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I want to run a marathon. (The running thread)

stan23

stan23

Well-known member
Joined
May 26, 2004
Location
San Jose
Moto(s)
2019 KTM 690 SMC-R
Name
.
Hi,

In my quest to check mark all things I need to do before dying, I have "run a marathon" on the very top of my priority right now.

About 2 years ago, I was physically a complete mess! I could not run on the treadmill for 2 minutes straight! I have slowly built up my endurance and strength, but I have not formally attempted at training for a marathon.

I know there are lot's of documentation like this online, but I would rather hear from real-world folks. Currently, I can jog for about 5-miles, at a 10minute/mile pace.

What type of regimen would I need to focus on?

Also, how should my diet change / if at all? I eat pretty healthy (sandwich/salads for lunch, and chicken breast for dinner)

I know it's going to take lots of time and commitment, but I know I can do it and when i'm determined to do something, nothing stops me.

Thanks for any tips and advice.
 
Re: I want to run a marathon.

stan23 said:
Hi,

In my quest to check mark all things I need to do before dying, I have "run a marathon" on the very top of my priority right now.

About 2 years ago, I was physically a complete mess! I could not run on the treadmill for 2 minutes straight! I have slowly built up my endurance and strength, but I have not formally attempted at training for a marathon.

I know there are lot's of documentation like this online, but I would rather hear from real-world folks. Currently, I can jog for about 5-miles, at a 10minute/mile pace.

What type of regimen would I need to focus on?

Also, how should my diet change / if at all? I eat pretty healthy (sandwich/salads for lunch, and chicken breast for dinner)

I know it's going to take lots of time and commitment, but I know I can do it and when i'm determined to do something, nothing stops me.

Thanks for any tips and advice.
Click to expand...

First off, how often were you running the 5 miles you mentioned...IOW what is your current WEEKLY mileage?

Have you thought of a particular race you wish to sign up for? Aim to plan out about 14-20 weeks of training before your first race.

There's the Napa Valley Marathon, which I'll be doing next March. 14 weeks away. It's a fairly flat course if you wanted to try something not so "hilly".

You have to gradually, I mean SLOWLY increase your weekly mileage as it is a lot of stress on your joints, especially your knees.

Make an effort to ice your knees after EVERY run for about 15-20 minutes, even if you don't feel any aches/pains. Your knees will thank you.

Your first few weeks of traning will focus more on base training, slowling building up your mileage and endurance.

Then you will start to incorporate different types of training....tempo runs, fartleks, invertal training at the track and hill runs.
 
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Re: Re: I want to run a marathon.

zx6roxy said:
First off, how often were you running the 5 miles you mentioned...IOW what is your current WEEKLY mileage?

Have you thought of a particular race you wish to sign up for?

There's the Napa Valley Marathon, which I'll be doing next March. 14 weeks away. It's a fairly flat course if you wanted to try something not so "hilly".

You have to gradually, I mean SLOWLY increase your weekly mileage as it is a lot of stress on your joints, especially your knees.
Click to expand...

I run 2-3 times a week, for about 3 miles each day. I also ride the bike too, when I don't run.

If I stretch it, I can do a full 5 miles right now, but i'm not sure how much further I can go on while keeping the pace. If I drop my pace down to a slooow jog, I can probably go further.

March, eh? I don't think that will give me enough time. I was thinking like 6 months of training.

oh yeah, thanks for the link. I am reading it now... I'm also curious about training for my 'base' right now..

Matter of fact, i'll see just exactly what my range is tonight -- so I can see where I stand.
 
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6 months should give you plenty of time.

You chould checkout www.changeofpace.com and search for next year's running events.

So that's about 6-9 miles a week. Follow the 10% rule when adding on the miles.

You should also be aware that as you start to really tack on the mileage, you will be running 5 days a week, with your longer runs on the weekends.
 
Thanks. I will find the time to run. I usually don't sleep til 4am, and I run at 11pm.

What do you do for nutrition? I am also doing weight training on the days I don't run. Should I pause that for a bit, or just lower it a notch?

I drink about 1/2 gallon of water a day, and eat ok.. but on the weekends, I usually let myself go.

I also drink beer!
 
What is your current diet like?

Running a marathon shouldn't give you a reason to just gorge and eat whatever you want. You should still attempt to make healthier choices.

I've noticed a huge improvement in my runs after I "cleaned up" my diet. Avoid drinks that will dehydrate you. Stick to foods low in fat.....and try to space out 5-6 meals throughout the day.

A LOT of stretching is a must. Plan on spending about 15-20 minutes of stretching after your runs. What type of stretches are you doing?
 
stan23 said:
What do you do for nutrition? I am also doing weight training on the days I don't run. Should I pause that for a bit, or just lower it a notch?
Click to expand...

I'm up to about 3200-3500 calories per day.

60% of my calories come from carbohydrates, 25% from lean protein and 15% from healthy fats....

I consume 5-6 meals, spaced 2-2.5 hours apart.

When the weather isn't too hot, my hydration usually follows this:

For runs under 45 minutes, water alone meets my hydration needs.

Anything over 45 minutes, I take a bottle of Gatorade with me (they also make Gatorade Endurance formula, which has twice the electrolytes of regular Gatorade).

For runs over 90minutes, I usually take a powerbar energy gel with me and sip gatorade every 15 minutes.

You should still incorporate resistance training into your schedule. Weight training is not likely to produce further increases in maximum oxygen uptake when you run, but may improve your muscle endurance.

As your mileage increases you will start to cut back on your strength training. Less weight, fewer repetitions will allow you to conserve energy and also reduce the risk of an overuse injury.
 
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Thanks again.

I am already doing weight training on the days that I don't run.

I used to do that 6 small meals a day program, but I got over that pretty quickly. I used to eat like 6 hardboiled egg whites too when I was lifting a lot.

I'll check my intake, but from what I know now, I need to build a good base, then train religously for the final 16 weeks before a marathon.
 
You're welcome!

LMK if you have any more questions:nerd

Um, how do you feel about running rain or shine?:confused
 
zx6roxy said:
What is your current diet like?

Running a marathon shouldn't give you a reason to just gorge and eat whatever you want. You should still attempt to make healthier choices.

I've noticed a huge improvement in my runs after I "cleaned up" my diet. Avoid drinks that will dehydrate you. Stick to foods low in fat.....and try to space out 5-6 meals throughout the day.

A LOT of stretching is a must. Plan on spending about 15-20 minutes of stretching after your runs. What type of stretches are you doing?
Click to expand...

hmm.. ok, I need to learn more stretches. All the stretches I do now, I learned from HS when I was wrestling.

I stretch the hammies, quads and calfs.

I maybe spend 2 minutes on the whole lower body. I now know I need to bump that up quite a bit.

As for diet, I need to work on that more. I used to be really disiplined (and I could feel the difference) for for a single man living alone with zero cooking skillz, it was just easy to buy takeout. lol

I do drink lots of water and eat healthy during lunch.
 
zx6roxy said:
You're welcome!

LMK if you have any more questions:nerd

Um, how do you feel about running rain or shine?:confused
Click to expand...

I actually like running in the rain -- not full blown hail -- but running in the rain has such a majestic feel to it. The air is a lot cleaner too!
 
Hey Stan,

Here's a 16 week training program I pulled out of Runner's World magazine. The title of the article was something like "16 weeks - from Slacker to Finisher".

http://www.unofficial-afm.com/marathon.pdf

Since I also plan on doing the Wildflower Half Ironman triathlon - which is a few weeks after the Napa Marathon - I'm not following it to the letter. But I am following the same basic format:

Weekday 1 - Intervals
Weekday 2 - Fartleks or Tempo Run
Weekend - Longer run

Good luck!
 
I was looking for that program. I have that issue at home.

Thanks Mike!:thumbup
 
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CityBikeMike said:
Hey Stan,

Here's a 16 week training program I pulled out of Runner's World magazine. The title of the article was something like "16 weeks - from Slacker to Finisher".

http://www.unofficial-afm.com/marathon.pdf

Since I also plan on doing the Wildflower Half Ironman triathlon - which is a few weeks after the Napa Marathon - I'm not following it to the letter. But I am following the same basic format:

Weekday 1 - Intervals
Weekday 2 - Fartleks or Tempo Run
Weekend - Longer run

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Hey, thanks!

I downloaded the .pdf file (at a whooping 3MB/SEC!)
 
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