Which marathon is for me?

m83

Hi guys,

First post n00b here from Galway. It has always been a goal of mine to run a marathon and now I've finally decided to do something about it and I'm actually really excited at the thought of it too.

I'm not a runner by any means but I'm relatively fit, RHR of 54 BPM, eat healthily, young (24) and have been going to the gym on a regular basis for the last few years although I've not been going as much this year due to work commitments.

Recently I've started some 10K treadmill running. I've done it only three times now. My first time was 59 min, then 54 min and on friday I did it in 45:08 somehow but I probably shouldn't have pushed that hard (for me) as I obviously am a complete amateur.

Anyway from reading Hal Higdon's Marathon and the Teach Yourself Marathon book it seems that about 4 to 6 months is the usual time required to train for the 26.2 monster.
The Connemarathon is on in 5 months time but the Dublin City Marathon is on in 12 months.

I was initially planning to do the DCM as it would allow me to get in some pre-marathon practice such as a few 5Ks, 10Ks and maybe a half marathon too. Also I could really take my training at a nice steady pace without ever having to over do it, hopefully avoiding injury along the way and would also benefit from being able to train in decent weather throughout the summer. My main worry though is that I wouldn't be able to keep my motivation for the full year as it's a long time to work at something and I'd be doing it alone. Also I'm not sure what a training plan for 12 months would entail to find a balance between under and over training.

On the other hand if I raced in the Connemarathon I wouldn't have the some motivational problems. However I wouldn't be as prepared for this race and any injury along the way would eat up valuable training time. But I do have 5 months for it, which they say is enough.

So what do you think is right for me given my current fitness level if I'm aiming for a sub 4hr marathon?

Either way I'm just really looking forward to learning as much as I can, putting plenty of hard work into my training, following a well thought out plan and giving it 110% come race day.

aburke

The Connemarathon is pretty cool.
The course is spectacular, and as you're based in Galway, it's on your doorstep.
If you can manage to do you training over winter, and put in the long miles on the roads, then its well worth it.
You have enough time to get ready for a 4 hr marathon. The key thing is putting in the miles.
There are plenty of races between now and then, 10kms next weekend in Hollymount, the following weekend on Inis Meain, Athenry on St Stephens Day.
Tuam will have 8km around New Years Day, and of course Ballycotton 10 miler in March. [To mention just the obvous races]

Its no secret that the Connemarathon course is tough, and the hills will cost you 10-15 mins, maybe.

On the other hand, I spent a year preparing for my first Marathon, slowly building up the miles [as any training guide will tell you], and did the Half in Connemara as part of that.

One other piece of advice.. Find a running partner to do even SOME of the mileage with you or Join a club. It worked for me!

Later
Alan

Odysseus

I done the Longford Marathon eariler this year, I thought it would be a great marathon for a first timer, friendly people, good course, and nowwhere near as many people running as a major marathon. It was at the end of August. Though if you want one eariler the Belfast Marathon is held in June.

Myksyk

There's something exciting about the big events though. I just did Dublin as my first marathon and it was great (albeit torturous for the last 6 miles). I think you're right to be thinking about building things up slowly. Aim for a half marathon in spring with a good time there (Connemara has a half marathon option but for a few quid you head to Leeds or somehting and do theirs). There's any amount of half marathons to pick from across the water. After that, take a few weeks off and then build for the main event from a good strong base. Injury is always a possibility (nearly all runners pick up injuries which as you rightly say eats into training). Doing the slow steady way will probably help you avoid injuries, be better prepared and get a better time. My own experience showed me that even if I could do a one off 18 or 20 miler in training if you haven't doen enough miles over 4-5 months (which I hadn't) you won't know what hit you (seriously) when you get to 21 miles!

m83

Thanks for all the great feedback everyone. I believe that Dublin is the one for me. Afterall, I enjoy the training so the extra months running is something to look forward to. I intend on doing the half marathon in Connemara (Leeds is a bit too much out of the way for me) and I'll also do a few 5 milers, 10k's etc to get race day exposure.

I couldn't find a training plan to suit my needs so I made one today at work, it's the attached Excel file. I play 5-a-side football every Tuesday and enjoy it immensely but I think I should curtail it 6 months prior to Dublin to avoid picking up any unnecessary (sic) injuries. Not sure if the plan is too light or heavy but with time I'm sure I can edit it into something that feels right for me. But I have tried to make it consistent yet varied and with step-backs along the way.

Critique at your pleasure as I'm brand new to this and bound to have made plenty of mistakes!

Andy27981

Hi M83

your first post sounds like exactly like I was last year -

So you have made a decision on dublin - a great one- I did my first marathon last week and Ive been on a high ever since crossing the finishline -

One mistake I made is I started training to early - I was running 4/5 times a week back in feburary/march/april in preparation for dublin - because I started so early I was enevtibly dogged by injury for sept & Oct (the two most crucial injury) A marathon is no joke and the milage put in, in training can really cause injury so be wary of starting too soon and doing two much road running - this way u can stay injury free and have best possible preparation.

An amazing feeling when finished though - I still just look at my medal and smile to myself - my girlfriend thinks im cracked : D

Good luck with the training - we'll chat on here no doubt - im definitly gonna do some more marathons - cant wait to beat the hell out of my last time, and run un injured !

Myksyk

Remember too m83 that the Dublin Marathon organisers hold a useful series of races coming up to the marathon which give good race exposure. They have a 5mile, 10 mile and half marathon in the Phoenix Park in the couple of months prior to the Big Day and they'e great.

m83

Excellent, I didn't know that but I'll definitely keep it in mind.

aburke

There is a very healthy road-running scene here in the west, indeed, all over the country.

Have a look through the Calendar in my sig; you can browse through the past year of events to see what was on.
It fills up as I get to hear about future events.

The Adidas Dublin Marathon series is very good, but there are heaps of road races that aren't quite as high profile around too.

See you on the roads!

Later
Alan

HardyEustace

hi m83, well the one thing that I would say, which probably goes against all advice is to find a relatively near marathon and do it. You sound a little like me in that you're relatively new to the sport but just loving it. sorry to bore but just in case you haven't read previous posts ... only started back a couple of months before-i think about april- for the mini-marathon, loved running and decided to give the running a shot.

it depends what you want from it as well. I'd never run and did not profess to be the fittest person by a long mile (pardon the pun), in fact I'm only giving up smoking this weekend(currently speed reading allan carr, threw it away last time half way through as I thought i'd have to give up smoking!), I ran the marathon this year. I'd no time (as I'm sure you know from the non-runners marathon book) and just wanted to finish the marathon. I absolutely LOVED AND ADORED every minute of it. I ended up finishing in four and half hours which I never thought I'd do. It was fantastic and I just so adored it. However the point of my mail (about 30 lines later) was that I don't think that I could have kept the momentum going for a year. Why not try for the conneamarathon? If time is an issue then it may not be the right one for you, but if, like me, the aim is to finish a marathon then I would recommend having an achievable goal in site. It helped when the evenings got darker and I got drenched by cars on the road. I've already entered my second and third marathon and all I can say is its the most amazing thing to do. Good for you in starting the whole process in the first place but at the
same time why wait for a whole year to enjoy it???

One thing that does seem to surface over and over again in the whole marathon thing is that "if you don't enjoy your first you won't do a second" so I'd say pick one thats relatively close, do the non-runners marathon training and then once you know that you absolutely love and adore the feeling, put the hard work in for the second one and set yourself time goals. You've made a fantastic commitment already in considering it, make sure that you enjoy your first one. You've loads of time left to do the whole "looking at the watch and pacing yourself thing". Not to detract from the runners that do that-i'm hoping to be one of them myself- but when I think of marathons now I have a massive smile on my face and am literally bouncing off my seat at the thought of the next two, three, ten, one hundred... enjoy your first and it won't be your last!

Squirrel

Best of luck m83 and remember to keep us posted come race day. Oh, and I like your plan for the day after

m83

Wow thanks again everyone for all the positive feedback.

HardyEustace I totally get your point. And you're right, I'm probably focusing too much on the time I finish the marathon in rather than just finishing it at all. But at the same time I can't help it, it's just the way I am! Damn genes! However I have changed my training plan around a bit and last night I signed up for the half marathon in Connemara in April to give me more of a short term goal. Another 10k race or two during the Summer and I'll be laughing.

Well I've only two sessions done so far of my training but loved both of them more than any time I ran before in the past. It's just so good to know in the back of my head that the work I'm putting in now is going to make me so much more prepared down the line. To be honest, a year of training sessions like those two and I'll be as happy as a penguin in a microwave

I really really think that making a training plan already will have a huge impact on the effectiveness of my workouts. So if there are any other newbies lurking out there I'd really urge you to do likewise. Make one for yourself or use mine, I'll waiver the copyright this time. The plan will also probably reduce my risk of injury too as I won't be pushing every session to the limit, I'll be running the ideal pace and I'll stop when I'm supposed to even if I have more bread left in the oven.

All in all, so far so good!

Clum

I'm still on high, too, after the Dublin marathon. Good luck in getting yourself to the start (and finish) line. The training is tough, especially on your own.

m83 wrote:

I couldn't find a training plan to suit my needs so I made one today at work, it's the attached Excel file.

Critique at your pleasure as I'm brand new to this and bound to have made plenty of mistakes!

One thing I would recommend is shortening some of your midweek runs towards the last few months. Getting the mileage in is important but you'll need to rest those legs too. Going out and doing a 15k, 16k and 14k during the week and then doing a 20 odd or 30 odd km run on the weekend may be too much. I'd cut one to an 8k or something.

Top club runners and professionals run over 100 miles a week so it's possible to do those long runs but for a first time runner it may be too much.

Also, if you're running a 45 minute 10k after only 3 sessions you should be well able for a sub 4 hour finish (sub 3 hours 30 mins I'd say). You'll find your times dropping a lot in the early days of getting fit but be aware there's a good difference between road running and threadmills!

hunnymonster

Dublin is a super race for a first marathon. I've done it 3 times now. Just to give you the complete picture of irish marathoning. It looks like there will be 6 marathons next year to choose from

Connemara
Belfast
Cork
Achill
Longford and
Dublin.

I've done belfast, connemara and Dublin. Belfast is poor the other two are great. I've not managed to get to Longford yet and both COrk and Achill are new this year. I'm hoping to do Cork at least as I won't be able to make Dublin next year.

m83

Clum wrote:

I'm still on high, too, after the Dublin marathon. Good luck in getting yourself to the start (and finish) line. The training is tough, especially on your own.


One thing I would recommend is shortening some of your midweek runs towards the last few months. Getting the mileage in is important but you'll need to rest those legs too. Going out and doing a 15k, 16k and 14k during the week and then doing a 20 odd or 30 odd km run on the weekend may be too much. I'd cut one to an 8k or something.

Top club runners and professionals run over 100 miles a week so it's possible to do those long runs but for a first time runner it may be too much.

Also, if you're running a 45 minute 10k after only 3 sessions you should be well able for a sub 4 hour finish (sub 3 hours 30 mins I'd say). You'll find your times dropping a lot in the early days of getting fit but be aware there's a good difference between road running and threadmills!

Good advice Clum. I've noticed that would be too much also and revised the above plan. I don't have it with me for you now, maybe Monday, but I have cut back on the latter stages of my training as it is looking a bit excessive for a first timer.

Hopefully I can make that sub 4hr, sub 3:30 well with time we'll see but I won't feel too bad if I don't make it

As for getting off the treadmill I'm one step ahead of you, if you'll excuse the pun. I like the treadmill as I know exactly what pace and distance I'm doing. For my road running I've ordered a Garmin GPS watch to give me this feedback too. From what I've heard they're really useful for those of us who do most running alone. At least I hope so, they ain't cheap!

Hunnymonster, I was thinking Dublin would be an unforgettable first marathon too. Had no idea there were major activites in Cork, I'll have to check the schedule and maybe sign up for a half perhaps as I'm looking for some race practice in June.


Bye for now