Started Marathon training

[Buckfever]

Yesterday was the first day, I went out and tried to get 5. Haven't run since the marathon last year. At the 2.7mile turn around point I had to stop and walk. I had to walk/run it in the rest of the way. I'm light and fast but have zero endurance. It was in the 90s and I ran too fast so that explains it some, but it was a rude awakening. Ran 3 this morning with my wife and son, no problem.

[Twanger]

Congrats!

I'd love to do another marathon. I did the Marine Corps Marathon in 4:33 back in the early 90's.
Can't run now because my feet self-destruct. Planar faciatious (sp?). It would help if I was lighter, but I ran the MCM at 218 lb.

Which marathon will you run?

[Buckfever]

I run Chicago. It's a good course.

4:33 is a good time for 218lbs.

The last couple I've come in at 193 and run it in the 3:50s.

The problem this year is that I'm already less than that. I'll do this but then after hunting season I'll hit the gym and put some mass back on. I feel skinny and I don't like it.

[1YLAB]

I enjoy running, did 7 before church yesterday morning. How do you train to run a marathon?

[Buckfever]

To run the marathon successfully you need to train 3 components.
1. Fat burning capacity
2. Endurance
3. Anaerobic threshold

1. To increase fat burning capacity you run a long run once a week, at a pace a minute slower than you'll run the marathon and you'll increase the distance by 1-1.75 miles per week to increase the muscle capacity to utilize fat as an energy source.
2. Endurance is pretty much tied to volume of work, so you gently increase your weekly mileage. I find that if I get it up to 45-50 miles for about 4 weeks, I'm there.
3. Anaerobic threshold, is the ability to hold a decent pace for some length of time, which requires calling on different muscle fibers. In the Marathon typically folks will hit the wall around mile 21. If they have not trained for speed, they can't tap into those fibers and are pretty much done. I train for 5-6 miles of anaerobic threshold. Lot's of different way to train for that, but basically ever other day, I'll bring it home a little faster picking up the pace.

So if you train right, you'll hold back until about mile 20-21 and then you'll start pushing a little and be able to hold the pace all the way through.

[1YLAB]

how many days a week do you run?

[Buckfever]

5 if I crosstrain. 6 if I'm just running.

[Twanger]

I couldn't run the 6 days a week that were recommended in the "Your First Marathon" training books.
Everybody is different. Even a short 1-2 mile easy run on an "in-between day" would not let me recover for the next longer run.

I found marathon training success running 3 times a week. Two short and one long run. Stretching was the only exercise on the off days. Toward the last 12 weeks before the marathon, each week I ran two 8 miles runs (one easy and one 'hard') and one very easy long run between 12 and 18 miles depending on where I was. One very important caution is to NOT run a marathon 'just to see if you can' within 4 weeks of the actual event. This will demolish your chances of success. Running beyond 18 miles is VERY hard on your body, and you probably won't know that until too late - after you've done the damage. It just takes too much out of you. If you can run 18 miles on your own and feel good about it, you can make 26.2 on race day if you're smart about running it.

Of course this is really advice aimed at the first-time marathoner, not someone who has already done it, and knows how their own body responds.

[Buckfever]

Twanger brings up an interesting point. The fastest marathon I ran a few years ago was 3:43 on a 4 day training schedule. 1 long run, a sort of long of around half the long run distance, 1 day of speed work(Hills or Intervals) and a three miler.

In recent years I only train 10 weeks for the marathon with a 10 day taper, so I need to do more to come in ready. Like Twanger I'm kinda heavy for a runner, we don't take the pounding too well, so it takes us more to structurally recover.

[ncboman]

I can do a 12 minute mile if I don't stop for a smoke along the way.

[eshoremd]

ncboman said:

I can do a 12 minute mile if I don't stop for a smoke along the way.

and im right behind alan

[indianadan]

ncboman said:

I can do a 12 minute mile if I don't stop for a smoke along the way.

Reminds me of doing the Navy's physical readiness test with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth. I used to be a real smartass.

When I graduated high school I could run a 4:58 mile which isn't fast by any means, but competitive in small high school track meets. The other day I ran two miles in 17:21. 17 additional years and an additional 80 lbs tends to slow a fella down some. ;D

As far as running a marathon, that is far and beyond my goal of just getting in some resemblance of a shape besides round!

[Twanger]

Well, I can tell you that I'll never see that kinda shape again, and would now be hard pressed to run a mile. I did love being able to motor along for hour after hour at about 11 minute miles. Gives a body confidence.

If I could solve the foot problem I'd gladly get back into it. My poediatrist essentially says to run until I have a bad problem, and then he will surgically correct it. I'm not really digging that idea. I can hike with a heavy pack, and at 47 years old and 80 lb over weight, maybe that's the best I should hope for.

[eshoremd]

4:58 mile - thats smoking in my eyes! anything under 6 is impressive to me.

[Twanger]

Todd - I'd agree. My fastest miles were under just six, but not under 5. One time as a teenager I ran 3 six minute miles back-to-back. I'm really built for endurance, not speed.