Can’t run too good – Marathon advice

[Tim Kelley]

Find a training plan online and ease into the running. Going out and doing too much too fast can cause injuries.

Also, the fact that you are already a cyclist makes thing easier because you can probably cut back on some of the weekly mileage by substituting in riding and focus more on hitting your longer runs with enough time to recover.

http://www.nationalmarathon.com/SunTrust_National_Marathon.htm That’s the 2011 spring time DC race, but they should have details on 2012 soon.

[DaveK]

As long as you stick to a training plan you will be fine. There are a lot of great training plans out there that will have a 10k runner ready for a marathon in less than 6 months. Pick one that works for your schedule and above all do NOT miss the weekly long runs. I’ve always been more of a cyclist than a runner but I just completed the MCM yesterday. I’m on the fence as to whether I should have been riding even as much as I did during training because I wonder if I denied myself some recovery time throughout the process. If I had it to do over again I wouldn’t ride at all the day after a long run, just a quick 20-minute jog for recovery.

[txgoonie]

Do it! With very few exceptions, anybody can do a marathon. As long as you keep your goals reasonable, there’s nothing standing in your way! If you have base fitness already, you’re way ahead of a lot of people who decide to train for a marathon.

– Give your body enough time to adapt, and it will respond to whatever you ask it to do. It can surprise you. As a long-distance runner, I give myself 3-4 months to train for a marathon. A first-timer can do it in 6. How long your program lasts really depends on where you’re starting (i.e. what the longest run you can currently do is).
– Muscular deficiencies aren’t something to worry about. Runners are quad-heavy, too. As a cyclist, your main goal in training is to get your body used to the pounding/impact of running. It just comes with time. (If interested in working on the hamstring deficit, you can do hill work and do hamstring curls and deadlifts at the gym (or lunges at home if you don’t do the gym thing.))
– If you’re planning on training solo, there are lots of resources on-line. http://www.halhigdon.com/ and http://www.marathontraining.com/marathon/m_sch_2.html have really great schedules. Runner’s World, too, has tons of them.
– There are lots of running groups in the area (DC Road Runners, NOVA Running Club, Potomac Runners, etc.). Chances are you can fall into a group of people training for a marathon around the same time you’re doing one. You could also pay for a training program if you want a structured group and training plan. Pacers offers them. I think =PR= does, too.

And, of course, there’s the wellspring of knowledge here, so don’t hesitate to ask questions:D

[5555624]

I’d second what TIm and Dave said — find a plan. The biggest caution I would give is to ease into it and let your knees get used to the pounding. Stick to your plan and it’s really not all that hard.

[DaveK]

@5555624 9933 wrote:

I’d second what TIm and Dave said — find a plan. The biggest caution I would give is to ease into it and let your knees get used to the pounding. Stick to your plan and it’s really not all that hard.

Same rule as cycling – if you want to save your legs and not overtrain, up your weekly mileage by no more than 10% at a time.

[pfunkallstar]

Thanks for the excellent advice, I am definitely going to check out the training plans online. I don’t like group exercise and I’m a tightwad so the professional training programs are out. Also, any recommendations on a good entry-level marathon this spring – the hordes of the MCM kinda freaked me out – I think I would spend most of my energy running away from people.

[Tim Kelley]

@pfunkallstar 9963 wrote:

Also, any recommendations on a good entry-level marathon this spring – the hordes of the MCM kinda freaked me out – I think I would spend most of my energy running away from people.

Shamrock and Suntrust are the two popular marathons in the spring for people in this area.

[PotomacCyclist]

There’s the Rock ‘n’ Roll National Marathon in March, but that will probably have a large field too. On the Washington Running Report race calendar, I found the Delaware Marathon on May 13 in Wilmington: http://www.delawaremarathon.org/. There were only 555 finishers last year.

I was also going to suggest the Blue Ridge Marathon on Apr. 12 in Roanoke but it’s supposed to be one of the toughest road marathons in the U.S.: 3,620 feet of total elevation gain and 7,234 feet of total elevation change. Probably not the best choice for a first marathon.

You can use the calendar to look up other races. It might be a good idea to do a shorter tune-up race. Pacers organizes races throughout the year, including 5Ks and 10Ks in February and March. Other race series include Capital Running and Potomac River Running (mostly in Reston and Ashburn).

http://www.runwashington.com/calendar.htm

http://www.pacersevents.com/index.html

http://www.runwashington.com/race-series.htm

http://www.potomacriverrunning.com/featuredraces

[txgoonie]

http://www.racepacket.com Good place to look up upcoming races in the area.

http://www.marathonguide.com You can read a bunch of race reports here and get a flavor for how well (or poorly) run a race is. I’m personally not a fan of big races either and agree that sticking with a relatively low-key one is probably a good idea.

[JimF22003]

My right knee is kind of munged up from when I weighed close to a quarter ton back in 2003. As I was losing weight I started with walking, then jogging, and at the same time starting biking. I got OK with the running. The longest I ever ran was 11 miles, but I did 4-5 miles at least 4 times a week. But the nagging knee pain never ever went away. It still hurts if I don’t baby it, even though I hardly even walk any more, let alone jog. If I move it’s on a bike (or a car ).

I really wish I could still run, especially during the winter when it’s harder to get out and ride for us non-hard-core types. I may give it another shot here this fall and winter, because I really did enjoy it. But I think it’s possible that it’s just a form of exercise I’ll never really be able to do.

[DaveK]

@pfunkallstar 9963 wrote:

Also, any recommendations on a good entry-level marathon this spring – the hordes of the MCM kinda freaked me out – I think I would spend most of my energy running away from people.

The MCM was my first marathon and I thought it couldn’t have been a better choice. The course is very flat and fast – there are only a couple of hills near the start and once you pass those it’s pancake-flat. The National Marathon (called Rock and Roll now?) is a hillier course than the MCM thus a little harder. If you don’t like big groups though, both will be a bad choice. Personally the energy of the other runners and the spectators was a huge factor in helping me get across the finish line.

[pfunkallstar]

Well, I’ve settled on a training schedule and I’ve already realized that there are going to have to be some concessions when it comes to my normal commuting schedule (about 110 miles/week). I figure I can pare down my bike mileage a bit and then start working in some medium distance runs. Once the weather turns super cold I switch over to even more running. Thanks again for all the advice.

[Tim Kelley]

Cycling is a great way to loosen up the legs in between runs. Even a couple hours after a long run, spinning for 20 minutes in a super easy gear can get the blood moving.

If you don’t hammer the commutes, you might be able to view them as “active recovery.” Which race have you decided to do?

[txgoonie]

FWIW – I have found my running to be better when there’s cycling in the mix. Cardio adaptations seem to be just a tad quicker and more consistent, plus cycling has helped with weight control. When you start getting into heavy training and your metabolism starts revving and it’s cold outside and you want to eat everything in sight all the time:mad:, cycling provides that little extra calorie burn to keep everything in check. Some people seem to think that training for a marathon means guaranteed weight loss, which really isn’t the case, especially when training through the winter. You can’t automatically eat whatever you want. Just a little something to keep in mind.

[pfunkallstar]

@Tim Kelley 10072 wrote:

Cycling is a great way to loosen up the legs in between runs. Even a couple hours after a long run, spinning for 20 minutes in a super easy gear can get the blood moving.

If you don’t hammer the commutes, you might be able to view them as “active recovery.” Which race have you decided to do?

Unfortunately, I have a tendency to hammer commutes pretty hard. As for the race, I haven’t narrowed it down yet, but I’m looking, time-wise that is, at perhaps April or May. The leg pounding thing is something I’m going to have to get used to again, also I’m going to head to Pacers this weekend to get some better shoes.

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