Forums >General Running>1st Marathon Training
Hi All,
I have a general question surrounding the training leading up to my first marathon which will be next March of 2021. With an 18 week training plan I'd need to start that Nov 1. A 20 week plan obviously a few weeks earlier in the middle of October. I have been running for a year now, done two halves in 1:32/1:35. I'd love to run my next half in under 1:30.
My question is what should my training schedule look like in the months leading up to the training plan for my first full marathon? Should I train for another half and run that in say Sept or early October? Would that be the best way to continue to stay in shape or would that be a lot to ask my body (going from a 12 week half plan right into an 18 week full marathon plan)? I worry about training hard for say 33 weeks in a row basically. I've kicked around training hard for a 5K in Sept to get my PR down but I'm wondering if that kind of training wouldn't be best leading into what will be training for the longest race possible in the marathon. With no marathon experience I need to know how my body should feel/prep before I start training for that race...more running ahead of the schedule or taper a bit?
I appreciate any feedback on what my schedule/training should look like between now and Nov. from you all.
Well IDK if you’ll be able to find any races this fall anyway. Or next March for that matter. But my two cents:
- It’s common to plan a tune-up half marathon 4-6 weeks before your marathon. You should do well because you’ve been marathon training (although not 100% optimal because you’ll be fatigued), and will give you an idea how to pace your marathon.
- For this fall - I don’t see any reason not to do a HM training cycle, race, then rest for 2-3 weeks before starting a marathon plan. How will your body react to back-to-back training cycles? Hard to say, everyone’s different. Depends on your running/training history. - If you want to make it a 5k this fall instead, I don’t see a problem. Training for a 5k is great prep for a marathon, and the converse is also true. - Between now and the time you’d start training for a fall race, I’d work on building consistent weekly mileage volume approaching where you’d start a training plan, to build overall fitness and get your body accustomed to it. Throw in some kind of speed once a week maybe.
Good luck!
Dave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvHRNWp-YKE
Mmmm Bop
Those are good half times after just 1 year of running so you should have no problem getting under 1:30 if you keep up the consistency. 👍
Mileage is king so if you can build up and comfortably run 55/60mpw by the beginning of December then you’ll be well set up for a 12/14 week marathon cycle and it will also mean faster tune-up races next year. Racing is up in the air right now so maybe a 5k training cycle would be ideal this summer and run a time trial (or 5000m on the track for accuracy) and then play it by ear.
5k - 17:53 (4/19) 10k - 37:53 (11/18) Half - 1:23:18 (4/19) Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)
My take on this would be to have consistent highish mileage under your belt. Marathon plans are a grueling combination of steady mileage and hard workouts. I like to have my mileage already up there, and so I only add one stress to my body in the 12-18 weeks of the plan, and that is the workouts. My mileage being already up there means I'm already used to "making" the time to run, and my body is accustomed to the pounding. I think it also helps to.prevenf injuries to not increase both mileage and intensity by too much in a short period of time.
That is how I see it, and I also agree with what Dave and Mikkey have said. There is not only one way to do things. I like consistent mileage, some like consistent race training... the idea (IMO) is that the plan is not too much of a big step up from what you were doing before