Forums >Running 101>Realistic First Marathon Target time
you do have me intrigued as to why you set yourself such a goal in the first place, is it close to your Boston qualifying time or something? I thought everyone's first marathon goal was to survive/finish it. Please keep us updated on how you do in the marathon, and how your training goes as you lead up to it (with respect to your mileage, etc). I don't think anyone here is looking for you to fail or miss your goals, rather clarify the expectations you should have going into it. I read this blog once that this guy wrote after hitting the wall and it was so raw, funny, but true about how it feels. You reeeeally don't want to hit the wall with 8 or more miles to go, and it will happen if you go out too fast.
you do have me intrigued as to why you set yourself such a goal in the first place, is it close to your Boston qualifying time or something? I thought everyone's first marathon goal was to survive/finish it. Please keep us updated on how you do in the marathon, and how your training goes as you lead up to it (with respect to your mileage, etc). I don't think anyone here is looking for you to fail or miss your goals, rather clarify the expectations you should have going into it.
I read this blog once that this guy wrote after hitting the wall and it was so raw, funny, but true about how it feels. You reeeeally don't want to hit the wall with 8 or more miles to go, and it will happen if you go out too fast.
I suppose being my weight and height and being able to run ok at the moment - though lets me say at 11st and half with six months training - now there is a very potential for a good time.
I look at a lot of runners with no weight on them who run pretty poor times, there must a lot overweight runners who can put in decent times - who have the potential to be good athletes if they can displine themselves to get the weight off and train consistently.
Why set a time target like that ?- its my mentality I suppose, beats the odds etc.
Last Fall, I ran 3:36 for the marathon and, leading up to it, a 43-something for the 10k. The year I ran 55 for the 10k, I also ran 2:15 for the half marathon. What's that, like a 4:45 marathon or something?
It will take a lot of work to run a 3:30. If you can get back into that 43 shape, it is within striking distance. But, going from 40mpw to consistent 60-70 mpw is one of the best laid plans of mice and men.
"If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus
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... I thought everyone's first marathon goal was to survive/finish it. ...
Mine was, but not everyone's is so humble. Some people train hard and rock it; I've known a few.
It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.
I look at a lot of runners with no weight on them who run pretty poor times, there must a lot overweight runners who can put in decent times -
Well yeah. I've seen people recommend a minimum of 50-70 miles per week before you should even attempt a marathon, and the sheer time that would taken in a given week frightens me, it's just not possible for me. However, it's interesting when you read some more that there are two groups of people that advocate that many miles - those that finish in crazy finishing times that I could never dream of getting close to, and those with a sub-4 goal. Even this jiggly armed girl did a sub-4, a lot of it's genetics.
The Fleet Feet Marathon Training group I was in had us max out at 36 weeks. I was concerned through the entire program that the mileage we were doing was on the low end. Fleet Feet's philosophy was to get us to finish and not get injured. I don't know. If I would have logged more miles maybe I would have had a better time. I was very close to sub-4 (I was 3:03 at the 20 mile mark) until both quads cramped up on me. Our training group did do a 20 and 22 miler and the 22 miler went very good for me. You never know what's going to happen in a marathon though.
You maxed out at 36 miles in a week and had single runs that were 20 and 22 miles?
"You NEED to do this" - Shara
I think the comments here relate to your current lack of aerobic strength for anything close to 3:30 marathon when your most recent race is a 54 minute 10k. Not your weight.
You said that your 43 minute 10k was when you were just seven pounds lighter. This means that almost all that 11 minute difference in time is due to your lower current aerobic fitness, and not carrying extra pounds.
The process is the goal.
Men heap together the mistakes of their lives, and create a monster they call Destiny.
I personally would run the 1st 20 miles @ a conservative realistic pace and kick the last 6.2 miles in the ass. When I ran my 1st marathon I ran the 1st 20 miles with someone chatting the whole way - 2:28 and the last 10 miles in 41:48 I could have been faster running more agressively the 1st 20, but it was an awesome possitive experience by being a little slower the 1st 20 and finisheing strong.
I personally would run the 1st 20 miles @ a conservative realistic pace and kick the last 6.2 miles in the ass.
When I ran my 1st marathon I ran the 1st 20 miles with someone chatting the whole way - 2:28 and the last 10 miles in 41:48
I could have been faster running more agressively the 1st 20, but it was an awesome possitive experience by being a little slower the 1st 20 and finisheing strong.
OK, there are some freakish people here that are simply amazing. Yes, for those gifted few, miles and time are less important, and they go out in their 1st marathon at a comfortable 7:24 minute pace chatting, and then "kick it in" finishing the last 10K at a 6:44 pace.
For us average folks, there is a simple biologic truth to why we need more time and miles to finish with a "respectable time." It takes time to increase the number of mitochondria in the muscles, increase ability to use fat as fuel (improve endurance), and improve blood delivery, etc.
My take, (1) do a proper taper, the last week and half will be meaningless to your your marathon time and allowing your body to hae time to rebuild will actually improve your effort. (2) If you want a realistic estimate, do a 10K or half marathon 2 to 3 weeks before (3) If this doesn't reset your goals, then go ahead and go out at a 4 hour pace, and if you do have anything left by 20 miles, then kick it in. (4) Just be ready for the bonk, enjoy the walk, and be satisfied that you finished even if your time is near 5 hours.
From a mortal runner who reads to much.
2018 Goals:
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Yep. I just pulled out the chart. Here was the 22 mile week:
Monday: 4 miles Easy
Wednesday: 6 miles speed (4 x 800 rest 90 seconds)
Friday: 4 miles Easy
Sunday: 22 miles
Our scheduled runs were always Mon, Wed, Fri, and Sun. Like I said, I was concerned about the weekly low mileage we were doing, but they were all about not getting injured. I guess this was fine since almost everybody in our 80+ group was running their first marathon.
Why is it sideways?
Yep. I just pulled out the chart. Here was the 22 mile week: Monday: 4 miles Easy Wednesday: 6 miles speed (4 x 800 rest 90 seconds) Friday: 4 miles Easy Sunday: 22 miles Our scheduled runs were always Mon, Wed, Fri, and Sun. Like I said, I was concerned about the weekly low mileage we were doing, but they were all about not getting injured. I guess this was fine since almost everybody in our 80+ group was running their first marathon.
This schedule looks like an injury recipe to me...
Where did Dopplebock say that he did these things without putting in the miles? He just said it was his first marathon. He didn't say that he didn't train for it.
I'm not educated enough in terms of the appropriate "marathon mileage" since this was my first and I trained with a group. With that said, this years group only had two people get injured that couldn't run the marathon, and everybody in our group finished that started the marathon but one. I'm not challenging your comment, but just letting you know how it went with our group.
I will say that my weekly mileage was above what the program called for during the majority of the program. I was already running at least 30 mpw and definitely didn't want to decrease my mileage at the beginning of the program. For example, the first two weeks called for 14 and 16 mpw. Anyway, I'm hoping to run the CIM again this year and will definitely follow a more aggressive mpw program.
I'm not educated enough in terms of the appropriate "marathon mileage" since this was my first and I trained with a group. With that said, this years group only had two people get injured that couldn't run the marathon, and everybody in our group finished that started the marathon but one. I'm not challenging your comment, but just letting you know how it went with our group. I will say that my weekly mileage was above what the program called for during the majority of the program. I was already running at least 30 mpw and definitely didn't want to decrease my mileage at the beginning of the program. For example, the first two weeks called for 14 and 16 mpw. Anyway, I'm hoping to run the CIM again this year and will definitely follow a more aggressive mpw program.
Fair enough! I'm just not sure why such a program is advocated on behalf of avoiding injury. Seems to me that the primary value in such a program is to allow folks to complete a marathon on the most minimal training commitment. This is not a bad thing--it's actually a good thing, if that's what you want.
Yeah, I'm with you. Let me also add that in our big group we only had one person qualify for Boston. The fastest guy in our group missed it by one minute. He also felt that the mpw were on the low end and he thought that more would have benefitted him, but we has working full time and going to grad school at night so this program worked for him due to his other committment. My wife is doing FF's HM program right now and the program is exact to the marathon program besides the amount of mileage.
In my marathon group, there were actually many people that had never even run a HM. They jumped right into the marathon training. Considering our program had two "HM races" during the 18 weeks may not be that bad of a thing, but for me, I ran in three HM's before I knew I was ready to take on the 26 miles.
I did a full before I did a half, I figured I was doing the half in training anyway.