Marathon Training.

[MRT144]

So I am entered into the Rock n Roll Marathon in Seattle. It all goes down June 25th so I have some time to train for it. For all you distance runners what do you suggest? I already run 4-5 miles 3 times a week. What else do I need to do for training? What mental preparation do I need and what mental hurdles will i encounter?

[Provost Harrison]

Ah yes...

[Al B. Sure!]

So I am entered into the Rock n Roll Marathon in Seattle. It all goes down June 25th so I have some time to train for it. For all you distance runners what do you suggest? I already run 4-5 miles 3 times a week. What else do I need to do for training? What mental preparation do I need and what mental hurdles will i encounter?

15 miles a week is low mileage for even 5K training. You're going to have to (slowly!) ratchet that WAY up for a marathon.

Doing a quick google, most of the marathon training schedules I've seen START with 30 miles a week. You do have quite a bit of time to get up there though.

The novice routine given here starts week 1 with 15 miles per week. It's an 18 week plan though.

Marathon Training

[DanS]

My friend had a 3-month training schedule starting from zero running. He completed the marathon, but developed a stress fracture that kept him in a boot for a few months. It is good that you are starting earlier, but make sure you get on a reasonable 4-month training schedule as quickly as possible.

[Dinner]

So I am entered into the Rock n Roll Marathon in Seattle. It all goes down June 25th so I have some time to train for it. For all you distance runners what do you suggest? I already run 4-5 miles 3 times a week. What else do I need to do for training? What mental preparation do I need and what mental hurdles will i encounter?

I actually did this about 10 years ago and there is a whole beginner's cycle which you have to work through which takes about 2-3 months. They used to publish the training schedules at Marathon magazine so I suggest you check their website first. The basics of it is you have a cycle of short, medium, long, break, cross train, short, break. The total milage per week starts low at the beginning and then slowly adds total miles as the weeks advance. At the beginning total weekly miles were around 12-15 miles per week and by the end you're doing 30-40 miles per week. I had to quit my marathon prep about halfway through due to a repetitive stress injury to my knee but even after just 1.5 months I was in my best shape since basic training.

BTW swimming laps is an excellent way to cross train as it works mostly upper body and is easy on the joints.

[Provost Harrison]

I do some running (I did 12km on Saturday) but I am doing more swimming than anything (another 3km 2-3 times a week too)...that seems to be doing wonders for my physical fitness.

[Al B. Sure!]

I do some running (I did 12km on Saturday) but I am doing more swimming than anything (another 3km 2-3 times a week too)...that seems to be doing wonders for my physical fitness.

Along with eating regular Snickers bars, apparently.

[Provost Harrison]

MARATHONS! Goddamn you, philistine!

[Al B. Sure!]

MARATHONS! Goddamn you, philistine!

You're the ignorant philistine, apparently.

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Snickers was formerly sold under the brand name Marathon until 1990.[3] More recently, Snickers Marathon branded energy bars have been sold in some markets.[4

[Provost Harrison]

Those bastards are wrong and know sh*t

[Al B. Sure!]

Those bastards are wrong and know sh*t

why do you think the wrapper styling is the same?



They're the god damn same thing. They were Snickers here first but for some reason called Marathons over there til M&M Mars standardized it.

In 1930, the Mars family introduced its second product, Snickers, named after their favorite horse.[5

[Provost Harrison]

why do you think the wrapper styling is the same?



They're the god damn same thing. They were Snickers here first but for some reason called Marathons over there til M&M Mars standardized it.

They changed it. Goddamn the bastards!

[Al B. Sure!]

They changed it. Goddamn the bastards!

You dumbass. The Snickers bar was introduced in 1930 in AMERICA as SNICKERS named after a horse!

Why they decided to market it as Marathon over there decades later, I don't know. But they rightly changed it back in 1990, 60 ****ing years after it was first named Snickers.

[Provost Harrison]

Are you honestly this f**king dense? I didn't even mean to troll you but you just took the bait that wasn't even there, and I just had to go with the flow.

[MRT144]

So I got my new asics gt 2160s and they're sweet. tried breaking them in today on a 10 mile run but had to stop because I almost got blisters and I dont play that game.

[Al B. Sure!]

So I got my new asics gt 2160s and they're sweet. tried breaking them in today on a 10 mile run but had to stop because I almost got blisters and I dont play that game.

I have that exact shoe... I wore it at OCS... was wearing them when I got my stress fractures.

Blue and white:



I did wear another pair my first time at OCS and just had shin splints.


I don't wear these anymore. Switched to Nike Frees.

[Al B. Sure!]

MRT, in all seriousness, you done ****ed up.

So you've been running 4-5 miles 3 days a week and suddenly decide to run 10 miles in BRAND NEW running shoes?

NO! NO! NO! Holy ****. You need to break in new running shoes. NOT ****ING DOUBLE YOUR MILEAGE IN ONE GO!

No wonder you got blisters and thank god you got blisters since it stopped you from continuing with that madness.

[MRT144]

MRT, in all seriousness, you done ****ed up.

So you've been running 4-5 miles 3 days a week and suddenly decide to run 10 miles in BRAND NEW running shoes?

NO! NO! NO! Holy ****. You need to break in new running shoes. NOT ****ING DOUBLE YOUR MILEAGE IN ONE GO!

No wonder you got blisters and thank god you got blisters since it stopped you from continuing with that madness.

I didn't get blisters. I stopped at mile 7 cause I could feel them coming on. Also, that 7 miles was a breeeeeeeze.

Friday, another 10 mile run is scheduled. I'll probably do a 4 mile walk on thursday night.

[Jon Miller]

I always am amazed at how easy a time some people have.

I can spend a couple of months jogging 3 miles 6-8 times a week, and I would still have a hard time doing 7 miles.

JM

[MRT144]

I always am amazed at how easy a time some people have.

I can spend a couple of months jogging 3 miles 6-8 times a week, and I would still have a hard time doing 7 miles.

JM

I slowed my pace down by a minute per mile. I think that helped a lot.

[Al B. Sure!]

I always am amazed at how easy a time some people have.

I can spend a couple of months jogging 3 miles 6-8 times a week, and I would still have a hard time doing 7 miles.

JM

He was probably going pretty slow.

And yeah, I don't get it. Some people are just born to run. I hate running distance. After about a half mile no matter what pace I'm going at, I'm like "God this sucks". I just remember that the people who run fast have less time in the suck than someone who runs slow so I try to pick up the pace.

[MRT144]

He was probably going pretty slow.

And yeah, I don't get it. Some people are just born to run. I hate running distance. After about a half mile no matter what pace I'm going at, I'm like "God this sucks". I just remember that the people who run fast have less time in the suck than someone who runs slow so I try to pick up the pace.

I've never been a fast runner. My all time best mile was 6:59 and that was a straight shot. For me, I think just getting into a rhythm and thinking about the end goal is what keeps me going. My average pace for today was 11 minutes which is just a minute slower than my normal pace. Part of it is that I don't think it sucks except for the first mile and a half. After that initial distance i start loosening up.

The thing I'm worried about is once I clear 13 miles. It seems kind of intimidating that I'm only halfway done.

[Jon Miller]

I don't know if I have ever gotten below a 7 minute mile.

I have been able to, for a couple of weeks, 3 miles in 24 minutes.

I generally jog 9 minutes miles.

JM

[Al B. Sure!]

I've done a hair above 6 minute mile before. Distance may not have been exact though since I used google maps data to map out a mile. My best 3 mile was 21:45 on a PFT at OCS... dead last in my platoon with that time.

I don't know how people do it. My legs feel like I'm running through mud after a mile in. It's not pain in my leg muscles nor that I'm gasping for breath. It's just that my legs feel exactly like how it feels to trudge through mud like every step takes muscular exertion. That causes me to slow down my turnover which obviously slows me down.

[Al B. Sure!]

So how's it going, MRT?


Jon Miller:

If you've done a 24 minute 3 mile, you've definitely been able to do a sub-7:00 mile.

Really, a 7 minute mile is easy if you think about it. And I'm saying this as someone who hates running and would probably have a rough time mustering a 7 minute mile if he ran right now. Let's see, that's a 1:45 400m... a 26.25 second 100m.

Jon, if you can get to a track, go run at a leisurely pace 100m while watching a stopwatch and try to maintain a steady pace while crossing the 100m mark right at 26 seconds. I bet your first time doing it, you'll be thinking you're going at an easy pace but find yourself at 100m in under 20 seconds. When you get 100m in exactly 26 seconds, you'll be amazed at just how slow that pace is.

Now of course, the trick would be to do that 100m 15 more times to get a 7 minute mile... that 16 times might be daunting but the pace itself is not fast at all.

I don't know. I keep trying to convince myself it's easy. Maybe that positive realization that the pace is not that tough... it's just carrying it over and maintaining it over distance... maybe put in perspective, it will help you.

[Jon Miller]

When I am doing intervals I do minute long spates at 14km/hr. This is just a bit faster than a 7 minute mile.

I could maybe do it for 2 minutes. I definitely am having a hard time on my 4th fast interval (my rest intervals are 9km/hr).

I am pushing very hard to be able to do 7 fast intervals...

JM

[MRT144]

So how's it going, MRT?


Jon Miller:

If you've done a 24 minute 3 mile, you've definitely been able to do a sub-7:00 mile.

Really, a 7 minute mile is easy if you think about it. And I'm saying this as someone who hates running and would probably have a rough time mustering a 7 minute mile if he ran right now. Let's see, that's a 1:45 400m... a 26.25 second 100m.

Jon, if you can get to a track, go run at a leisurely pace 100m while watching a stopwatch and try to maintain a steady pace while crossing the 100m mark right at 26 seconds. I bet your first time doing it, you'll be thinking you're going at an easy pace but find yourself at 100m in under 20 seconds. When you get 100m in exactly 26 seconds, you'll be amazed at just how slow that pace is.

Now of course, the trick would be to do that 100m 15 more times to get a 7 minute mile... that 16 times might be daunting but the pace itself is not fast at all.

I don't know. I keep trying to convince myself it's easy. Maybe that positive realization that the pace is not that tough... it's just carrying it over and maintaining it over distance... maybe put in perspective, it will help you.

I ran 14 miles in a little over 2 hours on Sunday. It's going pretty well. My legs are finally adjusting to running fairly often, my breathing is good and I feel great afterwards and the next day with just normal soreness that dissipates over the course of the day. I've been doing 3 mile runs during the week and those are cake. I've worked down to an 8 minute pace on them.

My feet and shins are fine. No blisters. The only thing that's annoying is tightness in my right hip that is probably from years of being sedentary and the reconditioning of the muscle and tendons to move like that.

The thing that's hard for me at this point is consistent pace. Ideally I'd like to not go between 6-7 mph 4-5 different times while I run.