Tell me your marathon story

In My Humble Opinion
1

I have been convinced by a friend that I should run a marathon. I have a training program and it is all going well, this weekend I will run 10 miles, a distance that is more than I would have thought possible, and nothing like what is coming up. Only twelve weeks until the Twin Cities Marathon!

Will I run beside any dopers there?

Did people say you were crazy when you told tham what you were going to do?

Is there any correlation between the speed of the training runs and the time of the marathon? I have been running about 7 MPH so far, is that an accurate predictor of the speed I will run?

2

When my brother ran one, he finished in just under 4 hours. He took walk breaks about every 5 miles or so. He usually runs about 7 1/2 minute miles, but I think he ran more like 8 1/2 for the marathon. With the walk breaks it averaged out to about 9’s.

He’s the kind of guy that no one thought he was crazy because he’s the type that trains for a whole year, keeps a journal, reads books about technique and theory. He leaves nothing to chance.

I’m considering running one in September of next year. I’ve run 1/2 marathon before. My long run day is currently at 10 miles.

Not to nay say or anything, but if 10 miles is your max and you only have 3 of months, you may have set an unreachable goal. I dunno if your body can develop that kind of fitness that quickly unless you have a really good fitness base (like if you run 10 miles 4 times a week)

I’m not an expert, do some research, read up on training methods and stuff. But I think maybe a half marathon would be a better goal.

3

I used to run a different kind of Marathon back in the '90’s. Does that count? They were anything but boring and the training was pretty intense.

4

I run marathons (well 3 of them anyway) at about a 10:00 per mile pace (6mph). That’s about what I train at, although all the literature I’ve read has said that the long runs should be done slower than race pace. For the elite and the fleet, that makes sense, but when your normal speed is 10 minutes, slowing down a minute or two per mile is very noticeable. At any rate, no need to run fast on the long training runs. Longevity is important.

I never thought I’d ever run a marathon. When I was in high school and we had to run the mile on the track, I was fat, out of shape, and had out of control asthma. So when I took up running at 23, it was sort of a shock in general. But by that time the asthma was under control, and I’d recently lost about 25 pounds. Still, the marathon was something mystical.

I gradually upped my running distance, and in January of 2001 I ran the San Diego marathon. When I crossed the finish line (4:39), my mother was there to give me my medal. We hugged and cried like babies. Her tears were full of pride. Mine were full of accomplishment and, yes, pain.

The second and third marathon were slightly less emotional, though not by much. It is still a humbling experience. The second marathon was my PR (4:22) and it was TOUGH. I made the typical mistake - starting out too fast. The third marathon was good until about mile 22 when I started to drag. Thankfully my friend Lois was there to run me in and watch while I walked and wept. (4:27)

If I’m not mistaken, Gazelle said she’d be running Twin Cities. Me, well, I signed up for the Rock & Roll Arizona marathon, which is in January.

If you go for it, enjoy it. Your training window is kind of short, however. I have no doubt that you’ll be able to finish the race, but you might not be in great shape at the finish line. (Depending, of course, on how comfortable you are with 10 miles right now) Of course, I think a marathon is always a challenge and can always be painful, so what the heck, right???

5

I guess I need to clarify, I didn’t start training this week. I have been running with a goal since February, the actual training started four weeks ago, it is a 16 week program starting with 15 miles a week and moving up to 36 miles in week 13 than a taper to the big event.

The plan is outlined in the “Non Runner’s Marathon Book” a book that was the result of a marathon class offered at the University of Northern Iowa. The beauty of the training is that it is not designed for the fleet of foot, rather for the beginner. So far it is working nicely. The primary goal of this training is to get you to finish, no time restirictions or goals just finish.

As you can see from the OP I am cheating a bit on the time situation.

The Twin Cities Marathon runs an 18 week training program for those that wish to participate, I am a bit too far away for that to work.

Lieu, now that looks like an interesting marathon! It would be tough for a flatlander like me.

Scoutt1222, Pain has not been an issue yet. I have had some interesting blisters on my feet. I can feel my muscles are more tight than prior to the training and I have been stretching to alleviate this.

If I remember correctly Gazelle and Scylla both have some marathon experience. WIth a name like gazelle she must be fast.

6

After running 10Ks for a few years, I started doing Marathons. I’ve actually signed up for every running of the local Silicon Valley Marathon, but missed a few of them for various reasons. The marathon distance is daunting, and it takes some time, my first one took 4:08. But now I’ve been doing them at 3:35 or so. Personally I try to do one a year.

The best advice I’ve been given for them is to have patience. When you’re out there around miles 18-22 or so, it’s just a matter of being patient and letting the miles move by. Keeping focused and moving, running or not.

Also, I discovered that it helps to not start chewing on yourself. I was very accomplished during the final quarter of the race at dragging out all the bad parts of myself and examining them and berating myself for them. One of which, of course, was how stupid I was for being out there, etc… I’ve since learned that that is neither normal nor healthy. You simply can’t let those thoughts in, leave them out of your race.

At this point I’ve done 5 marathons. I injured myself overtraining for a marathon two years ago, getting Plantir Fascitis. My doctor said he could give me an injection and get me in the race, but then he asked my how many years I’d like to continue to run. My answer was “forever.” So then he said I could afford to sit that one out. While sitting it out, I took up biking and swimming, and when I had healed I became a triathlete. The injury scenario is the way that most people become triathletes.

I’ll be doing the Tucson Marathon this year.

7

Labor, you didn’t say how long you’ve been running. If you’re just starting out I’d say your plan is going to be rough but if you’ve been running for at least a year then you may be OK. I’ve run a few marathons and here’s what I do.

Try to increase your long run by one mile per week until you get to at least a 20 mile run. The last marathon I ran (April 03) was on a shorter schedule so I was doing my long runs every six days. It worked just fine but I’ve been running for 25 years, lately averaging 20 miles per week. Don’t do any long runs in the 2 weeks before the marathon. It’s OK to walk briefly during the race but I think it’s harder when you try to run again so I don’t do it anymore. I eat an energy gel called Gu during the race and drink Gatorade instead of water. I also put my own Gatorade out on the course before the race because the stuff they hand out at the water stops tastes like crap. One of the guys I ran with took a couple of Advils and a caffeine pill at the 17 mile mark. Seemed to work for him and I’m going to try it next time. It’s not entirely safe, though.
The last 5 miles of the marathon is really a controlled forward fall.
Have fun ! You can do it !

8

That’s awesome! Congratulations on your decision to run a marathon! I’m on my 4th myself. I’m running the St. Charles Lewis & Clark Marathon in September.

It might help your blisters if you got some Body Glide or Runner’s Lube.

I, too, have used the Non-Runner’s Marathon Book - it’s a fabulous book, and it doesn’t regularly use some of the more technical running terms that some marathoning books involve, like Runner’s World’s training book. They use terms like Max V02 & other terms which, unless you’re an elite professional runner are, in my opinion, pretty useless.

My first marathon was really tough - I ran the inaugural Country Music Marathon in Nashville. There were a bunch of hills, which I hadn’t trained for, and I got blood blisters and black toenails. It was really gross. Then, two years later, I did Chicago. It was absolutely the most wonderful marathon, with people hanging off bridges and lining the streets, cheering for the runners. There were 40,000 runners. When you went over a hill all you saw was a massive sea of runners. It was great!

Have a fabulous time running. I found that the training is actually the most enjoyable part of the marathon. You don’t realize it, but you learn a lot about yourself while training for such a distance. And if you have good running partners, you get to hang out with your friends on a regular basis. Running 3 or 4 hours gives you plenty of time to talk. Don’t lose sight of your goal, but make sure to enjoy your training as you go.

9

Dopers are the greatest!

Doctordec, I am not completely new to running, just long distances. I scored very high on physical training in the Army, of course they only require a two mile run. I found that specific training for that made all the difference. This is probably similar to marathon training. Since leaving the Army (1996) I have not been exercising with any great regularity, I was fairly goalless, go out and trot around for a few miles. Now that I have a goal, it is really quite fun. There is a reason for all this hard work.

I am going to give the energy gesl a try in the next few weeks. So far I have not felt a real need for extra energy, but the mileages have not been too great. So I’ll give them a shot when the training goes over 1 1/4 hours.

Overlyverbos, Good advice. I have been trying the positive talk discussed in the training. It really seems to work, muscles loosen up when the feedback is correct.

Unfortunately I don’t have a training partner. I couldn’t find someone around here to run with, bummer. An army buddy was going to run the race with me but I think he is backing out. I guess I’ll have to forge ahead. “Never give up, never surrender!”

10

Ha, you may want to remember that phrase and chant it when you get to mile 24 or so. :wink:

11

Labor I’d recommend you try the gels soon, no matter what the distance. It’s good to find out whether they agree with your stomach, some varietys may not, and it’s also good to see if the taste is a flavor you don’t mind burping for an hour or so. When it comes down to actually doing the race, you don’t want to change anything, no new shoes, no new shirts, no new nutritional things that you haven’t already tried, it’s tough enough to run the mileage without worrying about some new thing you’re not sure of.

12
  • or so we used to joke.

Done 3, all of them in Hamburg, nice and flat route - PR at 3:37 (really thought I’d go below 3:30 that day, but I hit the wall something fierce - feh.)

sengle is right: Make no changes on Marathon day. Focus on getting through the distance, that is all. You will be (or should be) in the finest running shape ever on that day, and the temptation to speed it up and burn through the first half of the race is almost irresistible. Don’t, stick with your plan - it’s a long race yet.

I’ve actually been a bit bored(!) out on the route - focus started slipping and one mile looked like the other. But forcing myself to look at the audience, the parts of the city I was running through etc., I got to thinking of stuff other than how long I’d been running, how long I had yet to run, whether that annoying spot on my left foot was going to blister today etc. etc. Plus, having an enthusiastic crowd to nod & wave to is a rare treat for most.

En route, I’m partial to Isostar & bananas - the gel never got on my good side. But everybody has their preference, and who’s going to change what has worked once ? What sure did work for me was drinking all the water I could quaff for the last 24 hours leading up to the race. (And I’d be teetotaling for at least a month before the race, so a beer the night before took the edge of the nerves and made it way easier to sleep.)

Have fun!

13

I have very little marathon experience. One marathon, almost four weeks ago.

And I am decidedly not fast. 5 hours, 22 minutes. 12:30 average mile pace. My name IRL means gazelle and I attempt to channel one when I run, more for form than speed.

I am signed up for Twin Cities. The training program I’m using is a run/walk one.

14

Oh, I almost forgot. About everyone asking if you’re crazy. Don’t worry about it - it’s completely normal. My entire department thinks I’m nuts, and so does my family. They think I’m even more nuts, because I’m contemplating a 30-mile race now. I like the nice, round number. :slight_smile:

I’m sure you’ve heard it a zillion times before, but drink loads and loads of water. And as sengle said - try the energy gel. It sounds like you’re just about up to the point where you’ll likely need refueling during your runs, and he’s definitely right - you don’t want to find out the hard way that it doesn’t agree with you. And if possible, you might try a piece of dry toast or something before your long runs, too, or even a packet of energy gel. It can give you a little boost, especially if you’re running early in the morning after having gone 6-8 hours without eating.

Also, try drinking water after sucking down the gel - it can make it easier to get the gel down. I usually end up with a nasty taste in my mouth after a few minutes if I don’t drink. GU’s tri-berry is my favorite. The chocolate stuff tastes like frosting. Ick!

15

I like dopers!

Scout1222 - Good one. A chant, “Never give up, never surrender!” I wonder how many times I can say that in 26.2 miles?

Gazelle - all speed is relative. Fast compared to a glacier, slow compared to a jet.

Sengle and overly verbose - good advice. I was planning on keeping everything the same, your reinforcement is consolation. I heard about the nasty flavor of the various gels. Anything not berry flavored was described in terms reserved for Saddam Hussein or the inquisition, the berry flavors were supposed to be slightly better.

16

I ran the Marine Corps Marathon in 1989. I am going to try to run another one this fall.

I did all the stuff they said the first time and didn’t really hit a wall so much as get injured beforehand from overtraining. I finished in 5 hours 14 minutes. My training runs were at around 8.5 minute miles. I did have a stress fracture in my right leg. My longest training run was 23 miles about 2 weeks before the run.

This time, I will run and still build a base but I personally don’t think you need to do a 20 mile run beforehand. That is just me though. I will probably just get a good 40 mile base going for at least 3 months out and then go try to add a few longer runs in for good measure. I think if you can do 10 you probably have the mental toughness to finish the 26.2 miles of the marathon.

Also have a friend meet that is not running meet you at about mile 18 with a clean dry shirt. By that time you will be starting to get cold from wearing a wet sweaty shirt and a dry one is a real mental pick me up.

Don’t run a week before the race. Cut back on meats and food with high digestive residue and fiber. Stick with lots of Pasta and rice. Drink plenty of fluids but don’t force them or you will keep having to stop to pee and that will be annoying.

Good luck.

17

This is the website for you:

http://www.halhigdon.com/index.html

I, as well as thousands, have used Hal’s training methods for marathon running with great success. Your first marathon will be one of your most challenging (both physically and mentally) accomplishments in your life, but well worth it.

Good luck!

18

Just an update in case you care.

I have now gone 10, 11, and 12 miles on the long weekend runs. The 10 and 11 mile days were really tough. I am attributing it to the weather. It was hot, dry and windy on both of those days. The 10 miler also was quite hilly. I was beginning to wonder about the whole thing.

Then, this weekend I went 12 miles. It just cruised by. The weather was fabulous, in the 70’s just a breeze and all was right with the world and most of the route was in the shade. I had a great time and felt like I could run forever. Mrs. Labor was amazed by how quickly I was back home. Amazingly the 12 mile run took only 1 minute more than the 11 mile run. It must have been the heat.

I tried the gels, they are OK. The flavor is not too bad, but the texture is beyond repulsive. The choice is wash it down with lots of water or lose your lunch later. I am enjoying Gatorade. The flavor is not bad and I don’t have to drink too much to feel wet. With just water I feel like I need several gallons along the way and afterward.

The next 6 weeks involve 14, 16 and 18 mile runs. All those sound long but I am no longer doubting myself.

19

It sounds like you’re doing fabulous! Good job.

Just think - those runs that used to be your long runs are now your short runs! That’s always what gets me when I get into the higher mileage.

And, yeah, the gels taste like ass, but they help…if they don’t make you hurl on your shoes. :slight_smile: