Marathons

  

ADVICE:

 If you are thinking about running a marathon “some day”, don’t wait, set it as a goal now and commit to it.

    You have now overcome the largest obstacle, the limits that you set on yourself.  Now it is time to put a plan in place that gives you the best chance to achieve your goal.

   Make sure that you are physically able to take on this challenge.

 If you have any concerns, see a medical professional before you start.

 Establish a base level of running before you start marathon training.

    If you have already run a couple of 5K races and at least one five mile training run, then you should be ready to start training for a marathon.  If not, I suggest that you check out Advice For New Runners to get started.

 Select a marathon that is at least 18 weeks out.

    You could look for a local marathon that does not require you to travel. However, if your goal is to run a destination marathon, then you need to plan on arriving at that destination at least a couple of days in advance.  Read reviews on the marathon to see what the course is like. If it is hilly, you will need to include hill workouts in your training. Look for reviews by first time marathoners to see if they recommend it. 

  Pace Groups

    If you’re preparing for your first marathon, consider choosing one that offers pace groups. These groups are led by pacers who aim to complete the race at a designated pace. For instance, if your goal is to finish in five hours, you’ll need to maintain an average pace of 11 minutes and 26 seconds per mile. Marathons that include pacers typically provide a list of pace groups on their website, detailing the target finish times and corresponding mile paces. Reviewing this information ahead of time can help you find a group aligned with your goals.

Running with a pace group allows you to share the journey with others aiming for the same pace. During the race, you’ll have the chance to exchange stories and support one another as you progress toward the finish line. You don’t need to select your pace group until race day—by that point, your training and long runs will give you a good sense of which group suits you best.

 

Create a training schedule.

  I recommend using Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 Training program. The plan consists of 18 weeks of training. Your goal should be to complete all works for each week. You are working to establish a base that will enable you to run 26.2 miles on a single run. Each week’s schedule is dependent on you completing the prior week’s work. 

 Nutrition and hydration

  You need to test out your marathon nutrition plan during your training.  You should not eat or drink something during the marathon that you haven’t tested during your training runs. Both books in the reference section below provide tips and advice on nutrition.

 Injuries

   Listen to your body. If you develop an injury during training, do not try to run through it. Have it checked out and if needed put your training on hold until you are better. Depending on where you are in the schedule, you may be able to adjust the plan and still make the marathon. If not, you can look into other marathons. It is not worth risking a major injury that could jepordize your future running plans.

 Pre-Marathon Preparation

   Begin reducing your training intensity around two weeks prior to the marathon. Personally, I avoid running during the two days leading up to the event, as this ensures my legs are well-rested and I feel eager to start the race. Prioritize getting as much rest as possible and steer clear of alcohol. The night before, enjoy a good meal, but be careful not to overeat. Lastly, prepare everything you’ll need for the race in advance.

 Day of:

   Eat a good meal about two hours before the start. Get to the race early. Give yourself time to relax and make a bathroom stop. You have done all the training. You are ready. When the race starts, resist the urge to go out too fast. Resist the urge to keep up with faster runners. Run your own pace. Celebrate each mile marker that you pass. That mile is behind you and you have one less mile to go. Take a drink at each water stop and use the water bottle you brought with you when you need a drink between stops. Start taking nutrition that you have used during training (energy gels,chews, …) about 30-45 minutes into the run. Then take additional nutrition based on a schedule that you used on long runs.

  If this is your first marathon, your primary goal should be to finish. If you need to walk, alternate walking and running. You could walk for one minute and then run for five. Whatever works best for you. But try to commit to a specific schedule that will get you to the finish.

 Finish!!!

   When you finish, take time to celebrate your accomplishment.  You did all the work, you completed your goal.

 

Resources

My Marathon Experience

 

I ran my first marathon, the Baystate Marathon in Lowell Ma at the age of 41. My finishing time was 4 hours 35 minutes. My primary goal was to finish. My training plan was simple. I would keep extending the length of my training runs until I could finish 18 miles. I figured if I could finsh 18 miles in training, I could certainly do 8 more miles in the race. I did not do any speed work and I did not include any pace based runs in my training. Nutrition plan was to eat pasta and carbo load for a month, then bring a bottle of gatorade with me when I ran the marathon.

    My first marathon was ugly. I think I hit the wall around mile 16. From there to the finish it was a mix of running and walking. After I finished there were some speed bumps in the parking lot. I had to walk around them because it was too painful to lift my legs.

A year later, I ran my second marathon, the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington DC. My primary goal was to finish in under 4 hours. I trained harder and did include some pace based runs, but no speed workouts. I was able to finish in 3 hours 58 minutes. I still hit the wall at about 18 miles and I did do some walking after that.

    The 100th Boston Marathon was scheduled for April of 1996. In the beginning of 1995, I set a goal to qualify for the 100th Boston. I grew up the next town over and had always watched the Boston Marathon. Based on my age, I needed to finish a marathon in 3 hours and 25 minutes in order to qualify. That meant I needed to cut 33 minutes off by best finishing time. I joined a running club and started going to weekly track workouts. I pushed myself to keep up with faster runners. This gave me the confidence to start increasing my pace on training runs. My training program included a schedule of races at increasing distances. My goal for these races was to run each one at a 7 minute pace. I started with a 5K, then a 10K, then a 10 mile, and the last one was a 15 miler. I managed to complete each one at around a 7 minute pace. My longest traing run increased to 20 miles.  In October of 1995, I completed the 1995 Baystate Marathon in 3 hours 12 minutes. I had cut 46 minutes off by best marathon time. More importantly, I had qualified for the 100th Boston Marathon.

      Since then, I have qualified for and completed 7 more Boston Marathons. I did run the 2013 Boston Marathon. I was fortunate to finish the Marathon about 2 minutes before the bombs went off. My heart still goes out to everyone that was impacted. Three spectators were killed and over 100 people were injured. People that witnessed the bombings will never forget the sites they saw that day. 

   The next year, 2014, was the Boston Strong marathon. The support for that marathon was unbelievable.  All along the 26.2 mile route the crowds were six plus deep. When I ran the marathon that year, I just kept giving people high fives and thanking them for their support. I did not care what my finishing time was, I just had to be there.

    

I have been lucky enough to run about 30 marathons in total.