First some background. I would hesitate to say I’m a “runner” but over the course of the year I probably do around five-to-ten 5ks, a 10k or two and at least one (and usually two) half-marathon(s). And when I do a 10k it’s usually the day before the half as a challenge. I’m also planning on doing 2 of those challenges this year, one in April and one in November. So while I’ve never done a full marathon, running for distance isn’t foreign to me.
The other important bit to note is that I don’t run any of these races fast. I don’t even try. Disney requires a 16 min mile and I can walk faster than that. So I do. A lot. What I’m saying is that I’m not doing this for time or for anything more than just to say “I’ve done enough halfs in my life that I just want to do one full and call it a damn day.” I usually average around 3.5 hours for my halfs if that helps things.
All that being said, I recognize doing a full is a completely different animal than even doing a challenge, so I’d like to train a bit more than I normally do for it, but I want to know what to do. I can easily go online and look at advice articles (and I have), but I want to see what my good ole’ internet friends have to say about it.
Here’s what I’m thinking: Running as much as possible. This is a no-brainer that I should actually do runs in order to get my stamina up to last that long. I’m never completely wiped/near-death at the end of the halfs (except one time, but that was a different situation), but I’m not peachy-keen either. So running is a good thing. Another thing I’m thinking of doing, in lieu of running, is to play a few giant Disney days just to be on my feet and moving for 6-7 hours. I can make a pretty long day by going to Epcot, walking it, walking the path to Hollywood Studios, doing HS, then walking back to Epcot and doing another Epcot loop. I imagine I can get at least a 10k if not more out of that trip.
Something I’m hearing is to incorporate weight training into the regime as well, but I don’t know how to do that because I’m not a weights guy. Should I be focusing solely on my legs? Should I just do a shit-ton of squats? Should I look for one of those full-body things instead? What about yoga? What ya’ll say?
TL;DR: I want to get in shape to run/walk (mostly walk) a marathon with a minimum 16 min mile pace. I’m not a rookie runner, but I’m not THAT good either…any advice?
I’m sure running coach will be here soon, and I have never done a marathon, but I can say that when I added tempo and interval runs to my training, my half marathons got a lot easier.
Before, I’d run several times a week, maybe 3 miles here, 5 there, 10 on the weekends, etc. But then after I replaced shorter runs with interval training (like, run as fast I could for a quarter mile, then do a slow recovery for a couple minutes, repeat) my stamina and speed really picked up. I know you said you weren’t interested in speed, but my advice is not to underestimate the need to vary your training.
The problem with getting advice here is that there will be a variety of advice based on a variety of plans. You should follow one plan when training for a marathon. Don’t mix and match advice.
Typically for a marathon, you do a mix of longer and shorter runs. Eventually you may be doing training runs of 20+ miles. The problem for a newbie is that it will be harder for you to get the mix correct and you can easily under/overtrain. By joining a training group, you’ll get a coach who will give you a plan that will allow you to finish the marathon with whatever goal you have. Also, you gain the benefit of having running partners. Having someone to run with will make the 2-3 hour training runs much easier.
As you can imagine, different training groups will be focused on different levels of runners. Some will be made up of experienced runners trying for their personal bests. Others will be made up of newbies just starting out. Try to find a group which fits for the goals you have in mind.
Filmore’s advice is probably the best. It all depends on what you want and what your goal is. If you just want to finish a full marathon, don’t mind walking, and have no target time in mind, then my advice is to more or less do whatever you want. If you want to push yourself and aim for an ambitious finishing time, there are all kinds of things you could do.
I can offer some rules of thumb in the meantime. Other runners may have differing opinions, but here we go anyway.
-don’t increase your long run distance by >10% per week. More than that, especially for a new runner, is to risk injury.
-vary your intensity - short, hard runs with intervals, long, slower runs. Most people do their hard work to easy and their easy work too hard. In running circles, that’s called junk miles.
-think about nutrition - 26 miles is a long way and you will need to fuel en route. As you get into your longer training runs, try different food like gels or sports drinks and see how you react in preparation for the big day.
Weight training for runners and endurance athletes isn’t really the same as that for bodybuilders. It’s things like lunges with 5-10 lb dumbbells. Yoga can also be good - it can help keep you flexible and avoid the running muscles from shortening.
But, if you just want to finish and don’t care about the clock…well you’re already ready to do that.
My best friend ran his first marathon in October. I think be began training in April. Before that he wasn’t really a regular runner and hadn’t even done that many 5k or 10k races (I think he did a Color Run in July). His time was just under 6 hours. He thinks he walked about a mile of it.
He seemed to be following a basic marathon training pattern that he’d cobbled together from running articles and advice from his boss who is a marathoner. There’s definitely a lot of science to it and wisdom from experienced runners is a huge help. The key seemed to be coming up with a training calendar and sticking to it. And knowing the right fuel for your runs and when to administer it.
Good luck! My friend is soooo proud of himself and I’m super proud of him too! A marathon is such an amazing feat for your body. He actually ran a half marathon a few weeks after and runs 5k and 10k races like morning jogs now
Core work…That’s a long time to keep your form/posture.
There’s convincing (to me, anyway) opinions out there that runs longer than 2.5-3 hours aren’t beneficial and can actually do more harm than good. I am a slow runner, and by the time I did my 26.2 training run (after several runs 3-4+ hours) leading up to a 50k, I was sick and broken.
Not sure what my ultimate goal is this year, but I won’t be doing any long runs past about that 2.5 hour mark.
The only response I have so far is that they give the gels out during the race and give you a handful after, so I always have some laying around. I really like them. Cliff Razz is my favorite and I am definitely planning on bringing a handful for intra-course “meals”.
Since you’re already running half marathon distances, you’ve got the basics down. Training groups are fun, motivational, and if they have coaches, very instructional. I had approximately 6 months to train for my first marathon after only running halfs and it was enough time.
However, build in some extra time in your training plan. It’s nice if everything goes exactly on plan, but I had some IT Band issues once I started running more than 15 miles. That threw my training off and it was good that I had enough time to recover before the big day.
Dial in your gear in advance and do all your long runs in that gear or very similar gear. Nothing new on race day.
Don’t worry about pace. If you finish you’ll get a PR!
For me, marathon training took up a huge amount of my time. Weekends were for long runs on Saturday and I was mostly useless/tired on Sunday. After my 50K my wife said that before I commit to another long race I need to consult her. It really does impact the whole family.
Sorry, I was out doing errands.
Everyone’s covered the basics, the only thing I can add to Marlonius’s on doing hard days too easy and easy days too hard is to try a heart rate monitor(chest strap type) if you find you have trouble regulating effort. Don’t try to take your heart rate manually, by the time you stop, find your pulse and count, you can lose 20-30 bpm off your reading.
Yes, how dare you do errands for your own life other than being at the beck and call of a thread on a message board from someone you don’t know! How dare you!!!
I’ve never been one to have a heart monitor because I figured that was for old people and Orange Theory, are they really a better determination of being tired than “holy shit I’m tired?”
Once you’re tired, it’s too late.
A HR monitor is more about regulating training. Recovery days are essential. If you don’t get proper recovery, you break down rather than build up.
Also, if you don’t have a real good innate sense of pace, you can learn what perceived effort corresponds to a particular pace. You can compare past runs over the same course, faster time at the same HR=improvement.
Talk to running stores in your area and find training groups. When I ran mine I started out in a similar condition as you. Our local hospital had a weekly training class. Running with a group can be more enjoyable than runnning alone sometimes.
Sure, join a group of get a running buddy - if you are like most of us who benefit from the encouragement that provides.
You can find any number of training programs to build up to a marathon. I believe I used Galloway’s. Completing a marathon is no big deal - just alot hard work. When the raceday comes, all you need to do is slog through the miles (and put up with the crowds.) The accomplishment is in setting a goal and sticking with it to do what it takes to get there.
I’m not convinced that marathons are a great goal for everyone. Personally, after a lifetime of running, I had my knee scoped months after my first marathon. (After another couple of injuries/surgeries, I’m now a biker/swimmer! :)) In my mind, the half is a much more reasonable distance.
For me to run at this pace I’ve personally found that it helps more to walk at least 2 miles a day (above normal) than to run every other day or so. In other words, it would be better to run almost every day but if you just don’t have the energy, walking anyway, rather than doing nothing, would be better than saving up your energy for a proper run the next day.* The exception is the day after a long run which can be a recovery day.
Last Saturday I jogged/walked 35 miles in 8 hours which is around your target pace. To improve on that pace I suspect would take some running and that is where my advice may be inadequate.
*I’m not sure what my walking pace is but it is hard for me to walk slower than a 20 minute pace.
I guess I missed the part about 3.5 hr halfs, and not caring about time. Personally, I never understood the folk who walk a marathon “for the accomplishment”, completing it in 6+ hrs after the course has been closed. (The only exception is for someone who is recovering from some major health issue.) Any average human in anywhere near decent shape should be able to walk 3-4 MPH for 6-7 hrs.
j/k, best of luck!
