When should I start training for a marathon?

JKerova1

Thinking of signing up for the Cork City marathon next June. It will be my first marathon. The furthest I've ever ran up to now is half marathon, which I did in 1.44 last June. I don't really have a target time for the marathon, I was told that if you do your first one in under four hours you are doing well?

Since I started running about ten years ago I've always had the ambition of doing a full marathon but never thought I'd be able. I've had a few injuries and health set backs which didn't help. I think if i don't do it next year I never will. I'm just not sure when to start training properly for it. Is it too early to start now or would I be better off waiting until maybe six months before the marathon?

FinnC

There really is no right answer to this and I’m someone that is always reluctant to say something like this is the answer you need because it’s what I do.So In reality the answer is It depends. It depends on a lot of factors. It depends on what you’ve been doing in the weeks and months before you start training for a start. You say you have been running for 10 years which is a great start but more important is how consistent you have been especially over the past year or so.

Some will say as short as 12 weeks others might say 4,5 or even 6 months. I actually think the sweet spot is about 16 weeks, but you really need to have a good foundation laid before you start.

Me personally though for example I now do a 12 week specific block, but that doesn’t mean I go from couch to Marathon training and I’ve years of training for marathons behind me.

If it were me I wouldn’t be worrying about it yet but at the same time I’d be maybe keeping one eye towards it. So maybe use the rest of this year and into January to train for something else like like a 5km or 10km. You don’t say how much you’re running at the moment mileage wise but getting used to a using a training plan would be no harm and something short like a 5 or 10km would be a good introduction imo.

Id start then looking to a training plan for the Marathon from about mid-February onwards which would give you about 4 months of good solid Marathon training.

Sub 4 is a good goal but with a 1:44 half and a solid block of training I think you’ll be able go well under that.

Tombo2001

Marathon is a very tangible goal, but for me there is a lot more to running if your are looking for new challenges - I would emphasise cross country running (season starts around now) and track. A lot of runners never try these and they are very rewarding.

Anyway, marathon.....probably 4 months before hand, and it helps a lot if you running regularly anyway. There are heaps of training programs online. One thing with marathon training is you need a lot of time. Those long runs take a lot of time, and also you need to find routes where you can do them.

Pissy Missy

Literature suggest at a minimum 6 months

Itziger

I'd agree with FinnC, there's no real generic answer. What I would add is the more aerobic base you have, the better. So, I would certainly be running and thinking about mileage now. Not obsessing, mind. But a good winter will stand to you. Some people like to do speedier stuff before turning to marathon training, but again, that depends on your profile as a runner.

As for a marathon PLAN, that's slightly different. They seem to vary between 18 weeks and 12 weeks, as a rule. The latter being for runners who are well trained already and want to 'sharpen' the focus for the actual race. My advice would be, keep running and enjoying it - if that includes a few cross country races, or a few 5 and 10k races, so be it.

What no-one can deny is that when you start to focus on actual marathon training - say in February, a decent Winter's running will make it a lot easier to complete. If you've spent the winter on your ar$e with the odd 5-a-side match thrown in, it'll be a sufferfest.

JKerova1

Okay thanks very much for the replies, plenty of food for thought there. I suppose over the last year I have been consistent enough, without racking up any major mileage. I haven't been following any specific training plan, I do shift work so I wouldn't really have a regular training pattern. I do maybe one 'long' (to me) run a week which would be 8-10 miles, plus maybe another two runs of between 5k at a faster pace and 5 miles. I might do an hour on the treadmill once a week. I fit in the odd game of soccer and the occasional HIT class in the gym, so I'm a bit all over the place really! I know I have a lot of work to do to get up to doing a marathon. I was thinking of doing the Clonakilty half-marathon which is at the end of November, using that to motivate me to train over the winter and hopefully help me when I start training properly for the marathon. I don't run with a club unfortunately, so I'm not sure if there are cross country races that non-club affiliated runners can enter?

marathon2022

Start now

JKerova1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119660409#Comment_119660409

Why do you say that?

marathon2022

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119660426#Comment_119660426

Start now is always the answer to "when should I start training for x".

To put it simply, running a marathon is not about the 12 or 16 week marathon specific block prior to the race, its about conditioning your body and mind. Get your shoes on and start running 5ks, 10ks, 10 miles, run fast, slow, grass, path, hill, strides, parkruns, read blogs, read threads, chat with people who run or simply come here and ask questions but start now.

If you read this post in 6 months the advise is the same

JKerova1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119660469#Comment_119660469

Okay thanks for your advice...

marathon2022

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119660476#Comment_119660476

Good luck on your journey👍️, this site is probably the best resource you will have for running commentary and advise, the mentored Dublin marathon threads and race reports are alive with personal experience and lessons, you could do worse than read a few of them.

Last complete one

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2057978706/dcm-2019-mentored-novices-thread

Current live one, 5 weeks to go

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058247596/2022-dcm-novice-thread

robinph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119660409#Comment_119660409

Start yesterday surely? :)

When to train depends on what the definition of "not training" is. If it is sitting on the couch then definitely starting yesterday is the best time. If you are already doing X miles a week in Y separate sessions then it's a bit different, but essentially increase X and Y by a tiny bit this week and next week, then reduce them by a bit the following week, then increase them a bit again.

At some point Z months out from the marathon you'll then find a training plan (if you're into that kind of regime) that takes you from your current X and Y over those Z months upto the marathon.

If the marathon is ages away then find some other mini targets of events along the way such as cross country, parkrun, shorter road races or track races depending on the time of year.

What works for me is not over complicating things when it's really not necessary.

E.coli

The good news is that this far out you have options. As others have alluded to most marathon specific build up plans will vary in length from anything from 8 weeks to 20 weeks depending on fitness. What you do in the mean time will give you more options of what types of training plan might suit you by the time that comes around. A lack of foundation will mean that you will need to do a more beginner style plan which is designed around preparing your body for the distance as opposed to more intermediate plans will build on existing fitness and aim to harness it which would not be suitable from an injury risk perspective to those without such a foundation.

As some have alluded to short term plans can break things up mentally which is fine, the other more long term option would be around becoming more process driven rather than outcome where you actually derive most joy from doing the work day to day as opposed to the happiness you could get from the result at the end.

My advice would be in the mean time

Build consistency

Little things are not small, stuff adds up, focus on doing day by day and as you do the days will turn to weeks and weeks into months. Fitness needs to be layered so find a level that you can consistently work at as a starting point no matter how small that is and keep consistently adding 1%. Success in running is the sum of all parts of training and each mile you run is one of those parts

Build Routines and Habits

Focus on making running as natural a part of your week as brushing your teeth. It's not something to deliberate whether it is done or not it is simply part of the daily routine as natural as breathing

Variety is the spice of life

If you are not training specifically for a race in short term don't ignore running at all paces. Running fast doesn't have to mean running hard, You can run a fast 20 seconds with long recoveries without it being too taxing so vary up paces as you go, your body will become more efficient while also building the aerobic engine. This can go a long way in terms of injury prevention down the line

If you want to focus on other distances in the mean time you can however you can also have fun with it and build slowly before choosing a plan in the new year.

MisterJinx

Just as a reference point to you and which lines up with E.coli's point above, I was in a similar situation last year about now and with DCM this year coming up. I decided to focus on getting consistent running as a key enabler for me for the Marathon as I only ran 2 or 3 times a week at most and sometimes not at all for a few weeks. I built myself up over a 4 month period to be able to run 4 or 5 times a week and that those times were baked into my life (e.g. kids dropped to training, go for a run). I found this helped alot as I was hitting the marathon plan with a good level of running fitness so the plan didn't look too scary. I also had mini goals or races along the way like a 5k, 5mile and HM before I hit the training plan so that I knew roughly where I was at and that I had an idea of the right paces for the training runs.

Something I was doing and should still be was a bit of S&C per week. For me my back is a weakness and I should have kept up my core work from earlier in the year. If you happen to get recurring running injuries or have a weakness then now would be a good time to focus on that and get that area strengthened before you kick into some really high mileage on a marathon plan