Hoping to enter the 2019 Brighton Marathon. Is this realistic?

[RunBrianRun]

Hi everyone! I’m new here. I’ve completed the C25K and have managed one 11km run so far. I would love to enter the Brighton marathon next year but I’m wondering if that is a realistic goal. Where do I start? Thanks for any advice.

[ju-ju- Marathon]

Yes! You have over a year to train, that is most definitely doable...you could gradually work your way up to a HM very slowly and then follow a plan?

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to ju-ju-]

Thanks Ju-ju. Good to know it’s a possibility! Yay! 😃

[roseabi Ultramarathon]

It would be good to sign up for a summer or autumn half marathon to see how you get on. Have a look online for a free hm training plan e.g. MyAsics (an app), Hal Higdon (less hi-tech); or get a book if you prefer. Start increasing your distances slowly, a good rule of thumb is to increase by about 10% of the total each week, with 2-4 shorter runs and one long one. By the time Brighton start selling places you should have a good idea of how you are coping with the training. Brighton's a good first marathon I'd think (if a bit pricey), it's pretty flat and very well attended - great crowds!

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to roseabi]

Great! Thanks roeseabi I’ll look out for a summer half marathon when I’m back in the UK. What do you consider a “short run”? Is that the one without the 10% added?

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to RunBrianRun]

"Short" is relative But if you look at a MyAsics plan, for example, you will see a slow 5km run every week. When I did my first marathon (on my own plan ) I did a weekly fast 3k.

Regarding the 10% rule, to give you an idea, say your plan has you running 3 times a week. In one week (not saying this is the first week!) the runs are:

5k, 10k, 12k, total 27km

The next week the total kms increase by 10%, so 1.1 times 27k = 30k (to the nearest km). It makes sense to increase the longest run by 3km which would give you:

5k, 10k, 15k, total 30km

Rinse and repeat!

I should add, don't rush into increasing your mileage every week at first - take it slowly and carefully, otherwise you risk injury.

I should also add, it's a good idea to cut back the long run every three or four weeks to give yourself a bit of a break.

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon in reply to roseabi]

Thank you roseabi. I shall start with a 3k, 5k and 8k I think. Should I run them all at the same pace? Gosh. This is a whole new world!!

Ah, just re-read your post. I’ll make the 5k the slow one then.

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to RunBrianRun]

This is why you need to research training plans

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to RunBrianRun]

These are the Hal Higdon half marathon plans - I have not tried them, but I have used a triathlon one

halhigdon.com/training/5113...