First Marathon????

[Tjcp]

Hi, I haven't been in touch for a good while because of work etc but next weekend I have my 9th half in Barcelona and my 10th will be in Valencia in October. Having said that, one day would it be possible for me to do a marathon (London?) in aid of Alzheimers? This would be for my mum, who passed away 2 years ago. I'm 66 and took up running when I was 60. My best time in the half is 2 hours 23 minutes (I think), 10k 1 hour 3 minutes and 5k 29 minutes. Could I ever do a marathon? Do I need a trainer? Advice please!!! Thanks.

[misswobble Marathon]

Hi there 👋🙂

Yeah, why not 😀🏃‍♀️ You train for it 💪🙂👍. 16 to 20 weeks ought to do it.

I ran my first marathon on my 60th birthday, having done C25k aged 57. I’ve run a marathon on or about my birthday every year since.

You can use the Jeff Galloway run/walk approach which aims to get you round in one piece. I did it and it worked 🙂

Do have a read at the marathon threads as there’s plenty of discussion about it 🙂 Peeps here are really helpful and supportive 👍🏃‍♀️

[Tjcp Half Marathon in reply to misswobble]

Hi! Thanks for your advice. I've just signed up for a possible place on the April 2023 London Marathon running for Alzheimers. I'll keep my fingers crossed but I'm SO excited!!!

[misswobble Marathon in reply to Tjcp]

Well that’s natural 😀. It’s a big deal 😀. There’s a fellow runner on here who is IN as well. You can compare training notes 😀👍

[Cmoi Marathon]

Hi Tjcp , I'm a bit younger than you but with less running experience, and I managed a marathon (see my profile) just before I turned 61. So I'd say yes, you could too!

I found that the main challenge was in the training, not on the day. Though admittedly I hate training anyway, I'd much rather do my own thing, and as I was only aiming to get round that took the pressure off.

There's info about London Marathon 2023 charity places on the Alzheimer's Society website: alzheimers.org.uk/get-invol...

[Tjcp Half Marathon in reply to Cmoi]

Thank you for your reply! I will check the link you gave me and see if I can get a place.

[SkiMonday Ultramarathon]

Hi Tjcp

I’d say that a Marathon is entirely possible for you.

It seems that the half marathon is a great starting point for a Marathon (probably a stage that everyone has to go through when training for a Marathon) so you’re in a good position!

As for how to train for it, the methods that I’m aware of are: 1/ use the 10% rule (with monthly cutback weeks) 2/ follow a training plan 3/ pay for a custom training plan (I took a place in an HM sponsored by the NSPCC and that included access to such plans by a company called FullPotential) 4/ find yourself a personal trainer. You may find that, if you’re going to be running in support of the Alzheimer's Society, they will offer some form of training package / support.

One thing to bear in mind is that you have to commit enough time to your training.

As for age, I think that what’s important is your general health and fitness (your HMs suggest that you’re in good shape for this). For what it’s worth, I was 60 when I trained for my first Marathon.

I used the NRC Marathon plan which worked great for me. The pace chart suggests that, with an HM time of 2:23, you’d be looking at a Marathon time of around 4:45.

[Tjcp Half Marathon in reply to SkiMonday]

Thanks for your advice! It means a lot coming from someone who has done it!

[SkiMonday Ultramarathon in reply to Tjcp]

You’re welcome!

It’s a great feeling to have completed a Marathon.

[GTFC Marathon]

What a great post!

You can certainly do it!

Definitely it's all about the preparation for me, because on race day things happen how they unfold and we can't control that so much. We can control what we do up to that point though.

With a Marathon, it's really good to practice how you'll fuel and hydrate on longer runs. Training for them gives you lots of great opportunities to try different gels or snacks/sweets, hydration sources such as Tailwind and then your kit. Music and podcasts can really help break up the miles too.

'Nothing new on race day' is a handy quote.

I always think that running a Marathon 'finds you out' and the achievement at the end is a forever memory. Lots of people on here with far more knowledge than me (I've ran 3 Marathons solo) can gives you ideas, tips and tricks. I very much feel it's a mental battle too though.

Longer, slower runs over time are the vehicle to get you there. There's lots of useful advice online too like the GTN or Running Channel YouTube channels.

Maybe try a 14 or 15 mile steady run and then build up from there I'm not an advocate of the 10% rule but cut back weeks are super helpful. Wishing you lots of lovely long runs to come 🙏

[Tjcp Half Marathon in reply to GTFC]

Thank you!