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Can I jump into marathon training? (Read 206 times)

gbpackerfan


    Hey everyone,

     

    I know that I will be running the Chicago Marathon in October, but I have also wanted to run the Cellecom Marathon in Green Bay.  I printed out the training schedule a number of weeks ago, but have not been able to follow it exactly to a tee.  I have had a busy past few weeks with graduate school, but our term is coming to an end next week, and then I am doing an internship.

     

    I have been running, but not as much as I would like.  On a good week, I average 15-20 miles, but have had to take a few weeks off because of heavy course work or commitments.

     

    I injured my ankle back at the end of August and have been recovering from that injury.  It seems to be doing fine now, with the exception that I aggravated it by missing the last step on my loft on Monday.  So I have been resting the ankle, but I am going to do a slow run today on the treadmill and hope to get back in the groove.

     

    Looking at the training schedule for the next three weekends, (if I was to commit to doing the marathon) the long distances would be 9, 10, 8.  I believe that I would be able to jump into that because my long runs in the past have been those distances.  Perhaps I can work up to this by doing six this week, 9 next week, and 10 the following week.  That would help me to get back onto par with the training schedule.

     

    I personally feel comfortable that I could probably jump back into the training schedule even though I have not completed some of the earlier training weeks.  The marathon is still 15 weeks out.  I am not a new runner, I have been running for the past three years and have run half marathons in the past.

     

    Given this long, detailed history, do you all feel that I could begin training for the marathon?  I'd like to register for it by the end of the month, so I could just try the training and see if I can jump back in.  Otherwise I would probably run the half-marathon, which is at 89% capacity, so I would need to register.  Hence the reason why I am contemplating my decision now.

     

    I'm just looking to get some advice.

    joescott


      It would be good if you opened your training log so folks could better envision what training you've done up to now and better understand where your gaps are.  Also, you say you are an experienced runner (which is great) but it sounds like this is your first marathon.

       

      Without much to go on, my advice to you is to get a solid base of at least 30 mile weeks under your belt for 3 or 4 months, and then start on a marathon training plan (say, for Chicago).  Don't try to skimp by and barely get ready in the next three months or jump into a training plan that you haven't built up to.  Probably you CAN do it (finish, that is), but it will be a miserable experience.  Before I ran my first marathon I used to say, "Yeah, I've run a few half marathons,"  but then I learned that the gods of the marathon do not give you even close to half credit for that.  A friend of mine used to chide me, appropriately so, "Well, Joe, that's kinda just doing the easy half, isn't it?"

       

      Whatever you choose, best of luck.

      - Joe

      We are fragile creatures on collision with our judgment day.

        I was a fairly experienced runner, and I had 9 months of training before my first marathon, and it was still a miserable experience.

         

        I think Joe has the right idea for this.  You're better off doing Chicago in the fall, then come back and do GB next spring.

        There was a point in my life when I ran. Now, I just run.

         

        We are always running for the thrill of it

        Always pushing up the hill, searching for the thrill of it

        Jeff F


        Free Beer

          I understand what Joe and Abe are recommending.

           

          It all depends on your goals.  I started running in January of 2006 at the age of 46 and ran the Chicago Marathon in October 2006; it was ugly but I finished.  Most of us are missing half of our brains and we do stupid things...it is your decision.  By the way I don't regret doing it...

            If I were you I'd just focus on getting ready for Chicago rather than rushing into GB and not being fully prepared and potentially having a miserable experience. If you're getting 15-20 in on a "good week" it sounds like you may be fighting against your time/schedule in order to get the miles in and as much as I understand you wanting to do it, it just doesn't seem necessary. They'll have the CellCom next year too.

             

            Do the 1/2 in Green Bay, have fun with it and then let Chicago be your 1st full.

            dallison


            registered pw

              I don't think your mileage at the moment is good enough to run a full. You should be at 25+ mpw for a while and then 30-35mpw+ for a bit longer. This is very general but you should be able to do this kind of mileage for periods of time to your body can get acclimated to teh miles. It is very difficult to do and the full is a serious distance and should not be taken lightly.

               

              I ran my first w/o training and had trouble after 18-20 miles, but i finished in a somewhat respectable time. I enjoyed the first 18 miles or so of my first and prayed for the 26.2 mark.

               

              Take care of your ankle first and DO NOT be in a rush to run a full. They will always have them year after year.

              2017 goals:

              sub 1:30 half 

               

              SubDood


                You are a Packer fan, in grad school, living somewhere near Chicago and Green Bay ...  Did beer in any way play a role in your missing the last step on your loft?

                gbpackerfan


                  You are a Packer fan, in grad school, living somewhere near Chicago and Green Bay ...  Did beer in any way play a role in your missing the last step on your loft?

                   

                  That's a fair question!!  Especially since it was Monday morning after the super bowl!  No it actually didn't.  I was on call and my room phone was ringing at 5:30 AM.  It was necessary for me to answer the phone so I was in a hurry.  Ankle is doing good.  Just did an hour long run on it and it feels good.  Back to normal!

                  wcrunner2


                  Are we there, yet?

                    Averaging 15-20 mpw on good weeks, I question whether you'll be ready for Chicago. Even minimal programs assume you've been running 20-25 mpw for 3-6 months prior to beginning an 18 week program.

                     2024 Races:

                          03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

                          05/11 - D3 50K
                          05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

                          06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

                     

                     

                         


                    Feeling the growl again

                       On a good week, I average 15-20 miles, but have had to take a few weeks off because of heavy course work or commitments.

                       

                      I injured my ankle back at the end of August and have been recovering from that injury. 

                      Given this long, detailed history, do you all feel that I could begin training for the marathon

                      No.

                       

                      Will you survive?  Likely.  Is it anything near what you should be doing to reasonably train for a race of that distance?  No.

                       

                      Why the rush?  Why do you have to do a marathon this year?  There is nothing that special about finishing a marathon, hundreds of thousands of people do it every year.

                      "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                       

                      I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                       


                      A Saucy Wench

                        I've done my fair share of stupid undertrained marathons.  That being said I'm going to vote no on this BECAUSE you are determined to do Chicago in the fall.  Running undertrained marathons does not help you in your training process, it sets you back.   It interrupts the progress you make.  Forcing the training, then taper, then recovery.

                         

                        If you want to run a marathon just to say you have finished one, great.  But if you want to train for Chicago, then spend these 4 months building a solid base, not rushing a half-assed training.

                        I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

                         

                        "When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

                        SubDood


                           

                          That's a fair question!!  Especially since it was Monday morning after the super bowl!  No it actually didn't.  I was on call and my room phone was ringing at 5:30 AM.  It was necessary for me to answer the phone so I was in a hurry.  Ankle is doing good.  Just did an hour long run on it and it feels good.  Back to normal!

                           

                          Good to hear that your ankle is ok, and that an hour run feels good.

                          The majority advice seems to be NOT to run the Full in Green Bay. Probably good advice. But everyone and every situation is different. So I'll add my contrarian position.

                          If I were you, and I really wanted to run BOTH Full marathons this year, I might do the Green Bay event with the goal of finishing very comfortably. That is, go slowly, mix in a lot of walking and jogging, stop at each water stop and drink a full cup or more, enjoy the scenery. The goal would be simply to finish, and to minimize the recovery period following the run. The overall experience might also be helpful preparation for your Chicago marathon, where you can train more fully and push for a goal time perhaps.

                          I'm in the minority on this, so I'll offer my own "first marathon" story:

                          My first marathon (~19 years ago, age 29) was a "bucket list" kind of thing -- I knew I wanted to run one, but I was pretty sure it would be "one and done" for me.  I trained for a little over 4 months, then went out and ran a 3:11 (missed qualifying for Boston by a minute). I did not appreciate how lucky I was at the time; this is still my PR for the marathon. Not every experience has been that positive. I guess I'm just saying that I wouldn't completely rule out running the Full in GB.

                            "Well, Joe, that's kinda just doing the easy half, isn't it?"

                             

                             

                            Indeed.

                            Actually when I was running my first marathon, we hit 13.1 & the pacer said to the group "halfway there". Then another runner pointed out to quietly to a smaller group that the halfway point of a marathon is not 13.1, it is more like 20. Which is about right.

                            Dave

                            gbpackerfan


                              I'd like to thank everybody for their advice.  I am thinking that the money I'd spend on a race entry, I'll put toward a new pair of running shoes as I am probably overdue.  Instead of just going to Kohl's and buying whatever looks nice or is on sale, I'm going to go to a running store and get advice on what type of shoe they recommend for me.

                              Coastal


                                You could concentrate on training for and running a good half, and use that as a motivator to get you out training in the meantime.  That will help you build your base for training for the full.

                                 

                                Or, get that pair of running shoes and put them to good use.

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