Marathon by year end

[Teejay113]

Hi Guys need your help would love to run a Marathon this Yr to late for the London marathon. So which one would recommend?

Thanks Tee

[mrrun Ultramarathon]

The first marathon is all about going through the distance. You’ll want to feel it, test it, figure out the pain and mental requirements. I’d say, do that first and if you like it then find a public race.

Is it fun? Dunno man, mine first 42k was wretched, fun it wasn’t - but when I did it the sense of achievement was overwhelming, the urge to carry on and repeat it was there immediately and it’s never left me.

Try and focus on proper training without any set time frame. If you rush it you might get hurt and if you do you’ll stop running for…..weeks or months.

Find a program that suits you, your mind, your life. Marathon is NOT a casual friendly park run joy ride. Once you’ve got it all panned out you will have some great moments.

And finally - hydration and fuelling. You simply cannot get through a marathon on a bottle of water. You’ll have to figure out what your body needs, how much and how often. Gels? Powder? Various mixes? How do you find out? Ask and experiment. We are here to help! 👍

[Teejay113 in reply to mrrun]

Thanks I've been running for just over a year Done 5K,10K,Half Marathon, now this is the Big one. I have 6 weeks left on my training programme. I think I'm ready 💪🏿thanks for the advice. Let's do this 🏃🏿‍♂️peace

[SkiMonday Ultramarathon in reply to Teejay113]

Hmm, 6 weeks you say. That takes you to around the end of October. That’s right at the end of the marathon season (they tend to take place in spring and autumn). Helpfully, for you, most events seem to be under subscribed at the moment so most events are likely to have spaces available.

I think that a good choice would be the Yorkshire Marathon which is on 16th October. It’s a pretty flat course so should be suitable (I ran it as my first marathon last year). It might coincide with the end of your training plan or it might be a week early; I suggest checking now if you decide to go for it! If it is a week before the end of your plan, I suggest adjusting your training over the next couple of weeks so that you do the final long run (typically about 20 miles) and all the tapering as per the plan and aligned to your race.

For example, I use the Nike Run Club Marathon plan. That has the long run 5 weeks before so, just looking at long runs, I’d be doing this:

w/c 05-Sep (6 weeks to go) Compromise! The NRC plan shows a 90 minute run which may be a good choice, allowing a bit of a cut back before the final push.

w/c 12-Sep (5 weeks to go) 20 miles straight from the plan

w/c 19-Sep (4 weeks to go) 16 miles straight from the plan

w/c 26-Sep (3 weeks to go) 13 miles straight from the plan

w/c 03-Oct (2 weeks to go) 10 miles straight from the plan

w/c 10-Oct (1 week to go) the race!

This isn’t meant to replace your plan, is just a very long winded was of saying “do your long run and all the tapering as it appears on your plan and aligned to the race”.

This reply is much longer than I intended!

Anyhow, go smash it!

[Teejay113 in reply to SkiMonday]

There is a Marathon in Wareham on the 23 of October that's the closest. It's a little hard but doable. Thanks for all your Advice and support much appreciated. Peace

[misswobble Marathon]

I’ve got one in November so I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to find one. RunABC is a lister of events and covers GB by region so have a search on their website

Whether it’s wise to rush your journey from 5k to a marathon in under a year is for you to decide. Apparently it takes 18 to 24 months to build a pair of running legs. You could train longer and do a marathon in better weather 😀

I suffered a stress fracture of my tibia en route from couch to half marathon, so I’d be worried about doing too much to soon, and would recommend caution. I was 57 when I started running mind you but i think the process for careful progression is the same for everyone.

That said, if you decide to go ahead, I wish you all the very best 😀. Prepare well! Pay attention to eating well and getting enough sleep. Success on the day depends on the work you’ve put in to get you to the start line🙂👍

I’m following the Nike Run club plan too, using the coached runs which I love 🙂

[Teejay113 in reply to misswobble]

Thanks for that much appreciated. Peace

[Teejay113 in reply to misswobble]

There's a Marathon Oxfordshire that's the one I was likely do. Peace

[misswobble Marathon in reply to Teejay113]

Is it the one with a 5 hour cut off?

[Teejay113 in reply to misswobble]

yes it is I think I could finish by then.

[misswobble Marathon in reply to Teejay113]

💪😀👍🏃‍♂️🏅

[Freecloud Marathon]

I'm runninga year as well now and like you have built up my distances. My last long run was a 3/4 marathon and I think it was long enough for now. I'm doing another one at the start of next month and might look at a full marathon next year. Personally I think that this is the correct route for me as the last 7 or 8 k were very tough going and were enough for now.