Marathon advice for a newbie runner

shy

Hi Guys

Myself and a friend are trying to raise some money for a local charity and we are thinking of doing a mini marathon or full marathon depending on how training goes.

is it do able if we start training this week, fitness levels are not the best, a stone or two over weight and only start execrising (walking) most days in jan of this year. we are aiming for either the longford marathon in aug.

cheers for the help

hunnymonster

Hi There
a 10 km is certainly possible. So is a marathon but it might be better to give a marathon a bit longer to get your body used to the strains running long distances put on it (people vary in suggesting anything from 6 months to 18 months to prepare for your first marathon).

If you do decide to go for it
1. get good shoes, good means they offer the correct fit for your running gait
2. commit to a training plan. there are loads out there. Hal Higdon plans are often used by beginners
3. enjoy the journey. You only ever get a first marathon once.

Oisin11178

shy wrote: »

Hi Guys

Myself and a friend are trying to raise some money for a local charity and we are thinking of doing a mini marathon or full marathon depending on how training goes.

is it do able if we start training this week, fitness levels are not the best, a stone or two over weight and only start execrising (walking) most days in jan of this year. we are aiming for either the longford marathon in aug.

cheers for the help

I took up running last march and did the longford marathon last August so it is doable. You have got to have dedication though. Good advise from Hunnymonster there as well. It is very important you get a decent pair of runners that suit your running style. Maybe do 1 of the hal higdon 10k plans as a build up to the marathon shedule.
Good luck whatever you decide.

gerard65

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
The couch to 5k plan.
This plan has been used successfully for beginners. It will get you from walking to running 5k. When you get to running 5k comfortable you'll be able to build to 10k.

yungwan

:eek::eek:

Ok not sure if this is the correct thread for this but anywho..

Im sort of panicking about my training for the mini marathon. Im a newbie and I am relatively fit as I walk alot but ive decided to set myself the challenge of jogging the mini marathon (if I can get thru the throngs of annoying slow pace walkers!)

I started my introduction to the jogging in February, gradually increasing my jogging to walking rations and I am now able to jog about 12 minutes flat out. But i feel like i will never reach 10k!! I figure I am jogging about 2.5 at the moment!!

I found a training schedule online last week "Training to jog 10K in 6 weeks" or something along those lines, with the assumption that you are a regular jogger to start with. The first day indicates that I should walk for 10 mins, jog for 20 and then walk for 10 mins. However I am not able to do 20!! I always give up around the 12 min mark!!!

What i want to know is if i stop for a minute to regain my breath etc and continue on for the remainder of the 20 mins does it still count?! I feel liek I am never going to achieve this!! Please help!

macinalli

yungwan wrote: »

What i want to know is if i stop for a minute to regain my breath etc and continue on for the remainder of the 20 mins does it still count?! I feel liek I am never going to achieve this!! Please help!

Jogging should mean that you can easily chat to someone that's running alongside you. If you're out of breath then you're going too fast - slow down! At the start don't worry at all about pace - just pick a speed that you can comfortably hold. As you get into your training programme your fitness will improve and so will your speed!

RoyMcC

macinalli wrote: »

Jogging should mean that you can easily chat to someone that's running alongside you. If you're out of breath then you're going too fast - slow down! At the start don't worry at all about pace - just pick a speed that you can comfortably hold. As you get into your training programme your fitness will improve and so will your speed!

+1 cut your speed by half and you'll amaze yourself.

Pisco Sour

yungwan wrote: »

I am now able to jog about 12 minutes flat out.

Theres your problem in a nut shell. Dont go flat out!

If your running 2.5k in 12 minutes then you are not jogging, you are running! If you keep that pace up for 10k then you're on 48 minutes, which is pretty quick (usually top 15-20% in most 10k races).

Slow it down.

yungwan

ok so slow down you all say!? Ok ill do that, although I dont think its a speed thing to be honest. Maybe Im just over thinking it or something. For example I will jog for as far as I can and think I have definately been jogging for 20 mins and it will only have been 10!! lol

Ill try to slow down and see how I get on this evening.

I really want to do this for myself as a challenge and I am getting frustrated with myself as I dont think I am pushing myself enough.

Thanks for advise,

Bye for now!

yungwan

Just wanted to let you all know how my training is progressing, and to thank you all for giving me the motivation to get back into it again!!

I am on week three of my "From walking to jogging 10 k in six weeks" and its going great. And you were all correct! I was going too fast!

I am now up to 35 mins jogging on my short days (which this week increases from 2 times a week to 3 times) and 10 mins brisk walk, 35 mins jog and 5 mins brisk walk on the long day.

Ive been bitten by the bug! I really love my new hobby and I actually cant wait to do the mini marathon now and see how my distance increases which each week following the plan. And who knows, next I might try a 10 mile jog or a half marathon!!!

For anyone struggling with their training I definately recommend folowing a plan!!

yungwan

Good Luck in the Flora Mini Marathon to all you newbies!

I am really looking forward to my first time too.

Jogging training has gone pretty well over the last couple of weeks and I did my full 10k on Sunday last on a test go.

It took me longer than I thought it would 85 minutes, but I did manage to jog the whole thing. I am hoping I will manage to get the time down on the day to closer to the 60 mins with the excitment of the day but to finish it would be great.

Any last minute advise out there!!!????

HardyEustace

Enjoy it and don't wear too much.

You should be cold at the start of the race. You'll warm up about 20 seconds after you start. Shorts and a singlet should suffice.

Don't worry about cellulite/fat/wobbly bits. Everyone else is too busy getting round the course and worrying about themselves to give a continental about how you look.

Everyone mentions having proper shoes but a good pair of running socks is a really worth while investment and will prevent blisters on a very hot or very wet day.

Enjoy the run and feel proud of yourself.

The course will be horribly congested at the start. Be prepared for a long wait. If you're planning on actually jogging the jogging course rather than walking it then get there early. It was my first race four years ago and I actually training. i was surrounded by walkers in the "jogging" group and it was very frustrating to have to bounce around people for the first few kilometers. Get there and get up the top of the joggers section. Most will be walking.

From the last two kilometers or so give it a bit of welly if you can and finish knowing you've really given it your all.

yungwan

Ok, coz I was going to wear my charity tee-shirt and shorts to avoid getting burnt as I am fair. Will this be too much? Im not too worried about fat wobbling!! But thanks for being so honest!!

I want to get out front but I dont want to be dehydrating in the heat waiting for start. Would 1pm be early enough? I dont know what time my friends will want to go in but Ill see. They walking and I am jogging so I will be more competitive on the day!! haha

How quickly is average for a beginner jogger do you know?

HardyEustace

To be honest, keep the charity t-shirt to wear after the race. I'd have a proper technical t-shirt for the race. You'll be in the city centre, it'll be hot and crowded. You run the risk of over-heating/chaffing if you have an ordinary cotton t-shirt.

Didn't mean to imply that you'd wobbly bits that you wanted to hide but it's something I often hear from people who are bundled up in long joggie pants and a hoodie and about to pass out from the heat. They're too shy to wear shorts and/or a singlet when to be honest, no-one gives a toss what they're wearing.

If you want to stay hydrated then bring a bottle of water with you and then chuck it before the start. You can easily ask people to pass it along to pop over the side of the barrier so that no-one falls over it. Just don't have very cold water if it's a hot day as you'll give yourself a stitch.

Have a look at the results from the previous years and you'll see what times people finish in. The mini-marathon is very much a charity race so it's not uncommon to see people stop off mid race for a smoke and a coffee or a drink! LOL

yungwan

Great thanks very much for the advice!!

Yea I know its very relaxed and people are just there for the fun etc but I am there as my first race ever since I began jogging!! so i suppse maybe Im taking it a bit more serious than many would. But I am hoping to keep this jogging up which many others arent.

Good idea with the water beforehand. What would you suggest food wise on the morning? A bagel or something?

HardyEustace

A golden rule of races is

don't do anything different on race day

No shiny, new shoes that'll cut your feet.
No lovely, new top that'll gouge out your armpits.
No new food that'll make you belch or feel pukey.

Same old, same old...

Thus just eat what you normally eat, make it something light and easy to digest. I'm not a big porridge eater so I have oat cakes and hummous or scrambled eggs. But everyone is different.

yungwan

Thanks for all the advise hardy.

Really appreciate it.

Ill let you know how it goes if you're interested!

D

jcsmum

Best of luck to you on Monday! I will be jogging it too. I walked it last year with a friend and I was really jealous of all the runners and joggers. It motivated me to start jogging and here I am 12 months later - a jogger! I absolutely love running, have entered a few races throughout the year which were very motivational in helping me progress.
I too am not looking forward to the start line and the mayhem that I saw last year. But a few kms into the race, it should be okay.
Fingers crossed for a nice day weather wise.

yungwan

One last question... (yeah I know you would swear I was doing the bloody Dublin Marathon but im a beginner so whatever!)

Should I go for one last short training session this evening? Maybe 3 miles? Or is it too close to the date - should I just relax until Monday and maybe go for a short cycle to break up the running?

Advise grateful!

HardyEustace

I would definitely go for a run tonight. If you wanted a rest day then the best day is tomorrow. Then on Sunday go for another short run to "wake" your body up.

If you are going to get a technical t-shirt (makes a big difference to comfort as mentioned) then would try it out tonight. To be honest, if you even wanted to test it then I'd run Saturday morning. You've all of Saturday and Saturday night to "recover".

Don't worry about doing too much. When you're just starting to train the more you train(within reason), the more your body responds. When people talk about rest days here it's before marathons and after runs of > 8-10 miles.

Nice, steady, consistent training is the key.

One thing that makes a massive difference is sleep. So try and get a good night's sleep on Saturday night as sometimes the night before a race you can be a bit too excited or anxious to sleep.

And remember, smile on the face and enjoy the day!

yungwan

Great thanks so much - you're a star.

Ill do the run this evening as I have a busy weekend ahead and probably wont fit in another one before Monday.

Thanks again

aero2k

HardyEustace wrote: »

One thing that makes a massive difference is sleep. So try and get a good night's sleep on Saturday night as sometimes the night before a race you can be a bit too excited or anxious to sleep.

And remember, smile on the face and enjoy the day!

I can echo all the good advice from HardyEustace in this and previous posts, especially the smile - it helps you be more relaxed.
Sleep is important but if you find it difficult to sleep the night before, don't worry, lying down in the bed, as relaxed as you can manage, is almost as good as sleep.

Emer911

Good luck on Monday. And don't forget to smile for the cameras too:D