Training for my first marathon - any suggestions?
489276
Consistency. Write out and set yourself some training goals and stick to them. Start slow and build to a level that means you can complete a marathon. The best athletes are the most disciplined athletes.
370040
Depends on how much running you have already done in preparation.  If you are in reasonably good shape then you should be able to do some 10 or 12 mile runs. The problem with marathoners is they over train and run way too many marathons. That is not healthy. The body needs time to recover from the extreme strain put on the body in one marathon. I would vary the training. I would run 12 miles one day, then the next dsy fartlek five miles. Then take a day off.  The 12  miles is both warm up and good pace. The fartlek is a variety of paces over five miles. For example: Run a warm up then increase pace pretty good one mile, then jog very slowly with arms dangling, catching your breath, then hit it again for half a mile hard, then slowly jog dangling your arms, catching your breath. Then hit it again. Vary the distances and slowly toward the end run some sprints during the hit it phase. Get plenty of sleep and eat a well balanced diet. Drink plenty of water. Eat fruit and veggies for the electrolytes. Now if you are in poor shape then you are going to have to take baby steps. You have to run a 1/4 mile before you can run a 1/2 mile and you have to run a 1/2 mile before you can run a mile. You get the picture. IF you are not ready for the marathon, then pass it until you are ready. No one holding a gun to your head to run it. Be sensible.
682850
Run 600s or 800s to help build your endurance so you'll be able to go hard for te majority of the meet. Work on having a good stride for the back stretch after you come out digging hard...be motivated and happy
1132238
What are the distances? I used to run 2/10/2 (miles), so with the race only an hour the training would be much different than a longer one. The bike was never a problem, so i would just practice 10 mile rides and then sprint up hills for strength. For the run, I did interval training, where's I'd do sprint/jog/run/jog/sprint etc. You should practice bricks - run pretty hard for about 1/2 mile, then immediately bike hard for about 5 mins, run hard, etc. The distances aren't too important - you just want to make sure you are fatigued when you switch back and forth between run/bike. The biggest challenge for the duathlete is the beginning of that second run.\n\nJohn\n\nOK - I saw your distances. They are not much more than what I did so you can use the same. Which one are you weaker in? For me it was the bike, so I practices a lot on sprinting up hills so I wouldn't get so winded during the race. Oherwise the distance was easy. I'd still say to practice bricks. If you can easily run 3 miles and bike 16 then the 1st and 2nd legs won't bother you, but you will definitely feel that second run. Practice the bike/run transition, tagrtting no more than 1 minute reset (assume that would be your transition time). good luck - email me if you want to discuss.\n\nJohn
662403
Enter and train for a marathon. You can walk the thing, doesn't matter(just find a marathon that has a walker division), you will gain immense self respect and strength during the training and at the finish line. Go, do it.
549161
the most important thing is to keep running on a regular basis. try to build up your endurance first, then speed. try to run at least 5 days/week. increase your total weekly distance/time by 5-10% per week, with a week of staying the same about once a month to help keep your body from overtraining. work on your endurance by doing a long run once a week; if your race distance is 2.1 miles, your long run should be at least 5 miles with 10 miles running nonstop being ideal. you can also do a variety of flexibility and speed drills such as fast feet (take very short steps as fast as possible over a certain distance, maybe 50 yds), high knees (exaggerate the height of your knee as you walk/jog; basically try to bring your knees up to your chest, same distance as fast feet), and striders (try to take the longest strides you can over the same distance as before; try to imagine yourself leaping like an antelope). intervals/fartleks - run at a comfortable pace, then go faster for a time, maybe a minute, then back to comfy pace; cycle fast/slow for 20-30 min. repeats - choose a distance, maybe 200 yds to 1/2 mile, and run it at full speed; walk/jog until you're ready to do it again; ~5 should be a good workout with a long warmup and cooldown (at least 15 min jog each for warmup and cooldown). stretch after running or at least after a warmup of no less than 5 minutes or you'll risk a greater chance of injury. don't do speed work more than twice a week unless you're in racing shape. for that matter, don't do much speed work when you're increasing your base/weekly mileage. There's a link to a comprehensive running website below that includes forums. Feel free to ask away and you'll get lots of advice; just be careful to weed out the bad advice you'll sometimes get.
193590
As far as a measure of benefit per mile of long run in your marathon training, I've never seen such a thing.  Probably because there are so many other factors involved.  If you're a first-time marathoner, a lot of the sources I've read indicate that your should do at least 2 long runs (6 weeks and 3 weeks before your marathon day) which take you 3-3.5 hours or 20-24 miles.  If you can do that, most agree that you should be able to go the full distance on race day.\n\nAs far as "best" pace is concerned, you need to run a pace which you can be comfortable with for the entire race.  Usually, that's a pace at which you can comfortably talk with someone else while you're running.  Remember that you want to keep a steady pace for the entire race, and not burn out too early.
1081319
I would suggest that you mix some track workouts into your training routine.  Start with 10x100 repeats on 30 seconds rest and work your way up to 200's, then 400's, then 800's.  This type of extended sprint work will result in much faster times as your body learns how to process the lactic acid buildup, increasing your VO2Max, or the body's ability to carry oxygen to the muscles.  Be sure to maintain your weekly long runs to continue to build your aerobic base.\n\nGood Luck!
955114
I would recommend interval running.  Start out at a pace you can comfortably maintain for, say, five minutes and then run as hard as you can for one minute, then carry on at your comfortable pace for 5, then beast it again for 1 minute etc etc...aim to do this every other run.  Your 'other' run should concentrate on endurance so run a set distance at a steady pace and watch your times reduce....hope this makes sense...it's hard to explain in type
487107
Go here:\n\nhttp://www.marathontraining.com/marathon/m_sch_2.html\n\nIt lays out a couple of training schedules.  \n\nYou may also want to look at www.coolrunning.com.  There are training tips and nutrition ideas there.  Check your local running store.  They may have information about running clubs and training groups that will help you.  Something that is nice about that is that someone else comes up with the routes for you, which is just one less thing to think about when you are training.  One other thing, make sure you block out enough time for the long runs.  When you get up to 16-20 mile training runs, it takes a long time to run that distance!  \n\nIf you are running 8:00 miles, you are in pretty good shape for a marathon in October.  I am running one next weekend and am able to run 7:40 for short distances (up to about 10 miles) and am shooting for 8:40-8:50 on race day.\n\nYes, cut back on the beer, and do eat better!  :-)  Although I like to have a glass of wine the evening after a long run...\n\nWhen you are a few days out from a long run, taper off your protein/fat intake, and increase your carb intake.  After a long run, a protein/carb shake will help with muscle recovery.
1025781
I'm training, too - and I also find it's tough to find a trail marathon - not as many out there.\n\nThis will only answer half your question - but to find a good trail marathon where you live (or maybe you're willing to travel to one?) You can go to MARATHONGUIDE.COM and you can sort by date, location, etc under the race schedule section.\n\nFor a great experience running a trail marathon, as with any marathon, you'll really want to have the marathon picked out first before you train so you know what kind of terrain you'll be racing on... "trail" means a lot of different things in different areas of the country. I would also recommend searching the internet for running clubs near your city or in your county and ask them who the "die hard" trail runners are in your area -- they will be the best source of accurate info for you! Universally, running clubs are full of friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful people full of info about running where you live.\n\nAlso, check out the links to trailrunner.com for further help & info - they're great!\n\nGood luck & I hope any of my drivel has helped!
891720
i presume you're still running the two-mile in two months and not a marathon (the two mile is a sweet race, btw.  that was my event during winter track my senior year.)\n\nto improve endurance do a long run every other week.  start with your longest run in the last 4 weeks and add a mile with each run.  take these slow - the point is to cover the distance and still feel good.  running long too hard will likely result in injury and/or extreme fatigue.\n\non weeks when you don't go long do an interval workout - try 10 X 400 @ 1:50-1:55 or 6 X 800 m @ 3:40-3:45 (i.e. slightly faster than your current race pace).  this workout should be preceded by at least 2 miles of easy jogging and some light stretching.  cool down with a jog afterward.\n\neach week - midweek - do a tempo run - warm up for a mile then accelerate to about a 9:00 per mile pace for 2-4 miles then cool down with another slow mile.\n\nthe other days take it easy and run for 30-60 minutes.  don't worry about distance or pace, just move easily.\n\nthis won't result in dramatic improvement, but you should see some improvement and stay injury free.
998375
you want to run many miles but not burn yourself out. Do a pyrimid type training. start at x number of miles a week (seven Days) and increase that number by ten percent. at the end of two months you should reach a high milage then bring it back down to a reasonable number and remian consited. \nMy training starts at 50 then i increase to 55, 60, 66, 71, 78, , 85, 94. then i bring it down. 85, 78. and stay consited from 75 to 80 the rest of my cross country season. i run 15:20 5k if thats good enough and 4:20 mile 1:54 800. 32:08 10k (10k not my best)\nRemeber adjust to your range do what you feel you need to do. AND STICK TO IT. GOOD LUCK
568397
Be sure to eat plenty of good carbs the entire week prior to the race.  Also the last 3 days prior to the race eat plenty of bananas and mayonnaise, if you can stand it, this will help to increase your potassium which will decrease your amount of cramps.  The night before the race hydrate with plenty of water.  DO NOT DRINK SPORTS DRINKS!  This will increase the amount of sugar in your body which can then lead to you feeling parched later.  I would stick with water.  The day of the race don't drink a lot before the race, just drink during the race.  If this is your first marathon you will be really nervous anyway, and do not need to pump your kidneys up anymore.  Good Luck with this.  I hope you succeed to your expectations and beyond.
262256
Train during the summer.  I didn't and I was never prepared for the early season races.  5 days a week of 5-7 miles a day should be fine.  Try to get some hills and/or sand running in.
156859
These are my favorite running websites. If you can find a local running club in your community they can probably help you find a training group. \n\nhttp://www.runnersworld.com\n\nhttp://www.marathonguide.com
1099105
Yes, do the half (21 kilometers) if you haven't trained beforehand .. If you can run 5 kilometers in like 25 minutes, the half marathon is still achievable even without longer runs in your training. Just start out VERY slow. You may then waste a week or two with your recovery - but from there to the marathon is not such a big step. \n\nDon't do the marathon unless you really put a lot of constant effort during the last months. A 20-mile run few weeks before the marathon is also very important. You want your first marathon to be a memorable experience. There is plenty of time, don't rush it!\n\n\nPS: As for training for this race, thre is not much you can do now .. My advice is to NOT venture into running these very last days, resting is much more important. One or two easy jogs are quite enough. Good luck for the week-end!