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My brother-in-law, RB, emailed me a few days ago. He had decided that this was the year he was going to scratch “Run a Marathon” off of the bucket list. He came to me looking for a little advice on the how and what to do over the next several months.
I essentially wrote back with the following list plus a link to Hal Higdon’s Novice Marathon Training Plan:
- Your goal in this marathon will be to “just finish”. Currently your base of 18 – 20 miles per week means that you need to concentrate on the distance of the marathon as opposed to speed.
- Your most important workout every week will be your long run. You can skip the shorter runs here and there, but you shouldn’t miss more than 2 long runs for the whole training cycle. And you CANNOT miss your two longest runs (18 and 20). Those two runs are key to giving you the mental confidence of finishing a marathon. There will be a point in the marathon when you want to quit, but if you have these two long runs under your belt, you will be able to draw on the experience of running them and finish.
- Your long runs should also be run a little slower than what you are used to running (10% – 20% slower than what you anticipate your marathon pace to be). If you don’t know what your pace will be, just make sure you are running at a pace where you could carry on a conversation (at least for the first 14 – 16 miles).
- If you have the desire, join a running social network like dailymile.com. It’s an easy way to keep track of your training and I could hook you up with a lot of my running friends who would give you support throughout your training.
- Running shoes. Whatever shoes you believe you will be running the marathon in, use them for your long runs. And then get a fresh pair of the same shoes maybe 4 weeks before marathon time and do maybe 4 or 5 runs in them to break them in. Your feet will thank you.
When I first started running regularly, I leaned a lot on my friend MK. He was and is a huge wealth of knowledge. Unfortunately, when I first decided to give the marathon distance a try, neither one of us had run a marathon yet. I wish I had had the resources I have now at my disposal.
So with that said, I would like to ask you, my readers, specifically those who have run marathons, to help me out. Whether you are a serial marathoner (as it seems I am turning into) or a one-time marathoner who is just happy to get the race off of the bucket list, I would like to elicit what advice you would have given yourself when you first set off to conquer this magical distance, knowing what you know now.
My hope is to make RB’s first experience of 26.2 miles an positive one.
Run Luau Run 
I’d add two things I wish someone had shared with me when I started running:
1) Band-Aids for your nipples
2) BodyGlide for your thighs (or anywhere else that rubs funny)
Chafing is the enemy!
Both good ones! I’ve been pretty lucky with the chafing in general, but every once in a while it happens and when it does, it sucks!
Wow good luck to him!
Go to a running store for your shoes. Don’t buy your shoes at Target!
The best advise I received was to find your own pace. It can take up to 5-8 decent runs to do this but once you know you can run 7-9 miles easily you’ll be fine.
excellent advice!
Dont forget about nutrition – try some gels/blocks/shots on your long run, dont forget to eat before and after and try to figure out what your stomach needs/can handle.
definitely!
Great advice. Here are a few things that helped me…
1. Eat bland the night before the race – what you usually eat but forgo the sauces (they tend to contain fat). Pasta or even better and a more natural carb source is plain potatoes (sweet is my favorite) or brown rice.
2. In training and during your long runs, wear what you plan on wearing in your marathon and fuel the night before, the morning of, and during your training run as you will do during your marathon.
3. Expect to want to quit about 3 times during those 26.2 miles. Be prepared to push through it. Have your mantras all set that will help. Friends, family at miles 18 and on are HUGE motivators.
4. Treat the first 20 miles as a training run and the last 6 plus as your race.
Those are all the things that got me to a BQ finish for my first marathon. Most of them I used to run Boston and was only 23 seconds off my qualifying time. I’m addicted to the long, grueling run.
all important things to remember!
Use your 20 mile run as a dress rehearsal. Fuel before the same way you plan to on race day. Try to start your run at the same time of day of the event. Wear the clothes you want to wear for the marathon, and the shoes and bring the fuel. I have learned over and over again, do not introduce anything new on race day.
Thanks Ruth! I paid dearly for introducing a new routine in New York last year – yikes!!!
Hold yourself to your rest days. You’ve earned them. When race day comes, trust your training. You will be nervous but you’ve prepared for this day and you are ready.
Fueling was a big thing for me. Didn’t get it until a failed 20 miler that I really do need to have something to fuel me during those longer runs. It took a lot of experimenting, too, to find the right ‘foods’ (gels, chews, etc.) and figure out how often to take them. Definitely use your long runs to experiment with this!
Thank you for all the useful knowledge. I am selecting a marathon to run this weekend and will keep you posted.
Hello – just a quick update…my first marathon is this Saturday…I am really looking forward to the race. I know anything can happen on race day, but I think that my training has paid off and I am ready for the race.
Good luck Bro! Do you have a plan in place for race day?