You too can run a marathon!

Since I am not sure who actually reads this blog besides my family and the couple of people following it through the internet, I thought I might step back a little and write about how to get started training for a marathon. As you probably can guess, it is not advisable to wake-up one morning and decide to run your first marathon the next week or even next month. It takes a lot of time and training to get to the starting line knowing that you can run the distance and without unduly injuring yourself (see last week’s blog). I am of the opinion that anyone can run a marathon if they have the desire and are willing to put in the time necessary to properly prepare for the event.

Running a marathon is one of the few things that you can do without a major investment in equipment or special training. It is simply getting out on the road on a regular basis and putting in the miles. I will tell you emphatically that training for a marathon will test your physical limits and stretch your boundary of endurance. You will learn things about yourself and your body that you could not learn any other way. To remain in jury free as you build up your mileage you need to pay attention to what you body is telling you and rest when you need to.

On of the other keys to being successful in your training is to have a reason to run. I cannot tell you the reason you should get out there. You have to find that reason yourself. I started running to get into better shape and lose weight. My decision to run a marathon was that I was looking for a physical challenge that would allow me to focus on something other than work and to try and round out my life. When I ran for Dana Farber in the Boston Marathon, I had 15,000 reasons to run and I am convinced it is the main reason I was able to achieve my life’s goal of running a 4 hour marathon.

The one thing I knew when I set out to train for my first marathon was that it would require not just physical endurance but mental strength. It would take a real commitment to focus on my training and would take a lot of time. What I did not know at the time was that completing my first marathon was going to be one of the most gratifying experiences in my life. The good news is that the feeling of euphoria when you cross the finish line is always there. I have completed 6 marathons and each was a great experience in its own way. Only those who have trained hard and persevered over 26.2 miles can truly understand where I am coming from. If you want to have a similar experience, you have to start at the very beginning.

My goal when I set out to train for my first marathon was to finish the race without injury and a with a smile on my face. I did finish without injury. The smile came later. If you have never run a marathon, you should at least have been running regularly (2 – 3 times a week) for at least 2 years. In addition, it would be good if you have run a few races even if they are only 5Ks. Why, you ask. During a marathon, you will complete approximately 55,000 footstrikes as you cover the course. This will obviously beat your body down. If you haven’t built your body and legs up to withstand such abuse, you will most likely end up injured. Be realistic with yourself before attempting the training necessary for a marathon. If you have been running consistently for the past 2 or more years then you are a candidate for the marathon. If not, then start slow and build up over the next couple of years until you have a good base from which to start.

Before you embark on the typical 16 week marathon training program, it would be advisable to log 20 mile base training miles each week for at least 3- 4 months. This will get your body used to the pounding that will occur as you run the marathon. I cannot stress enough to make sure that at least half of these miles be run outdoors on pavement. Most marathons are run on pavement. Therefore, you need to get your legs used to the hard surface. If you do all of your training on a treadmill or a soft surface like trails or school tracks made out of recycled rubber, you will find upon completing the marathon that you are much more sore than if you had trained on a harder surface allowing your body to adapt to the punishment.

In my next entries, I will discuss various training programs and things that you can do to avoid injury during your training. I do believe that if you have been a runner for several years, completed smaller races, like 5ks, 10ks or a half marathon, and you are logging 20 miles or more per week, you can train for and complete a marathon. The key to success is proper training and more importantly respect for the distance. Running a marathon is as much about patience as it is about strength and ability. Take the time to prepare yourself. 26.2 miles is not something you just jump into on a whim. You need to truly allot the time needed to be ready and that takes patience along with perseverance.

Here are my training totals:

May 2 – 10.10 miles (1:31:33, 9:05 pace)
May 3 – 6.20 miles (55:15, 8:54 pace)

May 4 – 4.50 miles (36:37, 8:08 pace) – Yasso 800s
May 6 – 6.20 miles (52:47, 8:31 pace) – Tempo Run
May 7 – 6.40 miles (55:30, 8:40 pace)

May 8 – 10.20 miles (1:30:20, 8:40 pace)

Total Miles: 43.60 miles

2010 YTD Miles: 587.60 miles