Forums >Running 101>Thinking of doing a marathon...!
Are we there, yet?
There's a lot of things I would consider if I were in your position, and my conclusion would be not to run it. Your base of 15-20 km per week is very low and 4 months is not a lot of time to increase it. I tried a similar increase when I first started running and all it accomplished was to make me chronically tired and running even 16 km was an effort. Later when I'd been running almost a year I was able to run 12 miles in 1:13 (roughly 1:16 for 20 km or 1:20:30 for a HM) and still didn't feel ready to run a marathon for lack of mileage. It wasn't until I'd been running almost 2 years and could run 80+ km in a week that I was persuaded and convinced that I could successfully tackle that distance. But that's me and I also wanted more than to finish in the middle or back of the pack.
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.
Thank you for your responses! I realize I left out a bit of info about me. I'm 29 and my time for the 10k was about 2:05mins. My average pace as of now on a good day is 10:30. I know I have a lot to do by way of increasing my weekly mileage, so I am working on that. I am currently following a 20-week training plan. The marathon is taking place in Ottawa (Canada), so it'll be pretty cool up there in May so I'm not too worried about the heat. I suppose there is no rush to do it in May, I guess I'm just a little excited! I watched the NYC marathon and was so inspired and thought, hey why not! Also the marathon is happening 3 days after my birthday, perfect way to celebrate... :P
I will look at walk/run training plans, any thoughts on how effective that is for a first marathon?
Thanks so much!
I lost my rama
I watched the NYC marathon and was so inspired and thought, hey why not!
You can still sign up for the lottery this year. And you'd have plenty of time to train for a November marathon.
3/17 - NYC Half
4/28 - Big Sur Marathon DNS
6/29 - Forbidden Forest 30 Hour
8/29 - A Race for the Ages - will be given 47 hours
Pace Prophet
Thank you for your responses! I realize I left out a bit of info about me. I'm 29 and my time for the 10k was about 2:05mins. My average pace as of now on a good day is 10:30. I know I have a lot to do by way of increasing my weekly mileage, so I am working on that. I am currently following a 20-week training plan. The marathon is taking place in Ottawa (Canada), so it'll be pretty cool up there in May so I'm not too worried about the heat. I suppose there is no rush to do it in May, I guess I'm just a little excited! I watched the NYC marathon and was so inspired and thought, hey why not! Also the marathon is happening 3 days after my birthday, perfect way to celebrate... :P I will look at walk/run training plans, any thoughts on how effective that is for a first marathon? Thanks so much!
That...doesn't make sense. Did you mean 1:05? If so, you should not be running your 10k pace on average days. You should slow way down, or you will injure yourself trying to get the training in. If your fast 10k, all out, is 1:05 your training pace should be around 12-13 minute miles.
Walk/run training plans are a great way to do a first marathon. I used them until I was ready to step up to real training. I would caution against Galloway's basic plan, though, because it's just not enough running. Hal Higdon's novice plan using walk/run for the long runs would be an excellent approach, though.
Personally if I were running 15-20km/week (which I am, right now, as I'm coming back from both injury and a situation where I had no time to run for a month) I would not plan to run a marathon in 4 months.
Yes I mean 10k in 1:05!
Waltons ThreadLord
I ran my first full marathon about a year after running my first half. In retrospect, I was not as ready for it as I thought I was. Yet, I have no regrets. The things I experienced in my first marathon helped me improve and run better in my second marathon. Take heed of what many of the previous posts have said about increasing mileage and about not running hard all the time in training. Above all, make sure to soak it all in when you do race. It sounds cliched, but you'll only run your first marathon once, so take the time to enjoy it and get the most out of the experience.
5k 23:48.45 (3/22); 4M 31:26 (2/22); 5M 38:55 (11/23); 10k 49:24 (10/22); 10M 1:29:33 (2/24); Half 1:48:32 (10/22); Marathon 4:29:58 (11/23)Upcoming races: Clinton Country Run 15k, 4/27; Running is Back 10k, 5/12
Mmm, my longest run before was 9 miles before started training in June for an October marathon and I made it under 5 hours. I was running for about 18 months when I ran it. It takes a lot of commitment but it's definitely possible. Good luck!
Feeling the growl again
What is the big rush?
Can you finish a marathon? Well, a lot of people with little to no training can probably do so if their only goal is to get across the line.
The simple fact is your training is totally inadequate to really prepare you for the distance. So yeah, you can just rush to it and check the box. Or you can really dedicate yourself and prepare to do something you can truly be proud of.
"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
I have little to no interest in the marathon, and can't just about anyone with the correct training run it in 4...430?
I wouldn't attempt until I was ready.
300m- 37 sec.
People underestimate the strain on the body. A friend of mine experienced what many people do when running a full marathon on far too little preparation: it was a hell experience, she got herself a knee injury that still hinders her from many acrivities. But when she talks about it in front of non running friends or on facebook you could think she ran it in 2:20min with a 100pbs backpack on instead of a miserable 5hrs alternating walking/ jogging.
I feel sorry for her.
And to the op: don't do that to yourself!
HM: 1:47 (9/20) I FM: 3:53:11 (9/23)
2024 Goals: run a FM & HM + stay healthy!
What is the big rush? Can you finish a marathon? Well, a lot of people with little to no training can probably do so if their only goal is to get across the line. The simple fact is your training is totally inadequate to really prepare you for the distance. So yeah, you can just rush to it and check the box. Or you can really dedicate yourself and prepare to do something you can truly be proud of.
I second this. If I were in the op's running shoes I would probably start with a shorter distance and see if I wanted to take it to the next level afterwards.
I agree very much with the first reply, from Marky_Mark who said to see how you feel after the half marathon, and to pick up a beginner's marathon training plan.
Correct me if I am wrong, but in all due respect, she didn't ask anyone if they think she is ready or if they think it is a good idea. She simply asked how would she know if she was ready.
Good luck. It will be a big challenge, Please let us know how it goes, if you do choose to give it a go.