OT: Marathon Runners

[Jgbishop]

Which of you fools have run or are training for a marathon? I started recently training for my first ones. I signed up for the Houston Chevron and the London which both are early next year so I'm a little early on schedule. I just hit double digits for my long run for the first time yesterday at about a 10 minute mile.

I am running a half at the end of October as well. Planning on running the fulls under 4 hours. I haven't decided on a pace on the half yet. Do you guys have any advice/training tips?

And yes, I have done a lot of googling but it's the classic case of the more you read, the more conflicting the info gets

 

[RivaDawg]

I've done it, but unfortunately it was 28 years ago. Best advice I can give is after the marathon. You will feel invincible and want to keep training at that pace. WRONG! Take a couple of weeks off after to recover. I didn't, and have never gotten back into that shape. Have run some half-marathons since then, but no more full.

 

[Shmuley]

Stretch, mix in cross fit and core work. Pray you don't get plantar issues.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

I started 'training' a few months ago with my hope being I could do a half at some point this year or early next. I haven't been in good shape in a few years and I now have a calf injury that I can't seem to shake off. I've never had any type of leg injury in the past and it's a pretty big bummer. I can only run about 2ish miles before my calf can't take it anymore and then I can't run for at least a day.

 

[RivaDawg]

I started 'training' a few months ago with my hope being I could do a half at some point this year or early next. I haven't been in good shape in a few years and I now have a calf injury that I can't seem to shake off. I've never had any type of leg injury in the past and it's a pretty big bummer. I can only run about 2ish miles before my calf can't take it anymore and then I can't run for at least a day.

Check your shoes. How many miles do you have on them? Do the shoes match your stride; pronation, supination, etc.

 

[Dan Mullen]

Check your shoes. How many miles do you have on them? Do the shoes match your stride; pronation, supination, etc.

Yes shoes are the #1 most important thimg not only for marathons but all situations.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

Never try anything new on race day, trust your training (don't jump out at a pace too fast) and marathons don't start til mile 20.

I'd say your way ahead of schedule don't burn yourself out. I think that the Houston race is flat, a flat course is the most important factor.

My favorite running shoe is the Nike Free 5.0 from Dicks. I like a minimalist shoe, you may need to go to a running store to determine the best shoe/style for you.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

Not many at all. They're Mizzunos made for very high arches. I had my foot placement recorded, gait checked, all that stuff. I went to the smokies a few weeks ago and did a lot of hiking with some being pretty intense. I did not have hiking shoes, nor my running shoes, and I think I just severely strained something from the week we were hiking.

 

[kired]

Only good advice I could give is to not have a real goal time for your first full. Just let the first one be a learning experience. There is no comparison between running a half and your first full. I guess running a half is a good confidence builder - but the full is so much longer and tougher, requires so much more training, and takes a lot longer to recover from.

Do whatever it takes to stay healthy. Don't build miles to quickly, don't run too fast on your training runs, do plenty of massage and rolling, and get plenty of rest / sleep.

I gave up fulls until my kids get older simply because it takes too much time to train and rest properly. It takes a lot of commitment to run one and feel like you did close to your best.

 

[Frexzell]

Besides what greenbean said, google Chi Running (I know, trust me) and try to incorporate some of its basic fundamentals: slight lean forward, don't brake, and reduce your gait. I killed my IT Band after my second marathon, but once I started running this way (knock on wood) I have had no other issues.

 

[BonzoGoesToCollege]

Diet and Nutrition

I've run six and my last one was my worst and I think it can attributed to insufficient carbohydrate storage. For mylast one, I trained using Ultima because that was what the race was going to provide. I figured I'd train with it and get used to it (didn't want to carry my own fluids). However, after the fact, I found out it has minimal if any carbs whereas gatorade has 14 g carbs per 8 oz. I noticed that most of my threshold training runs sucked and I cramped up bad at mile 20. Never cramped up before. Nutrition and diet are important.

Matt Fitzgerald put out a book called New Rules for Marathon Nutrition and it has alot of good information in it.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

Soak your feet in Dales for 24 hours prior to the race**

In all seriousness, I ran one 9 years ago. My only advice is have fun with it and try to train with a group. A lot of running stores put together groups, and sometimes they are even free to join. You may not run with the people on race day, but you'll see them before and after the race and it makes it more fun.

 

[scdog1]

Houston is a great race

I'm running it again in 2017 after running it this year. Very well supported race by the community and mostly flat. There are a few "hills" toward the end of the race through Memorial Park but nothing to worry about training for.

For me it's all about nutrition and hydration during my run. Find what works for you and stick to it. I always carry my own food because my body can't handle all the sugar in the normal crap they hand out. I'll grab a banana along the way if they are available. My normal food is 2 Stinger honey waffles and 2 Kind bars (chocolate and sea salt). I break the Kind bars up into bite size pieces and eat every so often. I try to make sure I eat at least one Stinger waffle the first 13 miles. I also carry a fuel belt because I like small sips of water along the way. Oh, and I am a big believer in salt tablets. I use them for long runs and triathlons. They have saved me from getting a DNF in a half ironman.

For my running, I do a long slow run on Saturday then sprints on Tuesday and a tempo run on Thursday with crossfit mixed in between (Sunday is off day). I find the sprints and tempo really help increase my speed. I get crap all the time from my runner friends that I shouldn't do crossfit when training but I enjoy it and I'm not trying to win the damn race.

Buy a foam roller and do it religiously to prevent injury. I can tell you from experience that if you do not, it greatly increases your chance for knee problems.

My personal opinion, you might want to think about a dialing back your time. Sub 4 hours is around a 9 minute pace and that is hard to do on your first marathon. I always start off the first half of the race about 30 seconds slower than my normal half marathon race pace, then pick it up at the half way point depending on how I'm feeling. It is tough to do when you are getting passed the first 3 or 4 miles, but don't worry, you will see a lot them walking when you are still running at mile 20. Like another poster stated, the race starts at mile 20 so plan your pace accordingly.

Good luck, have fun with it.

 

[dawgdr]

Trained for one last year. Got up to the 20 with no issues. Calf started hurting the next week. Tried resting and tried to run it(obvious limp even at beginning ). Ran 13 and hobbled to 17 where I could be picked up. Had stress fracture most of the length of my tibia. Anyone know someone in north ms area to try to evaluate gate and shoes? Tried ordering shoes based on what some other runners told me about my stance. Like to see what need to do different! Been 6 months no running and would like to try again. Ran 3 miles few times and feel that old twinge start again. Thanks

 

[RivaDawg]

Trained for one last year. Got up to the 20 with no issues. Calf started hurting the next week. Tried resting and tried to run it(obvious limp even at beginning ). Ran 13 and hobbled to 17 where I could be picked up. Had stress fracture most of the length of my tibia. Anyone know someone in north ms area to try to evaluate gate and shoes? Tried ordering shoes based on what some other runners told me about my stance. Like to see what need to do different! Been 6 months no running and would like to try I again. Ran 3 miles few times and feel that old twinge start again. Thanks

Fleet Feet in Memphis will video tape you on a treadmill and make recommendations based on foot strike. Or go to roadrunnersports.com and use their Shoe Dog. I buy all of my running shoes from them. Good prices and liberal return policy.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

I didn't think about a foam roller. I fractured a vertebrae playing football and it still gives me problems so I bought a rumble roller a few years back and it worked good on my back, I just forgot I had one. I imagine that would do great for my calf issue.

 

[RivaDawg]

I'm running it again in 2017 after running it this year. Very well supported race by the community and mostly flat. There are a few "hills" toward the end of the race through Memorial Park but nothing to worry about training for.

For me it's all about nutrition and hydration during my run. Find what works for you and stick to it. I always carry my own food because my body can't handle all the sugar in the normal crap they hand out. I'll grab a banana along the way if they are available. My normal food is 2 Stinger honey waffles and 2 Kind bars (chocolate and sea salt). I break the Kind bars up into bite size pieces and eat every so often. I try to make sure I eat at least one Stinger waffle the first 13 miles. I also carry a fuel belt because I like small sips of water along the way. Oh, and I am a big believer in salt tablets. I use them for long runs and triathlons. They have saved me from getting a DNF in a half ironman.

For my running, I do a long slow run on Saturday then sprints on Tuesday and a tempo run on Thursday with crossfit mixed in between (Sunday is off day). I find the sprints and tempo really help increase my speed. I get crap all the time from my runner friends that I shouldn't do crossfit when training but I enjoy it and I'm not trying to win the damn race.

Buy a foam roller and do it religiously to prevent injury. I can tell you from experience that if you do not, it greatly increases your chance for knee problems.

My personal opinion, you might want to think about a dialing back your time. Sub 4 hours is around a 9 minute pace and that is hard to do on your first marathon. I always start off the first half of the race about 30 seconds slower than my normal half marathon race pace, then pick it up at the half way point depending on how I'm feeling. It is tough to do when you are getting passed the first 3 or 4 miles, but don't worry, you will see a lot them walking when you are still running at mile 20. Like another poster stated, the race starts at mile 20 so plan your pace accordingly.

Good luck, have fun with it.

Please elaborate on foam roller. How do you use it and what does it do?

 

[scdog1]

Try this link

http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/how-to-use-a-foam-roller

 

[stateu1]

I've run 15 over the last several years. My first was 3:57 and I worked that time down to 2:54 over 10 years and many miles-almost got 2,000 one year.
If you're running 10 miles at 10mm, a sub 4 may be a bit lofty. Lots of literature says run your LR at :45 sec slower than race pace, but I always liked to run them nearer to race pace. Also, I learned after running a few that and ice bath after a LR helps a bunch. Get some compression shorts, a sweatshirt and a cup of coffee and sit in there as long as you can stand it. Also, no need to go over 20 miles for your LR.
Most are correct on shoes, but you could try rotating two pair as your miles increase. A few days off for shoes allows the foam time to recover.
As for speed work, I would not worry too much about that for your first. Trying sprints or tempo and running too fast could cause injury. Build your miles slowly at a comfortable pace. I think the added miles will benefit your endurance which is what the obstacle will be for your first. Come back with speed work after you have gotten comfortable with the distance. Cross train if you want or take rest days.
I'll post a link to some race day tips that I always thought were spot on-the best being, "If you do not think you are running to slow in the first 10 miles, then you are running too fast."

 

[stateu1]

A frozen water bottle can work just as well as a roller.

 

[Jgbishop]

Hopefully I'll see you on race day then! I'm signed up to train with Runners High at memorial park on Saturdays. I'm not terribly worried about the four hours being too aggressive. I know its lofty but I think it's doable for me. I've been running Oly tris and adventure races for a couple years so I know pretty well when I'm pushing too hard. That's also why I started training so early. I can do a 10K right at 50 minutes depending on the heat.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

http://www.rumbleroller.com/

 

[CochiseCowbell]

A frozen water bottle can work just as well as a roller.

This. ^^ I'm no runner, but last fall I had plantar issues. That **** sucks! Called my nurse sister & that's what she recommended. Used a frozen water bottle for a week & half to 2 weeks after work every night. It eventually went away without my needing to see a doctor. Again, I wasn't running long distances. Just my two cents.

 

[dawgenstein]

Having run 2 ultra-marathons and 6 marathons...

My single best advice for you is to find and join a running club. Don't do this solo. Find an experienced but friendly (they are not always synonymous) running club that welcomes novice marathoners. It will be HUGE in your overall success.

I started running to lose weight and decided after a 5k to train for the Houston half-marathon. I trained completely on my own and made a lot of mistakes but ran a respectable 2:03 half on my first try. Luckily I had a friend who persuaded me to join his running club before I started training for the full marathon the next year. You may think you can learn all you need reading Runners World and articles online but that's only part of the knowledge. You need to surround yourself with other runners and the weekly comraderie of long runs together every Saturday. Your endurance, your pace, and your success will all be better when you train in a group. Plus it is a ton more fun.

i went on to run 5 Houston marathons in a row, the Eugene Marathon, and two separate 50 km (31.1 mile) trail runs by being in a club.