Dublin marathon 2011 for a novice.... what should I be doing now?

dibs101

Ok guys been building up the courage to post this for a while, but sifting thru the threads after this years marathon has made me bite the bullet...

Short history. Played competitave gaa and football years ago. Between work, marriage, smoking( now thankfully gone) and kids all form of competitave exercise went out the window.

6 months ago I decided to get into running, (and its my enjoyment of runnung that keeps me off the fags) and now I am going to do the marathon next year. Have thought about it for a while but finally told the wife and friends so no going back now and have a charity close to my heart which could benefit from a few quid.

Between work, kids etc I dont have an awful lot of time but I want to make sure that Im doing the right type of training to complete the matathon next year. Because time is at a premium i want to make sure what im doing is the right type of training.

At the moment Im doing 15k once a week on the treadmill with some core work and then two or three 5 milers down the park on a good week. The 15 k is a battle but I have a feeling I am running it too hard at 1.15???? when on the day I have no intention of running it that hard as I think I would burn myself out.

Running the park 5 miles in 37 mins buyt concerned that when it comes to the 26 miler that this will be too fast for a novice. I know its a bad time by runners standards, I dont want to break any records on my first time around, i just want to get around.

Is it wrong to aim for a time of 4.30 for your first marathon?

I am looking for a wee bit of advice and guidance about what kind of training i should be doing now....

If i do 5 miles now in 40m mins comfortably what can i expect to be doing the following 5 mile intervals in???

Mabye its my brain going into overdrive with all these questions, or do I just have to get out on the road, keep running and pushing harder every day, see where it takes me and the times will sort themselves out?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated guys, planning on using Hal higdon next year as the marathon approaches but what now to maximise my chances of doing it???

Corkie100

Hi Dibs
I don't have a huge amount of experience, hopefully you will get decent replies from some of the runners on here, I got fab advice here when preparing for DCM. For what it's worth, here are a few thoughts, based on the 3 marathons I have done.
1. Endurance is key for a marathon. Don't worry too much about how quickly you are doing your five milers, 15km, etc. Work on building up a solid mileage base, both in terms of weekly mileage and the miles conquered on your long run once a week.
2. Try to get a run in at least 3 or 4 times a week, making one of them a long SLOW run. THis LSR can start out at 7 or 8 miles, don't even think about the target of 26 at this stage, it'll put you off!! Remember, the lSR is all about time on your feet and building miles, NOT speed.
3. Hal Higdon plan was what I used for DCM ,excellent programme. Would you consider following, say, a half marathon programme now and then starting an 18 week programme for the marathon itself? PLenty ten mile and half marathon races in spring, so maybe a short term goal would help you focus?
4. Personally, I hate the treadmill and am puzzled as to why you are using it for your longest run of the week. Maybe you have one at home or at work and are using it due to time constraints?? If that is the case, I'd still try and reverse your system and use the treadmill for short faster sessions and get out for your longer runs.
5. Don't think about a time target for your first marathon until much nearer the time (and maybe not even then!!). If you could get in a couple of longer races in the Spring/ summer, like a ten mile or a half, these will give you a better idea of your race pace and help you set a realistic target. Based on your current running habits and your obvious motivation, sub 4.30 should be doable for you, but until you have long runs under the belt, it's difficult to know.
Well done for setting yourself a big target. Focus now, and enjoy!

RayCun

+1 on what Corkie said.
One year out you don't need to start marathon-specific training. I would pick some races at shorter distances - 5k, 5 mile, 10k - over the next few months and target those. Race day experience will stand to you, and races will tell you how fast you can run, much more than training.
Try out some training plans for those races. You need to start running at different paces, and find out what kind of plan you can follow.
Use that information to pick a marathon training plan, and a target pace, in June. Based on your 5 mile time you should be aiming a lot faster than 4.30, and a more challenging plan than the Higdon Novice 1, but it's way too early to say for sure.
(There'll almost certainly be another marathon novice thread starting up next year too)

anymore

Just relax and enjoy your running - look up internet and look at some of the trainning schedules and pick one you are comfortable with and thats it.

menoscemo

Just get used to getting out there 4 or 5 nights a week. As others say, pick a few races to do betwen now and june. If you can manage to clock up say 100 miles a month injury free for the first 5 months of the year, then you'll be in great shape to do a specific marathon training programme in the 18 weeks before DCM. Having the base mileage in your legs will allow you to choose an intermediate training programme, mean you are less likely to get injured doing that programme and give you a fighting chance of a strong performance on marathon day.

Given your times at the moment, 4.30 is a very conservative target. You will also find your times drop dramatically with consistent training. Best of luck.

shels4ever

Enjoy your running, maybe pick a 10k and try to improve your times over that distance, Slowly build up your long runs to 10-12 mile. If you can be doing this prior to the start of your marathon plan you will be doing really well. Great time of year to start planning a marathon consistency is the key.

dibs101

Thanks for advice guys, bad week work wise so no road work done. I am getting the distinct feeling that there will be no substitute for the hard yards put in on the roads.... i need to keep focused on that I think. Thanks for the advice. Ill keep you posted.