel over from lack of oxygen. Never got a good pace to not need my inhaler constantly. But i went from couch to 2 miles within 4 weeks. If I pushed could have gained about a mile a week. But I was training 6 days a week. I just wish my asthma was not induced so much by exercise.0
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spiriteagle99 wrote: »I think your timeline is a good one. It gives you time to build your base conservatively, which helps avoid injury. I tried to go too fast and spent much of my first two years injured. I don't advise that. (I went from couch to HM in 6 months. A week before my HM, I developed a pelvic stress fracture. It took two more years before I was able to complete a half. My first marathon was a year later.) The more miles you run in training, the better your race will go. As stated above, there are beginner programs that only do 30-35 mpw, but they are intended to get you safely to the starting line, not necessarily the finish line. If you want to feel good about your race, you'll take your training a bit more seriously.
Taking your time also gives you time to figure out whether you actually enjoy really long runs and whether you enjoy racing. I have a love/hate relationship with both. They intimidate me and wear me out but I love the feeling of accomplishment at the end. My preference is for 5-6 mile runs, but I enjoy doing marathons, so I commit to the training, including long runs, that I need to do that as well as I can.
I disagree with the advise to not follow a plan. I didn't until I did my first marathon. That meant I did my earlier races only half trained. I finished, but I would have done much better if I'd had better training. For my marathon I was most concerned about doing too much. I can and do push myself too hard, which has led to injury. Following a plan (Higdon's Intermediate 2) meant I took rest days, enjoyed cut back weeks, built my fitness gradually, and was ready to race. My first marathon was a blast. I finished in the time I expected, and though I was exhausted and sore, I was happy and couldn't wait to do it again. I'm currently training for my 4th marathon (Boston) and chose a more challenging plan. I feel like I'm making good progress, but it also is keeping me from doing too much, as I would if I weren't following the plan. I make changes as necessary (switching days for runs to fit schedule or weather, and skipping runs when sick) but I try to follow it as closely as I can, so I get the result I want - a smiling face at the end of the race.
The love/hate thing sounds very familiar! I've always played sports, tennis, hockey, badminton, etc etc etc but I never enjoyed athletics in school (memories of being made through mud in winter just bring me out in a cold sweat!)
I can do 2km comfortably enoughish normally! Then I can take a short walk break and go again, covering 10km is not too much of a problem! It's just the continuous running that is my bugbear! I wonder how much is mental Vs physical though.
I think the program is necessary too, just not as religiously or strictly. So if I'm struggling with a particular week I would probably just repeat it!
Last year I followed the podrunner plans (love them as they match the beat of the music to help your cadence) Got myself up to the freeway to 10k program and did Midnattsloppet in Stockholm with a time of 1 18. Unfortunately I then stopped and got fat so seem to have gone back a million steps...0 -
I went from starting c25k in August 2013 and ran my first ultra, 30 miles, in April 2014. Took me 7 hours to run the ultra.
Would I advise that for anyone else. Nope, though it did firmly get me addicted to ultra running, it was painful. Your time line looks good. I would look at and follow the hal higdon plans.
In fact, that's what I am currently doing, last year I had a number of injuries, the worst being a slipped disc in the middle of a 60 miler. Had to DNF and then didn't run for almost 3 months.
Following Hal plan now to rebuild my endurance while doing core work 3 days a week to try and keep things ticking over.1 -
Your timing makes ton of sense and should be very attainable. You might find that the leap from 5K to 10K won't even take that long. It took me about 4 weeks to get to running 5Ks as a regular distance and ~8 weeks from day 1 to regularly running 10K. The distance adjustment really isn't that bad.
10K to half needs to be more of a focused effort. I've been running for about 8 months now and am scheduled to run my first half in April. I still haven't run 13 miles yet but am not terribly worried about being able to complete the distance at this point. To be honest, I probably could have comfortably managed a half after 5 or 6 months though I would have had to have been pretty diligent about following a structured training plan.
The weird thing is that you might actually find that boredom or time are your main enemies when you start to consider running longer distances. One of the reasons that I haven't yet run 13 miles is that it's hard for me to free up 2+ hours on most days (we have a newborn at home) and to be frank, I get a little bored running easy miles for much more than an hour at a time. I will run close to 13 miles as part of my training for the upcoming half but I'm not necessarily looking forward to those longer sessions. They're going to take forever.
I can already say that despite my initial thinking when I first started running, I no longer have any interest in training for or running a full marathon and I'll probably run this one HM just to say that I did it but then never run another again. ~10K seems to be my 'sweet spot' distance. Short enough that it's over quickly but long enough to feel like you've achieved something. After the half, I'll likely shift my focus towards a better 10K PR.2 -
I think my dad did about 4 months, and threw down a 3:15. That was the early 90's, and he's always been more balls than brains.
I think 6-12 months is reasonable for anyone who truly understands endurance training and can dedicate the time to training. Many would require a quality personal coach for that kind of timeline.0 -
Run because you enjoy it. Life it too short to do something you don't enjoy. There are many ways to exercise and stay in shape. Running is only one of those ways. While training for your first 5k, make sure you are enjoying the training and, then, the race. If you are, and think you'd like to extend your distance, do so. As long as you are enjoying the activity, continue. There may, or may not, come a time when enough is enough and you'll cap your training as, say, the Half Marathon. OK. Run your 5K's, 10K's and Halfs. I stopped at the Half Marathon, but the door thereto can always be opened ;-) In answer to your question: "How long to run a marathon?!"; As long as it takes while you still enjoy the endeavor. The time line is really specific to you.5
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In February 2004 I decided to do something about my weight so started logging my food, tracking calories and bought a treadmill.
I was 44 and 100 lbs overweight.
Exactly one year later February 2005 I ran my first half marathon (Hypothermic Half) and in December of 2005 I completed my first full Marathon..... Honolulu ..... in just under 5 hours.
I followed the Running Rooms training plans starting the10K in the summer, then went to the half that fall and winter and went to the full plan after that.
I wasn't even close to fast - my fastest full was 4:30 ............... but I finished every race I started - 17 halfs, 4 fulls and one ultra.
Word of caution...... even done right, running can be hard on the body ..... so listen to yours.... train smart....
After awhile I got cocky..... did not practice what I just preached and found myself with two bad knees and all the weight I lost was back... plus more.
But I'm older & wiser this time around and slowly working on ridding myself of it once and for all.
One more thing........ don't forget to smile at the finish line..... makes a great picture !
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Yes, that's plenty of time. Is it necessary? Like some others have said, do it because you enjoy the activity. I personally think there is more value in working to get faster at the shorter distances. Especially if you are time constrained.0
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These are great goals and very achievable, but see how you feel after your half. If you're like me, you might be like "F no."
My first 5K was 2015, went progressively up to two half marathons in 2017. Part of my problem last year was that I also did an international distance triathlon between the two. Ended up with IT band issues that went away after lots of stretching and easy running this winter.0 -
Vladimirnapkin wrote: »Yes, that's plenty of time. Is it necessary? Like some others have said, do it because you enjoy the activity. I personally think there is more value in working to get faster at the shorter distances. Especially if you are time constrained.
I do actually enjoy running but I also love to challenge myself!
Years ago I used to run 5k as just a daily thing before college! Then I had kids and stopped for years. Now I'm trying to turn the clock back 15 yrs! 1 -
I completed my first 5km in July 2016, but I walked most of it. Then in March 2017 i completed my first 10km, still walking more than running. In may i did my first trail half marathon, running about as much as i walked. Then in August i did a chipped half and managed to run 20.5km out of the 21.
I'm now 5 weeks away from my first full marathon, capable of running over the 21km of the half but not sure if I'll be able to run the whole 42km but I'm going to get over the finish line by hook or by crook.3 -
I completed my first 5km in July 2016, but I walked most of it. Then in March 2017 i completed my first 10km, still walking more than running. In may i did my first trail half marathon, running about as much as i walked. Then in August i did a chipped half and managed to run 20.5km out of the 21.
I'm now 5 weeks away from my first full marathon, capable of running over the 21km of the half but not sure if I'll be able to run the whole 42km but I'm going to get over the finish line by hook or by crook.
Wow, that's an amazing timeline! How much did it take over your life in that time?0 -
I completed my first 5km in July 2016, but I walked most of it. Then in March 2017 i completed my first 10km, still walking more than running. In may i did my first trail half marathon, running about as much as i walked. Then in August i did a chipped half and managed to run 20.5km out of the 21.
I'm now 5 weeks away from my first full marathon, capable of running over the 21km of the half but not sure if I'll be able to run the whole 42km but I'm going to get over the finish line by hook or by crook.
Wow, that's an amazing timeline! How much did it take over your life in that time?
It didn't really take over my life until I started training for the marathon on the 1st Jan. At the moment it seems that my whole life is taken up by running, thinking about running, planning routes, making sure I eat enough....
There are 3 runs a week on my plan. 1 short 5km recovery run, 1 mid length (10-12km) and one long run (21-32km). My last long run took 2.5hrs for 21km but that's going up to 28km on Sunday so 3hrs+. Then there's recovery time from the long run, I'm pretty achy for the rest of the day and the doms kicks in couple days later. Plus I don't stop eating after a long run.
I also work with a PT 5 days a week and since the start of the year we've changed the focus from strength and general fitness to running. With hill sessions, sprint sessions and recovery stretching. Then I cross train on the rowing machine at least once a week.
It wasn't safe to run outside last week so I had to get to the gym to run on the treadmill. And I had to put heavy lifting on the back burner as I was struggling with weights I normally find easy and wasn't recovering as well.
So yes marathon training has somewhat taken over my life.1 -
I went from:
Couch: September 2015
5K: December 2015
10K: February 2016
HM: June 2016
42.2K: August 2017, aged 50.
So long as you value the importance of rest days, your timeplan is very reasonable. All the best with your goal!0
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