Just wanted to share that I have started working towards my first marathon.



I used to run a lot (10-15 miles on my long runs) but that has gradually lessened to around 7-8 miles a week nowadays. But I have always had running a marathon in the back of my mind and decided that I wanted to set a specific goal and head towards it.



The Seattle Marathon will be the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, giving me nine months, which should be fine for me to gradually increase my mileage between now and then. Essentially, I will build my base for about five months (up to 20 miles a week), then head into marathon-specific training for the four months after that.



To view the 2011 version of this story - an injury stopped my 2010 journey - skip ahead to post #53.

congrats to you for going for the full marathon! good luck with training, and enjoy it.

i done london marathon last year and trained like a crazy man, and I do alot of excercise and back then i was doing alot of boxing anyways in trianing the most i ran before the actual marathon was 18 or 19 miles and swear on my life when you go past this point in the actual thing you feel like your about to feint for a few seconds (or maybe that was just me lol) then a tonne of adrenaline seemed to spring from somewhere and kept me moving. But anyway my advice honestly... DON'T DO IT! just joking deffinately do it its strange but after you do it you get that real happy feeling when you know you've acompolished something. Apparantly your not suppose to run the full distance in training thats what people told me so i stuck to the ancient formula and only ran the full 26.2 on the day GOOD LUCK MAN AND GODS SPEED (to be honest i think i should be saying iron legs to help you stay on your feet lol)

Thanks for the support.



lorenzo, I think the main reason they say to not run the entire distance in training is because it is the time spent running - not the distance - that is important. In other words running 20 or so miles in training would likely take around the same amount of time as racing a marathon.



Training won't be too exciting the first month, as I am just going to ensure I am good on my eight miles a week before I start slowly building up to 20 over the next few months. But I am going to keep my eye on the goal nine months from now.

that's interesting about the time running vs the distance. my hubby usually does a trial marathon about three weeks before the actual day, and then he doesn't run at all for two or three days before the marathon. the first time, though, he hadn't ever run that far until the day. i think that made it more exciting.

Congrats! I'm interested in running a marathon too; I just don't know if I have the time. Any tips for a full-time 18 hour student working 35 hours a week?

That's probably not a bad idea. I am unconvinced either way about that argument - I just know that mostly every training plan I've seen has kept the longest runs prior to the marathon to around 20 and no more than 22 or so. But then again they come out with new studies every day, so who knows which is best. And one way may be better for me while another may be best for him.



Running minimally the few days prior to the marathon is in pretty much every training plan. Maybe not as little as he does, but definitely a fraction of the training weeks up to that point.



I have also heard that point about it being more exciting to run that distance first during the actual marathon. I understand, but to me that is a non-issue. It honestly would not change how excited I was marathon day if I had run that distance before or not. It would still be my first marathon (i.e. an official race, with others, etc.).






Thanks.



On the plus side, running regularly does help you focus and, in my opinion, is so worth the time put into it, it's not even funny. So many people say they don't have time to exercise, but they don't realize that the time they put into exercise is given back in the much higher quality of work and focus they have the rest of the time.



Now, on the other hand, a marathon training plan may be tough (but not impossible). Most plans have you running at least 40 miles a week for several of the weeks in the final couple months, but I do know busy people who have done so. Although 18 credits plus 35 hours a week may be tough. Not knowing much about your personality, etc., I would probably just focus on regular exercise to gain that focus that I mentioned in the previous paragraph and save marathon training for later when you are not as busy. Or you can focus on a marathon with the last couple months of training coming during summer or perhaps another time when you are not as busy.

I think you're right. I do run and it and lifting for me make all the time I spend on them in the world so, so worth it! I should probably wait another year until I start training for a marathon, or maybe another couple of years until I am out of school. I just can't focus on distance right now. If I have tests and such to study for, I'll often run a shorter distance but at a harder pace to save a few minutes, etc. Thanks for the advice though, and keep letting me know how the marathon training is going! I'll be running the distances with you in spirit :-)



One more quick question. What kind of shoes are you using? Some of my friends who are runners swear by the neoprene glove shoes, because they simply protect the feet but continue to allow one to run like our ancestors did, without changing the way our feet are supposed to hit the ground. What are your thoughts?

Thanks.



Well, week 1 of 40 is over!



This morning, in my final two-mile run of four this week (making up my current rate of eight miles a week), I wanted to run further, which I figured was a good sign. I didn't though because what has kept me from increasing my distances is increasing my mileage too soon too fast and I want to ensure I don't do that this year.



For the week, it wasn't bad. Hopefully my next several weeks are as uneventful as this one.






Unfortunately I really don't know much about shoes.



Usually what I do is go to a specialty running store and then - after telling them what I know about my feet, my mileage, goals, budget, etc. - trust what they tell me. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Congrats on being done with week one and thanks anyway for the shoe info! :-) Good luck!

Good luck! I want to eventually run a marathon...my dad has ran 4 or 5 and when I watched the marathons when I was younger, they were just incredible.

That's awesome. Good luck to you too on your future goal.



You got me thinking ... I have never even witnessed a marathon, much less run one. The longest race I ever saw, I ran in - a 10-mile race in Spokane a couple years ago when I was running much longer distances than I am today. One of my all-time favorite races - small, but really cool and fun. http://www.jchtenmiler.com/index.html



I have, however, watched many on TV - others are bored to death by them lol, but I really enjoy watching the Boston Marathon, Olympic Marathons, etc. I think it's because I have enough experience running long distances (~15 miles in training at my previous peak) to understand a little what is going on in the minds of the runners. And that I want to one day run those distances.

Good luck with the training and the marathon. As far as your longest run, there seems to be two schools:



School 1 says to run somewhere around 10 miles (for a half) or 20 or 21 miles (for a full) and then take at least the week before very easy. Adrenaline carries you the remainder of the race. I can vouch for this in some half marathons I have done.



School 2 says to get in a full distance run about 3 weeks before the big race. You will generally run a faster race if you do it this way as opposed to School 1. You should be able to finish with either plan though!



But good luck! Like one of the posters here said, you might feel like you're dying at some point, and then adrenaline kicks in and you finish and you just feel so good after you're done! And you get to brag to your friends too!

Thanks.



Well, this morning I discovered I am really, really slow.



It took me about 30 minutes to run two miles - 15 minutes a mile. Not too worried though, because I am just starting to pull myself out of the running rut I've been in for a while. I also gained some weight during said rut, which obviously doesn't help speed matters at all. On the plus side, as I make my way through these 40 weeks, I will gradually lose weight, which will help me run faster (in addition to getting in better shape too, of course). I was also happy that my run felt good this morning and, for the first time in the week and a half that I am into the plan so far, I felt strong during the second mile as well.



So, I'm plugging along. Am happy, though, that I have a specific goal at the end to head towards. It's going to be so cool when I get there, but I am obviously going to enjoy the journey as well.

Meh, I'm running 3 years already and don't even think about marathon. Why, if I can't run one mile with decent speed? Haile, best runner in the world, ran his first marathon at age 15. He learned from this mistake and then trained 14 years to run second.

Why does it matter if somebody else does not care about the speed of the race?



And I have been running for 15 years - including running collegiate cross country - I just unfortunately allowed my mileage to drop dramatically (albeit gradually) to eight miles a week. But I have run enough in my life to know exactly what I am getting into. If you (or Haile) do not run marathons very often, that's cool, but please don't try to force those views on me.



As for an update from me ... this week was better for me than last. I can definitely feel myself getting gradually stronger (and faster). I've got one more week at eight miles then I bump up to 10 the week after.

Forcing? Take it easy, I'm merely stating my opinion

Sorry. It just felt like you were attacking me and what I'm attempting to do (i.e. why should I try it if I have no speed?). My apologies. I of course want to run it as fast as possible, but whatever that ends up being is fine with me.

Good luck! Marathon runners are amazing. I've watched more than one Olympic marathon on TV but I don't think I've watched Boston or NYC.

Thanks.



The Boston Marathon is really cool, especially all of the history behind it. I would love to run it some day. One step at a time though.



So far, so good in the early steps of my training plan. After a few weeks of eight miles a week (four two-mile runs), I am starting to get much more comfortable with this distance and can feel the positive mental and physical effects.



The next several months will be base-laying, and by around mid-August, I will be up to 20 miles. Then I start the 16-week marathon-specific training leading to the race on Nov. 28.



It has been annoying how my running has decreased so much over the past several years, and I need to build it back up. And having a specific goal will allow me to stay driven for the rest of the year. Even if I have to stay within 20 miles a week or less for the next five months. But my biggest issue has been wanting to build myself back up too much, too soon and then only falling back even further. I have to build up gradually, no matter how much I want to keep pushing myself.



Thanks again to everybody for your support. It really does help keep me stay focused on my present (8-10 miles a week) as well as on my goal (the marathon).

Up to three miles now!



Today was my first three-mile run since I started this training plan and it was awesome. I ran from where I lived to Green Lake here in Seattle and back, which came out to pretty much exactly three miles.



I cannot wait until I start running long distances (i.e. 10+ miles). But I keep telling myself to hold back because I am not going to allow myself to go up too much, too soon only to get injured or burned out.



Keeping my eye on Nov. 28, but very much enjoying the journey as well.

good for you! and it sounds like a beautiful run, to boot.

Good luck with your marathon training



My husband started training last March for the ING here in Miami in January. His goal wasn't to make a certain time, just to finish (which he did!). Now he's totally addicted and is working on improving his time. I would love to run with him but a bad knee prevents it (actually just started getting physical therapy on it so who knows what will happen?)



Don't worry about times, or racing, etc - just focus on completing the marathon. It's a huge accomplishment, regardless of your time.

It is. I love where I live. I can run on soft surfaces the whole way too (grass-covered boulevards the entire way from my front door to Green Lake).






Thanks.






Yeah, I'm planning to run it as fast as I (safely) can, but whatever time that ends up being, so be it.



I would very much like to continue into next year and beyond, but I am obviously focusing on this one first, then cross that bridge when I get to it.



Sorry about the knee. I am thankful I have so many soft surfaces to run on nearby just for that reason, to try and ensure my knees last as long as possible. Especially considering my desire to run marathons.

Sounds like you're well prepeared for the run! You should have no problem completing it, I mean, Eddie Izard did 43 of them with only a few weeks training.



Maraton runners are crazy though, I once ran fo an hour and thhought I was going to die.

So far so good! I am at 12 miles a week and will stay there for the next few weeks to allow my body to get used to that mileage before moving up to the next level (gradually increasing to 20 miles a week, and settling there for a few weeks, before I dive into the specific marathon training for November's race around July/August).



I am somewhat sore, more so because of the cumulative running per week (12 miles) as opposed to running two or three miles at a time, which is not bad at all. But when you run 2-3 miles five times a week when your recent body is used to less, it definitely takes a little time for your body to adjust.



I am very excited that I am starting to get back into running shape. I am also planning on joining a gym in the next week or two (when my finances are better) to help me get into better overall (i.e. upper body) shape.

Good luck to you! Sounds like you're being very sensible about all this, I have no doubt that come November you'll be ready!



I'd like to do a marathon eventually, I keep applying for London in the hope that by the time I finally get a place (will be guaranteed one in the fifth or sixth application I think), I'll be ready for it! In the mean time I'm signed up for a couple of 10ks that I'm not sure I'm ready for. I'm on 5k at the moment, but the fastest 5ks I've ever ran; I haven't ran properly for nearly 2 years so I don't know where this little burst of speed has come from (it's only 1-2 minutes faster, but still!). I'm also signed up to do a half marathon in October. I've done one before, but ended up walking some of the way, I'd like to be able to run the whole thing next time. 6 months, plenty of time to get in shape I hope!

Thanks.






Good luck to you on your own running journey.

I am also interested in marathon, but I cant due to I am suffering form snoring, please help me Treatment For Sleep Apnea Tarzana then i can plan to marathon.

You can do it, I have run seven marathons in the last two years. Sounds like you are on the right track. Everyone who runs the marathon is a winner.