First Marathon

want2run

Right this is it... time to cop on to myself. I've partied the last few years away and now its time to be selfish in a different way and look after myself. I'm mid 20s and am 12and a half stone and 5ft 6inches. Time to shed it. Time to achieve something....

So here goes... Berlin Marathon in september.

Everyone I've said it to doubts me. Mister 'plus one' is showing zero belief or support. So i'm turning to boards to log my success (fingers crossed)

Last year I ran the mini marathon and the 5mile adidas run. I got up to 8miles and then gave up. My problem is keeping up the training longer than a few weeks.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I'm starting my new life tomorrow. Better food. More activity. And hopefully marathon in september.

Here's to success.. !?!

MCOS

Good on you! You have taken the first step and made the decision.

KNow you know what your goal is, create a compelling vision for it. What I mean by this, is imagine yourself crossing the finish line. If you have difficulty imagining it. Browse the web for pictures of people crossing the finish line of a marathon and imagine that it was you. Once you have a compelling vision of your goal you will imagine it more and more frequently and the closer you get to it the more crystal clear it will become.

Next get a plan in place. The guys here on boards logs are a great bunch for advice and I'm sure they will be on to recommend the appropriate novice marathon plan.

You have loads of time but that doesn't mean you can hold off. You need to build the miles gradually into your legs.

Ask loads of questions and just because you hear or read something you do not have to stick to that. Suit it to yourself.

Your most important session of your week will be your long run.

As you get closer to your Marathon, practice your pre race routine (sleep, food etc...) on your long runs.

Enjoy your training and remember that everyone has off days so if you just don't feel like running, don't. Sleep, eat and relax

You can absolutely do it!

In 9 months time your compelling vision will become a reality and you will experience the thrill of achieving your goal

Best of luck with your log and again fair play for making this decsion!

hunnymonster

enter Berlin and pay for the flights/hotel now. You won't want to waste the money. If you find your motivation disappears after a couple of weeks, then find a couple of races along the way to keep you interested. runireland have a good list.

Krusty_Clown

Congrats on taking the first step want2run. Sounds like you're already very determined. Most important thing for me, was not to consider the training as a means to an end (in other words, a lead up to the main event). You need to enjoy the training. Whether that means speeding up, slowing down, completing some interim races, or finding nicer places to run, if you're enjoying the training, you'll be far more likely to want to put on that gear every day. See you in Berlin!

rainbow kirby

Just want to wish you the best of luck with this! You sound like you're in a very similar position to me, even down to being in mid-20s, with similar height/weight. Might just have to follow your lead, and enter Dublin

eposhea

Good Luck want2run, as with kirby, i'm in similar position. It has always been a goal of mine to enter and complete a Marathon. I have contemplated it for the last few years, but now it is time to put those thoughts into action. I am a complete marathon novice also, and myself and my brother are setting the goal of the Dublin Marathon in October as our target. I just crossed into that hated late 20's bracket, so it is time to get my body back into shape!

I have a question though, i have also always wanted to do a triathlon, is the training schedule different, as in i know there are the three disciplines (swimming, running and cycling) but if i am training for a marathon, is it also viable to say i could compete in a triathlon as the milestones along the way to the big 26.2 miles?

ps - good luck in Berlin want2run and rainbow kirby, i'll see you in Dublin!

want2run

Thanks everyone for all your support. I will be running it with a friend of mine who's living in Berlin so she may be giving a bit of input to the thread too... gotta keep focused! Altho its so snowy over there she cant run outside yet :(Yesterday I started gettin back into it and went for a 40 minute jog. Stopped and walked twice for 5 mins during it. Don't want to push it too early - it's been my downfall before. It was grand - feel ok today and didnt feel I pushed myself too much either. Gonna try stick at this 3 times a week for the next few weeks until its easy and then start real training. Need to get some basic fitness first!Have my swimming gear in work with me today so am going for 30 mins swim today at lunch-time. Psyched!MCOS- that idea of visioning yourself crossing the finish line really helps.. much more than the thought of 'i want to lose weight' - there's much more motivation when running in thinking about finishing a marathon.

want2run

Yesterday went for swim at lunchtime - about 25mins of lengths. Not fast or anything. Wouldnt mind a one on one lesson to find out what I'm doing right/wrong. Have a feeling I amn't the graceful dolphin I think I am! Any idea of where I could go about doing that - without breaking the bank? Just 1 hour would do me. Today I'm gona go for another jog. Psych!

want2run

40 minute light run with 2 x 5 minute stops included in that 40felt grand. next run friday. pilates tonight.

want2run

went to pilates last night for an hour. its not exactly what i thought it was. thought itd be more intense. but still i liked it. and theres a bit of relaxation incorporated into it which is nice. but the core hurts today!gona do my hour run today as dont think il be able to over the weekend

want2run

i can tell you i feel a million times better this mornign than i did last monday.did a 50minute 4.7mile run on saturday and a really long walk on sunday and a bit of yoga here n there over the weekend.have signed up for the raheny 5mile on jan 25th so am excited bout that.i can feel the weight fallin off but im not going to focus on that. weigh in days are thurs mornin so we'll see!today is another 30min non stop run..