Forums >General Running>It's enough to finish a marathon?
I'm training for a marathon on 14 october. I have a 16 weeks program with 4 runs per week, 45 km average, one speed work, one tempo or interval, an easy run and a long one. I did 6 long run of 20 km. It'a enough to finish a marathon? Thank you.
what was your longest long run?
300m- 37 sec.
just 21km on trail 600m up and down altitude 2h40min running
an amazing likeness
Most reasonably fit people can finish a marathon without specific training. You have the knowledge of your 13mi (21km) run, and some weeks of 25-30mi of running. By not cramming in last minute training and showing up to the start line fresh and rested, and by running easy with some regular walk breaks in the first half of your marathon -- you'll do well.
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
Sure, probably, if you're willing to put up with a lot of pain, and/or do a lot of walking. Your mileage is pretty low by marathon training standards. A lot of people do a run/walk plan, but if you haven't done that in training, I wouldn't try it in the race. I would suggest to go out way slower than you think you should be. And be prepared for it to get really hard, both physically & mentally, after mile 16-18 or so. You didn't include any information about your running history prior to these 16 weeks, so it's hard to say anything more definitive.
In the future, you might want to try gradually building up your weekly mileage to at least the 65-80 km/wk range, on 5-6 runs/week, without even worrying about any speed work. And look into a training plan, there are plenty available online or in books.
Dave
Thank you.I've been running for three years now. I'd ran 7 half, 4 of them on trail. Best time1:53 on flat. A 6min/km it's ok? How to insert walk breaks into the running?
OK - that's good info, you're probably better prepared than my original answer assumed. I've never done run/walk, someone else can advise, but again - if you haven't trained with it, maybe not a good time to start. A 6:00-6:15/km pace, to put you at a ~4:15-4:25 finish, seems reasonable.
Yes, probably enough to finish if you are smart about pacing. 6min/km might be too fast given your training. If you do walk breaks, run at your natural easy pace, and walk every 5-10 minutes for around a minute.
Thanks a lot. I am very nervous about the race but your words give me hope that I could finish.
Thanks again. I've finished in 4:30 only running. I"ve started very easy and hit 21k in 2:20. The second half goes in 2:10 at even pace. Feels comfortable. Last 2 miles a little hard but with no slowdown.
Congratulations! Based on your negative split, you might have been able to start a bit faster. But better to be conservative for your first. Finishing strong like you did feels a whole lot better than finishing with a death march. Now you can plan your next race to improve on that time.