Marathon training

[CYNWIA]

So I thought it might be good to change the subject from all the basketball talk for a bit, and I was wondering if anyone could give me some marathon training tips. Also, if you have ran one before, which one and how did it go? Any horror stories?

I signed up to run in the Grandma's marathon in Duluth June 19th. This will be my first marathon, and i really don't know how to go about training for it. I ran cross country in high school, but really havent run that much since then. I just think it would be very cool to be able to say that you completed a 26.2 mile run, and that was my motivation for signing up.

Any advice or stories would be helpful... thanks!

 

[CySmitty]

My wife is currently training for a marathon in May. I think the program she is using is called FIRST. It consists mostly of one tempo run, one interval run, and one long run a week. In addition some cross training in between.

 

[becrisgreg]

A lot of information out there on specific programs. Find one that suits you and follow it the best you can. Don't get too worked up if you need to adjust days or miss a run or 2 during the week. While the programs will vary, they all have 1 thing common. The Long Run. Don't miss your Long Runs.

Only other 'tip' I'll give is take an ICE BATH after all of your long runs. Greatly helps with recovery. Fill your bath tub with enough cold water to cover your legs. Get in and then add a bucket of ice. Don't worry you'll get used to it. You don't need to stay in there a long time, but it you do need to spend some time.

 

[FredMorris]

Go to HalHigdon.com and check out the 18-week beginner training program. Ran my first marathon at Grandma's and had a great time. Fred Morris owns the course and the race and especially the post-race party. Stick with the program and build up gradually and you'll have no trouble finishing. Just don't look at the higher mileage weeks at the beginning of the program.

 

[ThatllDoCy]

Get Endurox or another recovery drink for long runs.

 

[dmclone]

I ran Grandma's back in 2000. Great community that puts on a great race.

That was my one and only marathon. The marathon was hard but the training is what killed me. You really need to have a good friend do the long runs with you. I followed the Hal training guide listed above and it worked good.

I guess I'm happy I did it just to say I did it but it completely burned me out and I didn't run again for 6 months. I had a lot more fun running events like Dam to Dam where it's only 12.4 miles and you don't have to train that hard. The good thing is that if you have a weight problem you can eat whatever you want. I got down to about 200lbs while training. Once the marathon was over and I stopped running and kept eating the same amount I gained about 20lbs in the next 6 months. WHat's nice about the Grandma's date is that you can use Dam to Dam and Drake 1/2 marathon for your training. I'd recommend staying over night in duluth. You won't feel like driving home.

As far as the long training runs(12,14,16,18,and 20 miles). I drank a lot of water, ate a lot of Goo, and put band aids on my nipples Once you go a certain distance things start chaffing. Combine the sweat with the blood and people will pull over their car and ask you if you've been stabbed.

 

[ericlambi]

I've run two standalone marathons (Chicago 2008 and Burlington, VT in 2009) and one marathon as part of an Ironman triathlon. I qualified for Boston in my last marathon and am going to do it this April (my house is actually on the Boston marathon course, kind of cool). No horror stories, but I've yet to do one that doesn't have me limping and walking down stairs backwards for at least 3 days.

Are you starting from zero (other than your high school running) or have you been running and just decided to make the jump to marathon? I've read an inordinate amount of books on run training and think the best one to get started is Daniels Running Formula. For Boston I am doing Brad Hudson's program from Run Faster for a 70mi/wk peak mileage. No complaints so far, but I like Daniels program better, just felt like I wanted to try something new/different.

Good Luck!

 

[no2cyclones]

I'm also looking at training for a marathon at some point in the near future, but I'm doing a one day, 150 mile bike ride this summer, so training for that is going to take priority this spring. Any tips on that would be very welcome, as well!

(If this seems like I'm hijacking the thread a bit, feel free to PM me. Thanks!)

 

[CYNWIA]

THanks for all the helpful pointers! I'm not really starting from 0... I was thinking about doing one of the 16 week training programs... so ive been running 5-8 miles a day for the last two weeks. On saturdays, try to get a little past 8 miles (normally like 8.5) but I am SUPER shot after i go that far, and that is why I think i need a training program.... because if i didnt have one, I would just run as fast as i could until i literally died around mile 14 or 15.

I've heard really good things about grandma's, so thats why i chose it. I'll definitely look into some of the training programs you guys mentioned. Did you guys follow any specific diets when you were training, and how did you space out your eating while you were actually running the race?

 

[ericlambi]

Did you guys follow any specific diets when you were training, and how did you space out your eating while you were actually running the race?

Probably the biggest thing I've learned that is barely mentioned in any training book is how important weight is to running. 1% less weight will make you approximately 1% faster. So now I eat less than most people who aren't doing a training program. During the marathon I eat a gu/powergel every 4 or 5 miles and take gatorade at every station. You should practice with the nutrition during your training to see what works best for you.

 

[ericlambi]

I'm also looking at training for a marathon at some point in the near future, but I'm doing a one day, 150 mile bike ride this summer, so training for that is going to take priority this spring. Any tips on that would be very welcome, as well!

(If this seems like I'm hijacking the thread a bit, feel free to PM me. Thanks!)

This is a lot simpler than marathon training: Ride your bike as many miles as you can stand. Then ride some more. Use Assos chamois cream, its awesome.

 

[dmclone]

Grandma's has good stations every mile that hand out drinks, banana's, etc. Just like every other marathon, the most difficult thing is finding a porta potty since everyone is so hydrated.

The one thing that I always heard and really believe is that it's like 2 different races. The first 20 and the last 6.2 seem like two different races. I really hit a wall at mile 20. The worst I felt was when the actual race ended.

 

[brianhos]

Get Endurox or another recovery drink for long runs.

They sell better stuff at hyvee, and it much cheaper. Chocolate milk.


I have done 4 Marathons and a ton of halves. Most of the time I did the Higdon beginning training and ran with the capital striders in DSM for my long runs. It is nice having a group of people to chat with on those 20 milers.

I never did the ice bathes, I would just go for a long walk on saturday nights after my long runs, usually i talked the wife into a 4M walk to culvers for ice cream.

Other than that, just take it easy on your first one, getting to the finish line under your own power is the goal. Do not over train, take it easy after those long runs, they do a number on your body, especially if you are not in your teens or 20's anymore.

 

[Cyrun]

I've ran 5 marathons, the best advice I can think of is get with a group. If your in Des Moines check out the Capital Striders. You say you're starting from 0 and running 5 -8 a day? My opinion, that is too many miles to start with and you may burn out or get injured. You should build up the miles. The program I usually follow has two days of rest (monday and friday) with 3 and 4 mile runs during the week. The daily miles build weekly. The weekend is the long run at an easy pace.

 

[HOTDON]

I ran Chicago last year and I'm planning on running the Marathon to Marathon in June. Halhigdon.com got me through my first marathon, and will get me to my next one too. There is a TON of useful information there even if you choose a different program. It's an amazing feeling to finish a marathon.

Make sure you have the right gear. Go to a place like Fitness Sports, tell them what you're doing and get fitted for the right shoes. I ran in a pair of Nike Vomero 4's, but get what suits your style. Clothes are important too. 16+ miles of sweat can make just about anything uncomfortable, and you'll probably be doing that close to 10 times during your training. Find something you can live with.

 

[brianhos]

Another tip for long runs... bandaids on your nipples, trust me, OUCH!

 

[no2cyclones]

This is a lot simpler than marathon training: Ride your bike as many miles as you can stand. Then ride some more. Use Assos chamois cream, its awesome.

Haha, I'd never even heard of that stuff until you mentioned it. The farthest I've gone on the bike is about 20 miles at a stretch, and I haven't been able to bike outside lately (for obvious reasons), so the stationary bike is the weapon of choice. I went 7 miles in 25 minutes on the "Random" setting and set it to one of the tougher levels.

Any other biking tips would be apprecitated!

Thanks!

 

[mg4cy]

make sure your shoes are correct for your feet/pronation, etc. as you may not get issues until you reach higher mileages, say 15 miles.

Chamois Butter works fine for anti-chafing.

Definitely, the training and long hours running at the end of training get boring. Running groups and partners would help this.

Des Moines Marathon '02.

 

[jmb]

I'm also looking at training for a marathon at some point in the near future, but I'm doing a one day, 150 mile bike ride this summer, so training for that is going to take priority this spring. Any tips on that would be very welcome, as well!

(If this seems like I'm hijacking the thread a bit, feel free to PM me. Thanks!)

which & when?

 

[jmb]

Haha, I'd never even heard of that stuff until you mentioned it. The farthest I've gone on the bike is about 20 miles at a stretch, and I haven't been able to bike outside lately (for obvious reasons), so the stationary bike is the weapon of choice. I went 7 miles in 25 minutes on the "Random" setting and set it to one of the tougher levels.

Any other biking tips would be apprecitated!

Thanks!

i do ironman distance tri's. this summer a buddy of mine have put together a week that includes over 30k of vertical climbing on our bikes in colorado(including 50 miles at the Leadville 50 mile mountain bike race)...If I were you I would not worry about speed but as another poster said, time in the saddle is huge. That 7 miles in 25 minutes is nearly pointless, you need to sit in and slug out time on the bike. You are engaging an 'ultra-marathon' distance for the bike...you need to emulate that event. Sit on the bike, pedal for long periods of time, toughen up your ***, there is a lot to this.

In regards to Marathon training, again the long run is key. Learn to hydrate/fuel properly. You are going to get lots of input here...but one thing most won't tell you that is a huge piece of training is sleep. Rest, rest, rest.