Training for a marathon

[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]

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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.


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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]

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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.

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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]

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

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QFT. Amen, brother.

[solids]

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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

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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]

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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

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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]

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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.


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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.

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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.