Holy crap I signed up for a marathon!! If you have advice, I'd love to hear it :)

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5168 Views 28 Replies Latest reply: Apr 10, 2012 7:10 PM by lenzlaw

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VeggieChick81
130 posts since
Jan 28, 2009

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15. Apr 3, 2012 5:25 AM (in response to lenzlaw)
Holy crap I signed up for a marathon!! If you have advice, I'd love to hear it :)

Good idea, think I will book Friday, too.
IF my legs allow, and it seems worth the extra day to browse around, I'll do Monday night too.

Thanks again for all your help!!

"If you don't run you rust" - Tom Petty

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Richard True
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Oct 31, 2011

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16. Apr 5, 2012 7:49 AM (in response to VeggieChick81)
Holy crap I signed up for a marathon!! If you have advice, I'd love to hear it :)

I signed up for my first marathon this year, and it's now just over a week away. April 15th in St Louis.

Following Hal Higdon's Novice I plan, I ran my 20 mile long run just over a week ago, with a pace of about 9:10.

I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out. Now that I know what 20 miles are like, I'm very curious about the last 6.2. Last year, I ran this course for the half marathon, so I know some of the miles, but this weekend, my 8 mile long run is going to be part that's not covered in the half.

Good Luck!

4/15/12 Marathon 4:59:10

9/15/12 5K Run For the Hills 24:21

10/21/12 Rock N Roll Half Marathon 1:55:21

Next race: Williams Route 66 Marathon

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BOSNPM
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Nov 20, 2007

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17. Apr 5, 2012 11:27 AM (in response to Richard True)
Holy crap I signed up for a marathon!! If you have advice, I'd love to hear it :)

Good luck! Another quote I like to think about during my Marathons is
"No matter how good you feel, it will change. No matter how bad you feel, it will change too."

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nobleh
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Apr 5, 2012

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18. Apr 5, 2012 12:02 PM (in response to VeggieChick81)
Holy crap I signed up for a marathon!! If you have advice, I'd love to hear it :)

Have you been doing any training?

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FootFlux
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Aug 13, 2010

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19. Apr 5, 2012 12:50 PM (in response to VeggieChick81)
Holy crap I signed up for a marathon!! If you have advice, I'd love to hear it :)

It sounds like you have already done a number of things to get ready physically. Just be sure to put in the miles of training, do at least one 20 mile long run, and really just enjoy the experience on the day of the Marathon.

Be sure to start out easy, 15-30 seconds higher than your target pace. Then gradually pick up the pace after the first 6 miles. You'll understand why when you reach mile 20.

26.2 PR: 3:27:01

13.1 PR: 1:32:37

5K PR: 19:31

Next Race:Palos Verdes Half Marathon-May 19

FootFlux-a running blog

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jjwaverly_42
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Dec 14, 2007

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20. Apr 5, 2012 12:51 PM (in response to VeggieChick81)
Holy crap I signed up for a marathon!! If you have advice, I'd love to hear it :)

Congrats on your exciting new vision.

I've run Vermont City twice, and liked it both times. The first 14-15 miles is hilly with one monster hill, then it's net downhill from there. So, plan on going easier in that first 15, leave something for the end. One of the things that is a challenge is the temperature. Both times I've run it, it was warm. The second time reached 72º. If you can, try to train in the warmest part of the day, or in a warm room. Take the temperature into account that day. If it is between 60-70 or more, go a bit slower.

Visit the Ben & Jerry's factory while your there.

Good luck!

--Jimmy

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chameleoneyes
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Sep 12, 2010

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21. Apr 5, 2012 11:58 PM (in response to VeggieChick81)
Holy crap I signed up for a marathon!! If you have advice, I'd love to hear it :)

Good for you! Hal Higden's plan is a great one to follow. I started running a year and a half ago.. I've done several 5K, 10Ks, and HMs. I signed up and raced my 1st MARATHON this past January and followed Hal's novice 2 with the 1 20-miler. I was nursing a calf injury, so I wasn't quite as fast as I wanted to be.

Anyway, enjoy it! At the race, I tried to remember all the training was over, that I was prepared for the race, to trust the training. I took some of the gel packs with me and used them at mile 9,16,20, and 23. This really helped keep me from hitting the wall. I also tried to go a bit slower in the first half of the race and stayed with some pacers. The last 6.2 miles can be easily done!! These were nothing but a countdown to the finish for me. Every mile was one mile closer to the goal of running 26.2 miles at one time. Something I never imagined myself doing. (When I started, I couldn't run a half mile).

BTW, sounds like we have similar stories... I've had two boys (I'm 30 now), and started running to lose the baby fat/get in shaper.

Follow Hal's tapering at the end and resist the urge to do more running. This is important as it will refuel and prepare your body for the race! You'll feel like you have a lot of energy towards the lead up to the race (I did), so save it for race day! Happy running.

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NHLA
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Feb 23, 2012

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22. Apr 6, 2012 6:04 AM (in response to VeggieChick81)
Holy crap I signed up for a marathon!! If you have advice, I'd love to hear it :)

9:30 sounds like a good MP for you. Coaches will say don't run over 20 miles because of injury risk but as a novice marathoner you might want to run the whole 26.2 for your mental confidence. How many miles per week are you running now?

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BOSNPM
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23. Apr 6, 2012 10:41 AM (in response to NHLA)
Holy crap I signed up for a marathon!! If you have advice, I'd love to hear it :)

I would not advise running the 26.2 before the race! The risk is not worth the mental gain!

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VeggieChick81
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Jan 28, 2009

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24. Apr 10, 2012 4:33 AM (in response to Richard True)
Holy crap I signed up for a marathon!! If you have advice, I'd love to hear it :)

My mileage is around 36 or 37 mpw. The 18 miler I ran last Saturday gave me zero problems..it was a little weird, I actually felt so fine after, and not sore one bit the morning after. I'm starting to wonder if I've let my slow pace dribble too slow. I ended up doing 10 minute miles. Not to say I WANT pain but there just wasn't any challenge (also note the 18 miles was flat) Then again come marathon day I've already established that a happy run is more important than my fastest run.
Do you guys think I'm screwing myself over with the 10 minute mile long run? Put it this way...if I had a running partner, I'd be able to be in full conversation at that pace. When I run my five milers, I'm usually at an 8:20 pace. Last half was an 8:47 pace that I really pushed myself with. I just HATE seeing 10:00 miles on my training log :) Maybe all the training is making me crazy :p

"If you don't run you rust" - Tom Petty

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NHLA
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Feb 23, 2012

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25. Apr 10, 2012 5:17 AM (in response to VeggieChick81)
Holy crap I signed up for a marathon!! If you have advice, I'd love to hear it :)

That's good news on your long run. If 9:30 is your MP then long run pace should be 30 sec slower so 10 min is perfect.37 mpw is also good. Don't worry everbody gets a little crazy at the end of a training cycle.

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VeggieChick81
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26. Apr 10, 2012 4:42 PM (in response to NHLA)
Holy crap I signed up for a marathon!! If you have advice, I'd love to hear it :)

I guess I just have to have faith in Hal and his training plan. Do you think the 9:30 pace will come easy on race day?

"If you don't run you rust" - Tom Petty

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NHLA
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Feb 23, 2012

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27. Apr 10, 2012 5:33 PM (in response to VeggieChick81)
Holy crap I signed up for a marathon!! If you have advice, I'd love to hear it :)

Yes 9:30 will be easy on race day. When you run the first mile in 8:30 slow down. The first 8 miles fly by and then the race starts.

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lenzlaw
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Jan 18, 2008

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28. Apr 10, 2012 7:10 PM (in response to VeggieChick81)
Re: Holy crap I signed up for a marathon!! If you have advice, I'd love to hear it :)

Your long run training pace is fine. You do not want to do them so hard that you are tired for the rest of the week. Let me quote from a recent Running Times (Sept., 2011, p. 24). "One mistake I see many runners make is that they think they have to run a marathon to prepare for a marathon. Their long runs are too long and too fast, often piled on top of other quality workouts . . ." Further, "According to Olympic gold medalist Peter Snell, Ph.D., runs over an hour and a half at around 70 percent of VO2max give an optimal net gain in aerobic capacity."

Worry about the results of your training, not that "I just HATE seeing 10:00 miles on my training log".

Len

Len

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