Forums >Racing>Running a Marathon with no Training
Before you post, I am not looking to be talked out of this or told that I will injure myself . I am going to run a marathon 3 months from now with 0 training. I made a bet that I could complete it in under 4.5 hours. I am looking for any tips. What kind of shoes should I buy? What books or podcasts should I listen to? What device should I use to keep track of time and listen to music? What breathing exercises can I practice? What kind of stretching routine should I implement? What kind of pace should I keep? Start slow and finish fast, vice versa, or same pace throughout? Anything I am missing? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
an amazing likeness
You've got 3 months -- that's a resource...why don't you use it to train? Lots of long, brisk walks...2-3 hours, with some light jogging in them. Run (or walk) lots, mostly real easy. Time on your feet is key.
Pick whatever running shoes you find fit well and feel great -- you've got 3 months to try different models if your first selection doesn't work.
All the other stuff...breathing, music, podcasts, books --- that doesn't matter. Pick whatever you want to entertain yourself for the 4 hours.
Start slow, or else you likely wont finish.
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
#RunEveryDay
Where are you coming from now? Have you been running already?
Milktruck is smart. Listen to him.
Half Fanatic #9292.
Game Admin for RA Running Game 2023.
Interval Junkie --Nobby
Curious. Is the bet that you cannot train before the race? And what defines "training"? Is it just running that you cannot do?
Under such conditions, I'd do a lot of walking, swimming and biking for the cardio. I'd do 8hr walks, or swim for an hour, then 3hr walks at a brisk pace. Hiking up mountains might be even better. High altitude acclimation or restricting your breathing with a mask might help.
10:17 minutes per mile is your avg goal pace. I'd say keep it steady at 10:15 for the whole time, giving a slight buffer. What course?
I think Barney did this.
2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do
You've got 3 months -- that's a resource...why don't you use it to train? Lots of long, brisk walks...2-3 hours, with some light jogging in them. Run (or walk) lots, mostly real easy. Time on your feet is key. Pick whatever running shoes you find fit well and feel great -- you've got 3 months to try different models if your first selection doesn't work. All the other stuff...breathing, music, podcasts, books --- that doesn't matter. Pick whatever you want to entertain yourself for the 4 hours. Start slow, or else you likely wont finish.
I can't train. It's part of the bet. I can continue my regular workout regimen which consists of 3 days at the gym, 3 days of jiu jitsu, and 3 3 mile runs.Thanks for the advice.
Curious. Is the bet that you cannot train before the race? And what defines "training"? Is it just running that you cannot do? Under such conditions, I'd do a lot of walking, swimming and biking for the cardio. I'd do 8hr walks, or swim for an hour, then 3hr walks at a brisk pace. Hiking up mountains might be even better. High altitude acclimation or restricting your breathing with a mask might help. 10:17 minutes per mile is your avg goal pace. I'd say keep it steady at 10:15 for the whole time, giving a slight buffer. What course? I think Barney did this.
Correct, I can't train by running. I can do everything else. I'm running the Fort Lauderdale marathon. I was considering starting at 9:15 minute miles and adding 15 seconds every 3 miles as my pace. Thank you for the response.
Self anointed title
So you can't run (apart from running)?
Mother of Cats
Are you allowed to add walking to your regime? If so, I'd start ramping that up now, especially since you will be walking the majority of your marathon.
Shoes, stretching, breathing exercises, podcasts will have very little effect here. Those things are the last 5% of a successful marathon, and you're missing the other 95%.
Also - where are you doing this marathon? Did you find a race? Or are you marking a course?
Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.
And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.
Nm - I see you're targeting Ft Lauderdale.
I would NOT plan on starting at 9:15 and then gradually slowing. Slowing in a marathon is exponential, not additive.
Research Galloway's run-walk method. Do that, but with a high proportion of walking to running. If you do that with a high enough ratio of walking to running, you can be a bit better trained but still comply with the limit of three 3 mile runs each week.
No way you are finishing in under 4:30 without a pair of rollerblades unless you cut the course.
Problem Child
Start taking long power walks. See what it’s going to feel like to travel 15 miles with one of your 3 mile runs and 12 miles of walking to see what a realistic walking pace must be.
what is the bet? Friendly ‘I bet you can’t...’ or ‘I’ll bet you $1,000’ because I’d pay the $1,000 now to skip the pain after. 9 miles of running a week for marathon training? I’ve done a marathon on probably 20 miles a week and will never do it again.
Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.
VDOT 53.37
5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22
SMART Approach
Well you have been running and will continue to run. Are you athletic? What is your age and body composition? Have you done a 5K race at current fitness? Other races? Time?
I can elaborate after you answer the above. My suggestion now is to jog at 9:45 - 10:00 pace and do a 1 min walk break every 10 minutes. You must do walk breaks. You will think they will slow you down but in your case will help you perform better. Trust me. You will need them and remeber you are still going forward while walking and don't lose as much distance as you think.
This strategy should get you in under 4:30 if and a big if you can hold it. Just know those first several miles will likely feel easy like too easy. Well, that would be good because that will end and it will be a mental battle as much as physical as you go along. It will be rough. Do a lot of visualization to prepare yourself for the battle ahead.
Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery
Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training
Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique
www.smartapproachtraining.com
MoBramExam
You should probably just be thinking about what you're going to wear, what poses you want for your race pics, and which social media platforms you'll want to post on afterward. You know, important stuff like that.
Lose weight if you've got any to lose and cross your fingers! Good luck!
As a dude, I look at the "rules" and try to figure out how to exploit them, or get around them without breaking them.
You can't "train"? By that they are saying you can't go out and do long runs. BUT, you can do other long cardio stuff, like those stair or mountain climber masheens at the gym! Do that for 3-4 hours straight keeping your HR up to running levels. Take it easy for a few days afterwards. Get creative.
Also remember that any hard workouts in the last week before the marathon will not have any effect on your fitness for the race. Make your "workout" schedule by going to the day one week from the marathon, and fill it in backwards to today. Don't do one of those 3-4 hour hard efforts within 3 weeks of the race. Recovery is your ally, have rest days after hard days. If you never give yourself time to recover, you'll never get fitter.
60-64 age group - University of Oregon alumni - Irreverent and Annoying
I second the opinions that you should try to keep a constant pace throughout, and that you should use timed walk breaks. http://www.thatpagethere.com/gallowalking.html is a calculator that can help you figure out how fast you need to run to maintain an overall pace, with walk breaks. You are going for constant pace, but not constant effort. The first ten miles should feel RIDICULOUSLY easy, the next ten will go from fairly easy to moderate, then somewhere around miles 18-20 you'll be hanging on for dear life. You'd think banking time up front would help, but it really only makes that last part even more impossible.
Little things like blisters and chafing can prove to be real problems if you're not ready for them. On race day, make sure your socks aren't cotton, that you've put medical tape or band-aids over your nipples, and that you've applied some friction-reducing agent (Vaseline, body glide) to your nether regions. Try his stuff out in your three-mile runs to make sure they more-or-less work for you.