Runners!

"training" for Marine Corps Marathon right now

I’m still training for a half, but that’s my dream for one day

DX2JX2 wrote: »

Not me. Training is too much of a commitment. I have zero desire to have to go out on 2-3 hour training runs. I have no doubt that I could actually run 26.2 miles if I wanted to put in the time to prepare but I simply don't want to.

Half marathons are a nice balance for me. Long enough that they feel like a challenge but short enough that training won't monopolize your life. An hour per day 4-5 days per week is likely what I'd do for fitness anyway. The only things that a HM training program would add are 2-3 slightly longer runs over the course of a 12 week program (but the longer runs are still less than 90 minutes).

there is so much truth in this.

I had a training partner for my full marathon and we would tackle our long runs every Saturday morning.

Towards the end of the training, he wasn't talking much on our runs.

He finally told me:

"We've been running and talking for hours & hours & hours. I've told you about every girl I've ever dated, every job I've had, my political views.... most everything. I've run out of things to talk about."


Yeah, training for the full marathon takes time.

mserickson99 wrote: »

Is that a relay?? That’s crazy.
I agree with what you’re saying about training DX2JX2- I agree with what you’re saying regarding training. It’s manageable with Half’s. I don’t see it being enjoyable training that much for a Full.

I've done a couple of marathons and most of the marathon experience *is*, IMO, the training. You're racing for one day, but you're setting aside about 18 weeks for training. If you don't think you'd enjoy it, that's really something to seriously consider. It's a big portion of the year and it's going to take up a good chunk of your weekends.

(That said, I find marathon training to be really enjoyable! It gives me even more of a sense of accomplishment and stability than racing does. The race is like the icing on the cake).

I ran my first marathon this year after running 8 or so half marathons. The training was definitely much more intense and it took much more planning during the week. It was the hardest physical thing I've ever done, but it was such a great experience looking back. I got to listen to a lot of great podcasts and audiobooks during those 3-4 hour training runs

I also feel like a marathon is worth traveling across the country for when a half may or may not be worth the expense. I live in Colorado and I flew to Florida for the Walt Disney World Marathon. I made a whole run-cation around the race with my family. I picked a race that I knew I would enjoy so if I ended up hating 26.2 miles I would suffer a little less being in a place I loved.

Even thought it was painful and exhausting, I loved the marathon so much that I signed up to run another this fall (Marine Corps Marathon in October... more travel!).

But don't run a marathon if you can't commit to the extra hours of training or if you don't want to. It has to be something you really want. You can finish a half marathon undertrained without much harm, but if you're not trained for a marathon it can be really dangerous.

I've done 48 and working on all 50 states. The biggest difference in training is to stretch out those long runs. I start my 18-20 week training cycle with a base which includes a couple half marathons, then include two long runs of 15, two of 17, two of 19 and three runs exceeding 20 miles.

Know your course, especially the elevation profile so you will know if you need to include any hill work. Also, know what to expect for average temperatures. If its a big city marathon, and you dont want the aggravation of race day traffic and parking, rent a hotel close to the start and finish.