Has anyone here ever run a marathon?

[The Big Ragu]

I am toying with the idea after reading about the NYC marathon and Lance Armstrong... Guess this is my middle-age crisis. I am 38.

I have never been much of a runner. I started trying to run more seriously about 2 years ago, pushed too hard too fast and went from shin splints to a stress fracture, which set me way back. I couldn't walk without pain for months, let alone think about running. My legs will never be the same because of it, but I eased myself back into it.

For the last year, I have run 5 or 6 times a week. I mostly stick to a treadmill, because it is easier on my lower legs, but I run outdoors too now. On the treadmill, I set it on an incline to better approximate outdoor running. I do 4 or 5 miles a morning, but sometimes on the weekends when I have the time and I am feeling strong, I stretch it out. Longest I have gone is somewhere between 10 and 13 miles, and I actually felt pretty strong. I can maintain 7:30 to 8 minute miles at that distance. If I can get myself mentally focused, I think I can get it down to 7 minute miles, but it is unchartered territory. Reading about Armstrong struggling through the end was worrying. It is also why I want to try it now.

Has anyone here run a marathon? What advice would you have for a guy who basically only has an hour and a half a day to exercise? I can run fast enough that I am thinking that 3 to 3 1/2 hours may be a reasonable goal, but I have no idea what it feels like around the 18th or 19th mile. Am I insane to set that kind of goal? Is there a specific way I should train for it?

 

[Ledbetter]

I've run three -- Kiawah, Marine Corps and Jacksonville.

I was expecting Lance to run a much faster time, but apparently he never did a training run longer than 16 and his schedule didn't allow him the proper time to train. He said afterward that it was the toughest thing he'd ever done.

Anyway, it sounds like you have a good base established and I don't think it would be difficult for you to gradually up the mileage until you're ready to do a marathon.

As fast as you're running now, you could certainly do a marathon in less than 3 1/2 hours. I think we run at about the same speed and I've done all three of mine between 3 and 3 1/2.

The race is hard -- the last six miles can be hell -- but the feeling when you cross the finish line is unbelievable.

PM me with any questions.

 

[micropolitan guy]

Yes. Four, with a best of 3:20 (could never translate 36m 10K speed to megadistances).

A 3-hour marathon requires you to average 7 mins. a mile. That's very difficult over 26 miles, especially for a relatively new runner.

Find a training program by Jeff Galloway and stick to it as close as you can. That will certainly get you through your first marathon, in which the objective should be to finish comfortably, not crash and burn at 18 miles and never want to do one again..

Then tweak with subsequent races. I'm no expert, but that worked for me.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

I've walked one. I was hoping to run more than I did, but my knees had other plans. Galloway's programs are definitely the best for first-timers, though if you could find a training group of some sort, that would be great, too, especially on the long runs.
Practice taking in fluids during the race, too. Find out what electrolyte drink the race is using and get used to drinking it during your long runs. You don't want any surprises like finding out your stomach doesn't agree with it.

 

[Killick]

Once ate three Marathon bars while working the desk one night (and four sodas!). I know, I know. You may all now bow to my athletic glory.

 

[User 1019]

Did a 26 mile road march in a shade over 6 hours. With a 40-pound ruck sack and an 8-pound rifle.

But that was many, many years ... and pounds ... ago.

Wouldn't do it again unless I had to.

Edit: I somehow forgot to wish you good luck, Ragu. It takes serious dedication to do such a thing.

 

[Idaho]

Good luck, Ragu. I've sworn off running more than a 5k. It's just not good for me.

But more power to anyone that can do a marathon.

 

[ondeadline]

I've run 22 and I can tell you that part of the reason that Lance had so much pain is that his longest training run was only 16 miles. That goes against any kind of marathon training guide you ever read. You need to run at least two or three 20-milers (while running most of the week) to prepare your body for the last six miles. Even then, it can be a test of wills. But if you've trained properly it's not as bad.

It sounds like Lance gutted out shin-splints and to do that and run a sub-3-hour marathon is extremely impressive. He'd certainly kick my ass, but then again I still haven't won my first Tour de France. And he didn't pick the easiest marathon for his first one, either.

I hope Lance running the NYCM will motivate many people the way it has motivated you! Good luck.

 

[Freelance Hack]

A guy I work with ran the Chicago marathon a couple weeks ago in less than 2:40.

Nine days later, he runs 30 miles on a treadmill for our organization in a campaign-awareness event.

And he still came to work the next day.

 

[ondeadline]

I once ran a local marathon on a Sunday, then worked the desk that night. Never again!

 

[trifectarich]

I've completed four marathons and I would give my unconditional support to anyone seriously thinking about it.

You will learn more about yourself than you ever imagined. There are a million reasons why you didn't have time to train today, but I can tell you that if you want it enough, you'll make time. During the training for my first marathon, my wife and I commuted together and we left the house every morning at 6:15. That meant that if my schedule called for 10 miles, I was up at 4 to start my run. Running under a full moon with a light dusting of snow falling is incredibly beautiful. I also was able to run in some fabulous places: over the Golden Gate Bridge, down the Las Vegas Strip, around all the incredible sites in D.C., along the Mississippi River in New Orleans, through Central Park (but not alone and not at dark), past Fenway Park and Commonwealth Avenue, around the golf course at Pebble Beach and countless others.

You can ask all the runners in the world what it's like to do it, but you have to experience it yourself to find the answer. At Mile 18 or 19 of my first, my thighs felt as though there were 20-pound bag of cement wrapped around them. But there was no way in hell I was going back to the office and tell my co-workers I failed; that was not an option. But the marathon is as much a mental exercise as it is a physical one, maybe moreso, and I know you can will yourself to make it to the next street light, the next corner, the next water stop, the next mile marker.

I trained 15 months for my first marathon. When I rounded the last corner and saw the finish line half a mile away, I felt like the greatest person in the world. All the long runs in the heat, the snow, the torrential rains, at 4 a.m. and at midnight, were worth it. Of all my wordly possessions, the one that means the most to me is the medal I got for completing my first; to me, it is absolutely priceless.

Some words of advice on training:
-- Don't overdo it. Take it easy and make sure you build in a sufficient number of rest days.
-- Train with others if you can. Conversation will make the miles go by faster, and if you can train with someone better than you, chances are you'll push yourself and improvement will come faster.
-- Do at least one 20-mile training before a couple of weeks before the race, or two if you can.
-- There are going to be days when you don't think you can do it. You'll run in a 5K and your time will be a minute slower than you had wanted. Or you'll tire sooner than you should during a training run. These things happen and sometimes there's no rhyme or reason for it. Tomorrow is another day. You won't feel great every day.

You can do it. I know you can.

 

[micropolitan guy]

Good points here.

I always recommend at least three 20 milers, spaced two weeks apart, the last one two weeks before the marathon. Then start your taper. You'll feel fat and sluggish but the rest and recovery time is essential.

A longer mid-week run of about 10-12 miles. This is essential as well.

I always liked to do one speed workout, either 800s or 1200s on the track, or intervals worked into a 6-mile run (warm up good, then hard for two minutes, easy for two minutes, or run hard for three telephone poles along a section line, or for 3-4 blocks at a time), it also makes the run go faster.

A day of complete rest.

Build up your long run slowly, like 10 miles one week, then 8 the next, then 12, then 10, then 14, then 12, etc. You don't add mileage too fast and your "down" weekend will seem like an easy run.

 

[Pringle]

Four of them.

My main advice will be short, because these guys have covered a lot of the territory.

Make sure that you stay pretty organized re: your training locations. Know how long it is from point A to point B, what route you're going to take on a particular day, where you're going to park, etc., etc.

If you don't stay on top of these things, logistics become a nightmare and can discourage you.

Otherwise, it's a terrific endeavor. My goal is to qualify for Boston someday, though I'm still a ways away from that. The feeling of finishing never gets old - it's like, "Holy Freaking A., I just ran a marathon!"

 

[Kaylee]

I started training for one while I was in college, for no other reason than that I was going to school full time, working two jobs and therefore really needed a hobby.

Problem being, I was 20 and possessed of no clue at all w/r/t pacing myself. I did lots of miles at a good clip, but I didn't give my body proper time to rebuild itself afterwards. Eventually I got hit with shin splints, knee problems, the works. I really regret not being smarter about it.

If you do it, I fall in line with everyone else in recommending that you go in brain first, balls later. Get professional advice and follow it. Above all, be patient.

 

[User 1019]

My shins won't allow me to run long distances any more. The longest distance I've covered is 12 miles and, at the time, I could run all day. If I would've ever been able to run a marathon it would've been then.

 

[Claws for Concern]

Once ate three Marathon bars while working the desk one night (and four sodas!). I know, I know. You may all now bow to my athletic glory.

Very impressive. Marathon bars are awesome.

 

[zimbabwe]

Not to thread-jack (I'll toss in my three cents as a one-time, 3:55 marathoner: I've never read any training program that suggested running anything more than two 20-milers during training. Three? I can't dispute the advice of the more experienced marathoners on here, but three?)...anyhow, to the jack. What do shin splints feel like? Is that where the entire outside of your lower leg becomes extremely tight, almost cramp-like, and you can't move your toe down or up?

If so....****. I was hoping it was just my shoes. I haven't been able to run more than a mile without excruciating tightness and pain. Not in my shin, but along the outside of my lower leg.

Doesn't happen when I do the elliptical or play hoops...

 

[The Big Ragu]

You could be describing shin splints. I haven't had them in more than a year, but I felt them on the outside of my tibia. It was more pain than tightness. The outer part of the bone, right by the muscle, would hurt like hell. I could actually run through them, and the longer I ran, the better the leg would feel. But then it hurt so bad afterward that I couldn't walk. If you think you have them, I suggest shutting it down, icing them and resting till you can run without pain. Take it from me. I ran until my legs became so weak that I gave myself a stress fracture. It was pretty painful. I could barely walk for about two months and was icing my legs all the time. I still have a dull pain that occasionally throbs in the bone for no reason. The other thing it did was make me into a stretching fiend. I slather mineral ice (old man salve, not quite as pungent smelling as Ben Gay, thank god!) on my legs to warm them up and then stretch for about 20 minutes before I run, and another 15 minutes afterward. Never understood stretching when I was younger, but now it is a must. It has had the side effect of making me way more flexible. I was the most inflexible human on earth and now I can actually hold my straight leg out and grab my toes. I would have thought that was an impossibility for me a few years ago.

 

[HeinekenMan]

Great goal, Ragu. I had the same idea this weekend. I went to Wikipedia and found some fairly helpful information. For me, though, it's going to be a long-term goal that is more about the journey than the final outcome.

I started a health kick about a month ago. I was super-fat. I didn't weigh myself in the few months prior to the diet, but I know that I weighed 342 as recently as April and may have gained a few pounds since then. There were basic things that I couldn't do well, if at all.

I will be dipping below the 300 mark quite soon, largely due to a diet that cuts out almost all fat and limits my caloric intake while also cutting out most of the bad carbs. It's been a breeze, but it's a lot of work to pack healthy snacks and light meals for the road and so forth.

In terms of running, I can work into a slow and steady jog, mostly because I once ran three six-milers every week in my prime. But that was 10 years ago, when I was 23 and a chiseled 190. I believe I did my six miles in about 42 minutes at my peak, but that peak was short-lived and followed by lots of pizza and cheeseburgers.

I'm waiting for the weight to come down just a little more before I begin training. Then it's going to be a slow progression. I'll probably start with two miles and shoot for 10 by the summer, and that's really were the true training will begin. In any case, if I think I can do it, surely you can.

You'd be a fool if you didn't give it a shot. I consider it a great personal accomplishment. It seems that you have a very real opportunity to finish a marathon, and you might be able to accomplish it with a decent time. Does anyone know whether one of Iverson's compression cuff deals could limit the lower leg damage? Perhaps it's something worth researching. I know I battled shin splints back in my days of playing basketball almost daily. It's an agonizing pain, and I have a feeling that might be one challenge I'll have to overcome when I'm trucking my fat ass along.

 

[prhack]

Yes. Four, with a best of 3:20 (could never translate 36m 10K speed to megadistances).

A 3-hour marathon requires you to average 7 mins. a mile. That's very difficult over 26 miles, especially for a relatively new runner.

Find a training program by Jeff Galloway and stick to it as close as you can. That will certainly get you through your first marathon, in which the objective should be to finish comfortably, not crash and burn at 18 miles and never want to do one again..

Then tweak with subsequent races. I'm no expert, but that worked for me.

Micropolitan is spot on with his Galloway plug. I bought one of his books when I first got into running and it's been tremendously helpful over the years.