Convert from Half to Full Marathon

Krusty_Clown

<First thread got nuked somehow>
Seeing as you were all so helpful with advice with regard to my half-marathon effort, I was hoping I might pick your brains for my new challenge:

I'm toying with the idea of trying a marathon.. So:
1#: Any estimates on how long I should allow to up-train to marathon distances, assuming one long run every weekend, and two shorter runs during the week, with 1 day of cross-training? Would two months (Cork) be too aggressive? The next option would be Longford in August, but August seems to be such a long way away (19 weeks), that remaining motivated could be a problem.

2#: Has anyone seen any training programs targeted at those moving from half to full marathons?

3#:What distance should I aim to get up to on my long runs, would 18-20 miles before the race be enough?

Thanks as always for any tips or advice.

Odysseus

Krusty_Clown wrote:

I'm toying with the idea of trying a marathon.. So:
1#: Any estimates on how long I should allow to up-train to marathon distances, assuming one long run every weekend, and two shorter runs during the week, with 1 day of cross-training? Would two months (Cork) be too aggressive? The next option would be Longford in August, but August seems to be such a long way away (19 weeks), that remaining motivated could be a problem.

Go for it, if you enjoyed a half you will love a full one;) Generally I run three times a week, with some MA training mixed in. A lot of people have different thoughts on this, however, I like to get two 40k runs in before a marathon, so that is what I train up to, but a lot of people only go as far as a couple of 18 to 20 milers. If you feel up to it and can get the miles in Cork should be ok, but I would recommend Longford, its a nice race to run.


2#: Has anyone seen any training programs targeted at those moving from half to full marathons?

Sorry I make my own up due to work and travelling committments, but there will be others who can help you there.


3#:What distance should I aim to get up to on my long runs, would 18-20 miles before the race be enough? Try them and see, I prefer to go a bit further, but it could well work for you. My best advise is just get out there and get the miles in, and you will be fine. Hope this helps, best of luck with it.

hunnymonster

The conventional wisdom is that people should follow a 15-18 week training plan for a marathon but if you look on your half training as the first part of that and don't slack off no I can't see any reason why you shouldn't enter Cork. I went from a complete couch potato to a sub 4 hour marathon in 12 weeks when I first started.

If you are only going to do 3 runs a week then you need to structure them carefully. My advice would be
long run every weekend. 15 miles this weekend. Speed doesn't matter a damn for this run it's time on your feet you want. DO 16 next week, 17 week after and 18 the week after. Then had a down weekend with your long run 15 miles again. Then 17, 18 and 20 then 18 and 15 and the race the following weekend (have I counted weekends correctly?

Is it possible to have an intermediate run midweek (i.e. not short) something like 8-10 miles. Again speed would not be overly important but you would be aiming to stay out of breath for the whole run rather than just time on your feet.


For your third run, I would play around a bit. Have you heard of yasso 800's? or fartlek? Keep the third run shorter, maybe an hour or so and try to push yourself for portions of it.


Before my first marathon my longest run had been 10 miles. My intention was to go out and run as far as I could and then walk the rest. In the end I just ran the whole thing but it wasn't clever. I couldn't walk for 3 days afterwards without a limp and didn't run for a month. Last week I did almost 40 miles and I was absolutely perfect afterwards. I ran 10 miles this morning and no ill effects. The more you can put into your training the more you will get out of your race.

Have a google for the furman institute, they specialise in marathon training on only 3 runs a week. Hal Higdon is another useful source for training plans.

Krusty_Clown

Thanks for the advice guys. Yes, I can definitely manage a mid-week 10 mile run too. So I think the approach I'll adopt is to plan for the Cork marathon, but if I can't get the miles clocked up, I'll run the Achill half in July, and then do the Longford marathon.. This will take the pressure off, as I have a number of weddings/confirmations/birthdays/kids that could potentially interfere with weekend long runs..:rolleyes:

Yes, I think you had an extra weekend in there, hunnymonster. I reckon I'll follow your strategy for the time being and do 10 miles this evening, and try out 15 at the weekend, and see how it goes. I like the idea of having a backup plan, as I'm probably not disciplined enough to get ready in time for Cork.

I'm not up to speed (pardon the pun) with the science of running, but have been including fartleks in my runs, but more in an informal fashion.. In other words, 'heart rate is low, maybe I should do a 30 second fartlek now' kind of way.

hunnymonster

that's exactly what fartlek is for. It's a lot of fun but the temptation is to be lazy which is why if I'm doing something speedy I tend to be more structured about it.

Odysseus

Just as an after thought, have you considered starting a fitness log in the fitness forum? Personally I find it a great motivation tool as well as a great way to track your performance. I have only done Longford once but really enjoy it last year, and though I know some people perfer larger races, I think due to its size its a good first marathon.

Krusty_Clown

I've been keeping a log on PolarPersonalTrainer, pulled directly from my heart monitor.. I've even included some of my football games, which makes for some interesting comparisons!

How many entrants are there typically in the Longford marathon?

Odysseus

Krusty_Clown wrote:

How many entrants are there typically in the Longford marathon?

If I remember correctly I think 700 or 800 done the marathon last year, which is small if you compare it to the likes of Dublin with 10,000+, but I found it quite enjoyable.

Krusty_Clown

Sounds like fun.. My outlaws are living in Roscommon, so the location would be handy enough too, and there are some nice scenic spots on the run..

It's becoming more and more attractive by the minute!