Training for a marathon

[PartyGirlUK]

Doing a marathon seems like a good idea for a variety of reasons. Im currently about 40 lbs over my prime weight. Ive gone to the gym fairly regularly over the past few months, and as such am in OK shape - I can do half an hour fairly intensive work on the bike easily. No way I could do even a half marathon tho. I'd be shooting for about 6 months from now. I've always found running very taxing on my body, and much prefer swimming and cycling. As such Im also considering a triathlon, altho I cant find a good website listing major triathlons, so help with that would be good. How do I go about training for this? Id prefer to join some group as running/cycling is pretty boring/solitary and extra company/motivation would be good. How should I pace myself building up to being able to run 26 miles or doing the triathlon?

[kevstreet]

Try This (http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/Mar00novice.htm)

[swede123]

Typically a person who excercises casually but regularly can train for a marathon in five or six months, but that training regimen is very strict and intense. If you find you don't enjoy running you will be in agony during the training, especially as most training regiments include a long run once a week (steadily pushing yourself you eventually reach 15-20 miles on these long runs during the course of the training). The triathlon approach definitely sounds like more your style. Depending on where you live there are typically lots of organized triathlons of varying difficulty. Some of them are pretty relaxed and quite appropriate for a novice; I'd look at something with a 1/2 mile swim, 5K run and 10 mile cycling for starters.

Good luck!

Swede

[Stacheman]

If you're looking for triathlons, try Trifind.com (http://www.trifind.com). They list triathlons of all distances by state. The variety makes triathlon training much more enjoyable for me than just running. I am planning on a marathon this year though, too.

[turnipmonster]

I second hal higdon's training programs, I did my first marathon using his novice program and it went great.

[Skoob]

There's a variety of resources available, both on the web and in bookstores. Joining a running club would be a good idea. Those long training runs can really suck if you're solo. Even a training partner is really helpful.

There's two schools on the training for a marathon:
1. It's important mentally for you to run 26 miles once or twice before the race to prove to yourself mentally that you can do it. (Galloway)
2. The furthest you need to run during training is 20 miles. If you can go 20, you can gut out the last 6 without a problem. (Higdon)

The marathon I first trained for (2005), I went with option 2 and it worked for me. I was about at your same level of fitness, though only about 20 lbs. over my ideal weight.

The biggest problem with those long training runs is hydration. During the race, they have water stops every two miles. But while you're training, you can't really carry enough water.

Try to find long races on the weekends that jive with your training schedule. Formal races will have water stops and the benefit of folks cheering you on while you're training. Plus it will get you psyched for the marathon race itself. The more training runs you can incorporate into races, the better.

And even if a given race isn't as far as you need for training, run the race and when you finish keep going. Run the course twice if you need, whatever it takes to hit your goal for that session.

And lastly, cotton is the absolute worst material to train in. You will chafe, especially your nipples. If you're serious, spend some $$ on some decent running clothes/shoes. Go to a running store and talk to them about your goals and they will set you up for the right gear. Be prepared to spend at least $80-100 just for a decent pair of shoes.

[imitation]

I trained for a marathon but I only made it to week about 8 I think my long run was 14 miles or something at that point. I rolled my ankle and couldn't train for 2 weeks so I just gave up because I wouldn't have made it in time for the marathon I wanted to run. But outside of that I had sever pains in my knees at all times. It was really [censored], nothing I could do to get the tension out of my glutes and hamstrings.

Honestly I might try again but I would seek some advice from a running school or join some casual squad, obviously my technique is lowsy or something.

Good luck it's hell, but it will get you quite cardio fit, although you'll be hungry as a dog all the time I found.

[Thremp]

Try moving from obese to merely overweight.

[Alobar]

Dean, dont know if they have this is just a US thing or not, but you might be interested in team in training (http://www.teamintraining.org/), its a good way to get trained, meet other people to keep you motivated, and its also charity and helping others. I personally havent done it, but know several people who have, and they all found it extremely rewarding.

[imitation]

I forgot a good link www.runnersworld.com (http://www.runnersworld.com) I'm pretty sure that's the one.

[SmileyEH]

running marathons isn't really good for you. If your motivation is health than I would look elswhere - if you want to run a marathon for other reasons then sure go for it, but your overall health/fitness level would be much better served by another pursuit.

that being said, running a marathon and the training needed is a lot better for than simply sitting around and being fat and lazy.

[solids]

[ QUOTE ]
Try to find long races on the weekends that jive with your training schedule. Formal races will have water stops and the benefit of folks cheering you on while you're training. Plus it will get you psyched for the marathon race itself. The more training runs you can incorporate into races, the better.


[/ QUOTE ]

This seems like pretty good advice. But obviously, there isn't a long distance race every week. Any other suggestions on how to stay properly hydrated? I'm planning on running a marathon next year, and this is one of my main concerns.

[fslexcduck]

they make belts that carry 4 8oz water bottles, actually probably some have as many as 8. that still wouldn't be enough for me though as i drink a ton of water, so if it's the same for you... maybe try jogging with a camelbak? that will make the workout harder (somewhat heavy from the get go until you drink a bit of it) but it will work, and then when the marathon hits and you go camelbakless it'll be a breeze

[Duke]

[ QUOTE ]
running marathons isn't really good for you. If your motivation is health than I would look elswhere - if you want to run a marathon for other reasons then sure go for it, but your overall health/fitness level would be much better served by another pursuit.

that being said, running a marathon and the training needed is a lot better for than simply sitting around and being fat and lazy.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know anyone who ever regretted training for and running a marathon. It's a sort of accomplishment that they can point to, and I think the mental impact of it is something that you can't get anywhere else.

That said, when work got in the way of my training for the half-marathon I ran last month, and I was unable to do much of anything for the 2 months leading up to it, well, that sucked big time. I imagine that I damaged my legs a bit, and I wasn't feeling right for a few days afterward.

[wadea]

[ QUOTE ]
And lastly, cotton is the absolute worst material to train in. You will chafe, especially your nipples.

[/ QUOTE ]

QFT. Amen, brother.

[solids]

[ QUOTE ]
they make belts that carry 4 8oz water bottles, actually probably some have as many as 8. that still wouldn't be enough for me though as i drink a ton of water, so if it's the same for you... maybe try jogging with a camelbak? that will make the workout harder (somewhat heavy from the get go until you drink a bit of it) but it will work, and then when the marathon hits and you go camelbakless it'll be a breeze

[/ QUOTE ]

A camelbak was what I originally thought as well. I have one that's 1.5 liters. You think that would be enough for a long run? I typically only use it for biking.

[poincaraux]

[ QUOTE ]
they make belts that carry 4 8oz water bottles, actually probably some have as many as 8. that still wouldn't be enough for me though as i drink a ton of water, so if it's the same for you... maybe try jogging with a camelbak? that will make the workout harder (somewhat heavy from the get go until you drink a bit of it) but it will work, and then when the marathon hits and you go camelbakless it'll be a breeze

[/ QUOTE ]
I trained with one that had 8 bottles. On the medium-distance runs, I could carry enough water for two people. During the marathons, I often psyched myself up by saying "wow, this sure is easy without the belt!"

Also, I thought the Hal Higdon beginner training program was awesome. There are several OOT threads about marathons from the last year or two that you should search for.

[madbeetz]

What about bike-a-thons? I dont know the exact name, but my mom does these frequently. They will be easier on your body.

[Banks2334]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Try to find long races on the weekends that jive with your training schedule. Formal races will have water stops and the benefit of folks cheering you on while you're training. Plus it will get you psyched for the marathon race itself. The more training runs you can incorporate into races, the better.


[/ QUOTE ]

This seems like pretty good advice. But obviously, there isn't a long distance race every week. Any other suggestions on how to stay properly hydrated? I'm planning on running a marathon next year, and this is one of my main concerns.

[/ QUOTE ]
I disagree. Most people end up running too fast/hard while trying to incorporate a long training run into a race. They end up ovetraining and getting hurt or at best in poor shape for the actual marathon.

I usually run with a bottle in my hand and stash some replacement bottles by my car or along the trail I'm running on. Simple.

[jedi]

If you just want to lose weight, a marathon might be overkill. A 1/2 marathon is plenty for something like this. In my experience, finishing a marathon was 4x harder than finishing a 1/2 marathon.

[SoHotRightNow]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
And lastly, cotton is the absolute worst material to train in. You will chafe, especially your nipples.

[/ QUOTE ]

QFT. Amen, brother.

[/ QUOTE ]

Anti chafing cream FTW. If its wet and windy, proper clothes will still make you chafe- I've had bleeding nipples before, which are pretty similar to badly sunburned lips in that they take a long, long time to get back to normal.

[PartyGirlUK]

[ QUOTE ]
Dean, dont know if they have this is just a US thing or not, but you might be interested in team in training (http://www.teamintraining.org/), its a good way to get trained, meet other people to keep you motivated, and its also charity and helping others. I personally havent done it, but know several people who have, and they all found it extremely rewarding.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks a lot for this link man. Im going along on saturday to start training - am gonna aim for this (http://pesm.active.com/exec/elkhart/index.cfm?publicationID=368) triathlon. It's 16-17 weeks away. Have two options

i) Olympic Distance Triathlon: 1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run

ii) Sprint Distance Triathlon: 400 Meter swim, 20K bike, 4K run

Ideally Id shoot for something in between, but Im gonna for the Olympic I think. What sort of times would be good/bad? Id like some time to aim for to motivate myself.

Dean

[PartyGirlUK]

[ QUOTE ]
Dean, dont know if they have this is just a US thing or not, but you might be interested in team in training (http://www.teamintraining.org/), its a good way to get trained, meet other people to keep you motivated, and its also charity and helping others. I personally havent done it, but know several people who have, and they all found it extremely rewarding.

[/ QUOTE ]

They've been very helpful, I go in about 32 hours, looking forward to it much!

[eastcoaster]

For staying hydrated on long runs, I just do a series of loops where I end up back at my house, or car, where I can keep a supply of Gatorade and water and maybe some Goo or Power Gel. In cooler weather I usually make them 5-mile loops. When it's hotter, I'll make them 2, 3 or 4 mile loops. If the long run is 15 miles, that's three 5-mile loops in cooler weather or five 3-mile loops if it's hot. Works great for me. Though the temptation to just stop, short of your session goal, can be hard to overcome at times.

I trained last fall for a marathon (LV) and hit the wall hard after an 18-mile run. Not only that but the insoles in my shoes broke down and I wound up injured. I took some time off over the winter and am planning to start training next month for a marathon in early October. I am already doing 10-mile runs once a week and logging about 20-25 miles each week at this point, so I am pretty confident that if I can steer clear of injuries during the training, I will finish it.

[wilsonkop]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Dean, dont know if they have this is just a US thing or not, but you might be interested in team in training (http://www.teamintraining.org/), its a good way to get trained, meet other people to keep you motivated, and its also charity and helping others. I personally havent done it, but know several people who have, and they all found it extremely rewarding.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks a lot for this link man. Im going along on saturday to start training - am gonna aim for this (http://pesm.active.com/exec/elkhart/index.cfm?publicationID=368) triathlon. It's 16-17 weeks away. Have two options

i) Olympic Distance Triathlon: 1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run

ii) Sprint Distance Triathlon: 400 Meter swim, 20K bike, 4K run

Ideally Id shoot for something in between, but Im gonna for the Olympic I think. What sort of times would be good/bad? Id like some time to aim for to motivate myself.

Dean

[/ QUOTE ]

Dean - A few things. I would suggest starting with a Sprint for your 1st Tri. For times / speeds these are pretty good benchmarks...

Swim - under 1:50 per 100m
Bike - 18 mph
Run - well, anything under 8 min / mile is pretty damn quick.

For lots of great info...look at http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/

milo who used to be a mod here is over there (AcesFull) and I'm on there too (PanicTour). Feel free to ask any questions. I check that site way more than here nowadays since I spend more time training than playing pokah.

[wilsonkop]

BTW, good luck this weekend!

[PartyGirlUK]

Shiiiiiip it.

[kevstreet]

Dean,

I'm guessing you finished your triathlon, nh sir.
But we need more than "Ship It"... details please.
Which one did you decide to do? What was your time?
Which of the three legs was most difficult? Did you
have fun? Frankly, the "ship it" trip report leaves little to be desired /images/graemlins/grin.gif

East Coaster,

You sound like you're in my situation. I've been building a base for the last 2 months (up to 20 miles a week). My marathon training program starts on July 1st. I, like you, just pray I don't get injured. That must have been so disappointing considering you were up to 18 miles on your long run /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[PartyGirlUK]

Am starting to write this up on my blog.

Is it abnormal that I feel really sore 5 days afterwards? It seems that each day a new body part, hitherto unaffected, starts to ache. Im really keen to get back in the swings of things, any idea how long I will have to wait?

[nutsflopper]

[ QUOTE ]
Am starting to write this up on my blog.

Is it abnormal that I feel really sore 5 days afterwards? It seems that each day a new body part, hitherto unaffected, starts to ache. Im really keen to get back in the swings of things, any idea how long I will have to wait?

[/ QUOTE ]

Eat a lot of nutritious food. A lot.

[Troll_Inc]

I havent seen this one mentioned yet for running your first marathon:
http://www.amazon.com/Marathon-You-Can-J...9527&sr=1-1 (http://www.amazon.com/Marathon-You-Can-Jeff-Galloway/dp/0936070250/ref=sr_1_1/103-9958457-8341422?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182129527&sr=1-1)

I think his approach is the best for a first timer just wanting to complete it.


p.s. One time I did a marathon with zero training - I hadn't run a single step in over 2 years. That hurt quite a bit.