Marathon training can I do it in 11 weeks

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steveomc209
steveomc209 Posts: 8 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I ran a half marathon last October and am signed up for the Newport full marathon this april 19th. Kept putting training off but am well into it now. Training 6 days a week. One long on a Saturday or sunday. And gym 4 days in the week evenings. Short runs in the week mixed with weights work and swims. Can I do it in time?? Will be upping the long run distance each week

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  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
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    Yes, assuming your base mileage is sufficient. Most plans run 12-16 weeks but they all assume you can comfortably run 7-10 miles to start. If this isn't you then you risk injury if you build up too quickly. You could still do it (with risks) but you'd want to run/walk it.
  • HCAs85
    HCAs85 Posts: 12 Member
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    I suppose that depends on your running background.
    What is your goal-
    To finish?
    To beat a PB?

    I did my first marathon in September last year. I think I had 12 weeks to prepare.
    Never ran a marathon, or even a half marathon before then.

    I got into quite a good routine, and increased my long run mileage by 10% each week.
    I was also at gym 5-6 days a week, doing a mixture of running, cycling, and strength training.

    Long story short, I over-did it and about 4-5 weeks before the marathon, as I was starting to taper, I got sick with flu.
    I missed 3-4 days of gym and running which felt like a lifetime. I spiraled down, lost motivation, and ate a lot.

    The result- I packed on a few kilograms, and my pre-race nutrition in the days leading up to the marathon was poor.

    I finished. My original goal was just to finish (6h30 cutoff).
    During my training (when I was doing well), I realised I could manage it in 6h.
    And, I smashed that on the day and finished in 5h30, which I am very happy with.

    11 weeks... I think you will be fine if you take on a quality over quantity approach.

    Last week I did a half-marathon. My longest run between September 2019 and then was 9km.
    But, I have been cycling and hiking 3-4 times a week since November 2019, so my base fitness was good.
    Finished the half and didn't feel like dying. Quite chuffed with that one. Nutrition and mindset were much better than during my full marathon.

    Go get 'em!
  • steveomc209
    steveomc209 Posts: 8 Member
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    Hi. Thanks for the replies.
    So I did 8.5 miles last Sunday and have been to the gym each evening. Took Friday off.
    Switched my long run to yesterday due to the horrible weather today!
    I had a terrible run did beat my 8.5 miles. It wasn't because I couldn't run my head was not right. Just had an argument at home and had been a busy day sitting the shed. Think the lesson is run first thing!!

    My aim is to finish. I did the caerphilly 10k last year very hard and hilly. Then the Cardiff half last October went well until 8 miles then found a running partner and we finished together in 2hr 37 minutes.
  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
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    11wks if you are only at 8.5mi on your long run is probably quite aggressive. The result is unlikely to be that you don’t finish the race - more likely that you will get injured before the start line or on race day through increasing distance too rapidly.
    I would actually run less often during the week, cross train more instead and do strength work / physio exercises to combat the likelihood of injury. Ensure your long slow runs are SUPER slow, slower than your target race pace for the marathon, this will put less strain on your body and be easier to recover from.
    Long bike rides at low intensity can help you to build your endurance for exercising for 3-5hrs.
    Schedule some regular physio visits for massage and TLC over the next few weeks and a massage a couple of days before the race.
    Good luck!
  • steveomc209
    steveomc209 Posts: 8 Member
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    Thank you for the comments and advice. Given all that has been said I am thinking perhaps it would be better to swap and do the 10k.
    I have been on the event website and it is possible to swap from marathon to 10k distance both staged on the same day slightly different course and start times.
    Then look to sign up and do the marathon next april 2021 giving myself a year to train properly.
    How does that sound?
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
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    Good idea swapping to the 10k. Don't give up on running a marathon. Just be smarter about it. Follow an actual plan (making it up as you go rarely works out well :) ). Check out the novice plan from Hal Hidgon to get you on the right track.

    https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/marathon-training/novice-1-marathon/

    Good luck.
  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
    edited February 2020
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    If your priority is to stay injury free then I think that’s a really sensible plan. You can still do the Marathon at a later date, it’s not like it’s now or never. There’s some great 10k training plans for as short as 6-8wkd so you could really smash your 10k PB :)
    Hope it goes well for you and I’m sure you won’t regret the decision.

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