Half Marathon or Full Marathon (Read 954 times)

I have signed up for the Denver Half Marathon in October. Lately I have been thinking about changing to the full marathon but I am not sure if I am ready. I have been running since September 2006 and have done 5 Half Marathons since December of 2007. How would you recommend I increase my training if I do decide to go for it. I don't want to hate the experience and put me off of running. I want to enjoy it and finish (BQ maybe?) Thank you for any help.

Agree with jeffdonahue You have a good base - but you are lacking on longer runs...so you need to slowly lengthen your long runs....and get in a couple of 20 milers before the Marathon..........along with some 16 and 18er too..... I think you can do it....that is if you can get enough of that Mile High air to push you thru a Marathon....

You can do it. No doubt about it. If you choose to. Start upping the mileage, get it up to 40-50 mpw for a while, and you'll do great. Don't let the 20% of people who are going to tell you not to do it cloud your judgment.

80% of me wants to say, go for it--you'll be much better prepared than most first time marathoners these days. But 20% of me is saying do the half--you'll have a better experience if you wait, build to 200 miles per month and string together a few of those first. Hope that helps!

How many is a few?

I will probably wonder what I was thinking at mile 23 or so, but I really want to try.

We all wonder what we were thinking at mile 23. Good luck!

Run for cover! Big meany is back… If you are set on running the **** thing you might as go for that BQ. It never crossed my mind that you couldn’t finish when I expressed my “preference” for the half. I wasn’t even looking at it that way. The question I always ask myself is “what’s the best course of action for becoming a better runner?” Concerns about “enjoying the experience” don’t carry much weight with me either. Let’s face it, they all hurt during the last 10k if you try to run a time that is consistent with your fitness level. Pre and post-race festivities, the earlier parts of the race itself, and the satisfaction of having run well can make the marathon an overall enjoyable experience. However, the chances are that at least some of it is going to hurt even if you are in great shape. Your recent race times say that you have the potential to go sub-4, and with another 14 weeks to train it is possible that you would have enough miles to get the job done. However, with you being an easterner and the race being run at 5100 feet altitude it makes things tougher. It would be a big plus if you could go there a month early and get acclimated. Another thing (since I’m sure you are dying to know my opion) is that running 2 half-marathons is probably not a good idea considering the amount of time you have to train. It’s not that you couldn’t run them both, but I’m afraid they would compromise your marthon training and take some of the zip out of your legs. The half is long enough that it requires some mild tapering and 7-10 days of recovery. You’d be better off doing a solid 18-20 miler than trying to run both of them. Ask me how I know.

Run for cover! Big meany is back… If you are set on running the **** thing you might as go for that BQ. It never crossed my mind that you couldn’t finish when I expressed my “preference” for the half. I wasn’t even looking at it that way. The question I always ask myself is “what’s the best course of action for becoming a better runner?” Concerns about “enjoying the experience” don’t carry much weight with me either. Let’s face it, they all hurt during the last 10k if you try to run a time that is consistent with your fitness level. Pre and post-race festivities, the earlier parts of the race itself, and the satisfaction of having run well can make the marathon an overall enjoyable experience. However, the chances are that at least some of it is going to hurt even if you are in great shape. Your recent race times say that you have the potential to go sub-4, and with another 14 weeks to train it is possible that you would have enough miles to get the job done. However, with you being an easterner and the race being run at 5100 feet altitude it makes things tougher. It would be a big plus if you could go there a month early and get acclimated. Another thing (since I’m sure you are dying to know my opion) is that running 2 half-marathons is probably not a good idea considering the amount of time you have to train. It’s not that you couldn’t run them both, but I’m afraid they would compromise your marathon training and take some of the zip out of your legs. The half is long enough that it requires some mild tapering and 7-10 days of recovery. You’d be better off doing a solid 18-20 miler than trying to run both of them. Ask me how I know.

How many is a few?

A few = 3 More than a few = 4 to 5. dollysmum - run the half in October and a Spring marathon. A good HM training program is a nice lead into the mileage you need for the marathon training. Just my 2 cents.