Marathon, Am I over estimatig my abilities??

I would love to do a marathon next year but am I over estimating my abilities? I started running about 3 months ago in the gym and decided to do some fun runs and mini marathons I have run a 6 k and a 10k and will run another 10k before this month is out. I really enjoy it but I really want to push myself further. At the moment I train monday to friday twice a day, on my lunch I do my weight training and maybe 15-20 mins cardio work. After work, in the evenings I run at least 5k mostly on the treadmill. I also do at least one 'long' run each week, maybe around 10-12k (outdoors).

When I first started running I thought I'd never achieve this and now I can run it quiet comfortably, so it has got me interested in doing a marathon next June? If I start training seriously in Jan that will give me about 6 months? I have been doing some reading and some say 6 months is loads of time but others disagree and feel you should have a more gradual build up? Whats your take on it, should I go for it or will I aim for a half marathon first?? Thanks guys 

In my opinion, at your fitness level, if you start seriously training in January, a June marathon is definitely feasible. I ran my first marathon about sixth months after seriously commtting to do it.

If you haven't already, you should review some of the online marathon training schedules. All of those schedules eventually up the distance of the weekend long runs to around 20 miles (32 km). So you are probably looking at about 4 hours or so out running. If you are able to commit that much time to it on the weekends I say go for it!

I guess I get to make another plug for coolrunning.com here -- they have some plans you can look at here http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_4/143.s html and the forums and articles will give you some great advice from those who have done exactly what you are doing.

I think the biggest concern is avoiding injury as you can really increase your mileage quickly when you get going, but your body might not be as ready as your mind. Take a look over there and ask questions and you will find you get a lot of help.

Good luck.

I've seen many people run marathons w/o even ever running over 10 miles before. One guy(Brian McKenzie?) ran an ultra-marathon with out much training for running. These people were avid Cross-Fitters, though, so they were in good shape.

My friend's friend, ran an ultra with NO training, besides one 5k the weekend before. It's mostly mental.

Thanks guys thats really helpful. I think I might go for it!! I know I can give the time necessary if I really commit. Thanks for the link too dabrock, that is a very good website a great resource to have for the future!!

Just one more question as I do most of my weekday training on a treadmill should  try to run outside more? would this be a better way to up my fitness level or does it really matter as long as I am covering the miles necessary?

It depends on your goal. If it is just to finish it then it's easy. Any fit person, you definitely are based on recent running result, can train for 3 months and finish a marathon.

If you want good time then it depends on where you set your goal.

Original Post by marhar24:

Thanks guys thats really helpful. I think I might go for it!! I know I can give the time necessary if I really commit. Thanks for the link too dabrock, that is a very good website a great resource to have for the future!!

Just one more question as I do most of my weekday training on a treadmill should  try to run outside more? would this be a better way to up my fitness level or does it really matter as long as I am covering the miles necessary?

Definitely run outdoors whenever possible, most people find the difference between treadmill and outdoors to be rather nontrivial.

Original Post by bmx419:

My friend's friend, ran an ultra with NO training, besides one 5k the weekend before. It's mostly mental.

That's something I would really have to see to believe. I'm sure he had a good general fitness level in any event.

I ran my first half marathon last weekend and was planning to do a full in April but I loved the mini so much I'm going to do that again instead!  I also realized how much training time has to go into a marathon and with 6 young kids I started thinking maybe I should wait until they are all in school!  But with 6 months of training it is definitely possible!!

Yes, 6 months is adequate time to train.  The reason marathoners build up their miles is to build their endurance  ...  build their leg strength  ...  build their lung capacity  ...  and to avoid injury.  It is also a good time to learn and experiment with pace, shoes, sports drinks, and fuels.  In spite of posts above, very few people finish a marathon without an extended training period.  Not unless they were very fit and active already  ...  or they mostly walked it.  I doubt those stating "it's mostly mental" have ever attempted a marathon.

I run marathons.  I will do 6 this winter including Boston.  I find being a part of a running club helps build the base miles.  It is a structured program based on running a marathon in 6 months. 

There is much to learn during training.  You need to learn about pacing  ...  and what pacing works for you.  You need to learn about hydration and fueling  ...  and what works best for you.  For instance, I tried a different fuel last Sat on my long run  (24 miles) that I now know is not one that works for me.  You have to learn why we say the first half of a marathon is 18 to 20 miles  ...  and the second half is the balance.  Your body can only carry so much stored fuel  ...  and at some point you will bonk if you don't fuel it along the way with fuel that it can convert quickly into energy.

Train for a marathon.  Set reasonable time goals.  Have fun.  But understand, a strong mind, strong will, strong determination  ...  will only carry you so far during a marathon if your body hasn't trained and prepared for it.  Then it is painful and ugly.

I ran a marathon roughly 5 months after starting to run regularly. Admittedly I was 23 years old at the time, but my point is that if you want to you can do it.

I just ran my second marathon 3 weeks ago, almost 20 years after the first one. Even though I run regularly, training for the marathon is a specific type of training and I trained for about 16 full weeks.

The important thing is to find a training program that you feel matches your style and your goals. And then stick to it. Most training programs will slowly increase your distance and several are "couch to marathon" programs. But I need to stress the importance of sticking with the training both to avoid injuries and to assure that your body has acquired the strength and endurance it needs to get you through 26 miles.

Good luck!

I vote that you run the half marathon first.  There is absolutely no reason NOT to run 13.1 miles and see if you like it.  After that, you can move on to the 26.2.  If you schedule the half marathon during your marathon training, it can all come together for you.  Just wait to register for the marathon until you decide you like going long.

My 2 cents!

p.s.  You are NOT over estimating your abilities.  You CAN do the marathon.  Just be smart about it :)

I fully agree with Wemckean about the Half Marathon, but would suggest that it become part of your full marathon training.  In other words, if you really want to run a marathon start training for one. You'll find that roughly 6-8 weeks into the training, the distance will increase to that of a half marathon.

So if you plan to run one, knowing that if you want to eventually run a marathon, and give yourself a full 10-12 weeks of training time after the half marathon, you will still have time to train for the full marathon.

I'm with everyone - start with the half! I started running and 2 months later decided to sign up for a halfer. I had 7 mos to train and I did, and I finished in less than 2 hours. I'd run a marathon but my husband wouldn't be too happy;-)

Original Post by cpa_pfs:

Yes, 6 months is adequate time to train.  The reason marathoners build up their miles is to build their endurance  ...  build their leg strength  ...  build their lung capacity  ...  and to avoid injury.  It is also a good time to learn and experiment with pace, shoes, sports drinks, and fuels.  In spite of posts above, very few people finish a marathon without an extended training period.  Not unless they were very fit and active already  ...  or they mostly walked it.  I doubt those stating "it's mostly mental" have ever attempted a marathon.

These guys.

Hm, I agree with those stating that a half would be a good starting point.  There is a very large difference between running for 60 mins or less (10k) and running for 3+ hours.  That is what you will be doing in marathon training. 

I am about to run my 3rd marathon next month, and my 4th this spring (so long as I qualify!!).  By doing the half first you can get used to those long distances, because that is a 21 K, already a big jump from what you are doing.  If you can find one a few months out from now and begin training, feel good, you could even still be on track to run a full in 6 months, as you would just continue on with the base you've built from the half.  good luck, and congrats on your new fitness :)

I only started running back in January and I just completed my first marathon on Oct. 25th!!! The last 6 miles were umm not very pretty haha. But I finished!! I'm not gonna lie - it's tough to commit to training. I definitely slacked more than I should have. 

Also, how old are you? I'm in college and I have class at different times each day, so some days I'm up early and other days I don't wake up till the afternoon. It's really hard to train if you have a whacked out schedule like most college students do. If you have a set schedule everyday, like you wake up at 6am everyday and do your run then, then that's much better!

I don't mean to discourage you, but I want you to know that you will probably get frustrated during your training. It was totally worth it, but at the same time running 26.2 miles is a huge strain on your body and you need to take it seriously. I've learned so much, and I still feel like I made a ton of mistakes before/during and even after the marathon. 

Also, if you decide to do a marathon, I recommend you do at least one long run that is 22-24 miles. The longest run I did while training was 20 miles. It is definitely true that the race doesn't start till mile 20! I was doing fine up till that point, and then at mile 21 I had to walk on and off till the finish. 

And in response to your question about running on a treadmill...you really need to get outside and run. I trained in really awful weather - most days temperatures were in the 90s and humidity was in the 80-90%. It was tough to get outside in run in the miserable heat and humidity, but I think it better prepared me for my race, which was concrete almost the entire way. Plus on a treadmill you get to control your temperature, which is an unfair advantage haha. I would say it's fine to run on a treadmill once a week, even twice a week, but you need to get outside and run. If anything, just make sure you do your long runs outside. You need to learn how to carry your gel (or whatever you use) on you and also decide whether you want to wear a water belt or carry a water bottle, etc. Just a lot of things you need to try outside rather than relying on the convenience of a treadmill. 

Please message me if you have any questions, as it sounds like you are just like me 8 months ago!!! :) good luck!

I'm not sure that I agree with JCL's statement about doing more than 20 miles.  I've ran two marathons without having to walk at all, and never did a training run above 20 miles.  I believe that could have something to do with the length of time you've been a runner, though.  JCL- did you just start running in January or start training then?

Original Post by dplatzer:

I'm not sure that I agree with JCL's statement about doing more than 20 miles.  I've ran two marathons without having to walk at all, and never did a training run above 20 miles.  I believe that could have something to do with the length of time you've been a runner, though.  JCL- did you just start running in January or start training then?

I started running in January and training I think in June (it was an 18 week schedule). Yeah, I bet if I had been a runner before I may have done fine with just a 20 mile run as my longest run during training. I think being sick also had something to do with it, too. 

The reason why we don't go over twenty miles is because...   On race day, you run 26.2 miles start to finish.  More than likely, you had 2-3 very short runs to keep you fresh during the week.

In training, you probably would have had 3-4 different training runs during the week.  That extra training has to count for something.

Thank you all so much for all the realy great advice I have looked for a half marathon to complete first a I swould like to complete one, perhaps in march? but unfortunately I am still trying to find one close enough to where I live, the closest one is not until may next year but I will keep looking!! I think it is a good idea to do that first.

To answer JCLs question I am 22 and I have a full time job which makes my hours regular but very long! I leave home each day at 8am and if I go to the gym after work I may not get in until 7.30pm. It may be a little difficult for me to run outdoors also at this time of the year I live in Ireland so I'm afraid humidity is not the problem RAIN and dark evenings and mornings are!! so the treadmill may have to be an option at the start of my training until the evenings get longer but I will use the weekends as much as possible for long runs, I realise running outside is a better option.