Considering running a marathon - training suggestions?

[holliscx]

I ran track and cross country in hs and college. Like many people I know nagging injuries started piling up so I switched to cycling.

Recently I've started running again and the mojo is back. I've only been running in earnest for about a month working up to 16km.

Yesterday I ran a half marathon - although towards the end I was thinking no way in hell would I like to double that but on a ride earlier today I started thinking maybe I should train for one.

The marathon has never really called my number. It's not a distance that I've been attracted to; I don't need to say I've run it.

I trained for two marathons in college but sprained my ankle severely playing basketball the night before the first and had IT band issues training for the second.

Whatever speed I had is gone but I'm enjoying running long so maybe the time is ripe; I like running as cross training for cycling.

It bugs me that I know so many people who aren't runners who have run a marathon. I kind of want to run one sort of how a century calls you.

So marathon noob. Currently running 16km easily - my long run to date is 22.2km which I ran yesterday. (I'm only running 2-3 times a week because of cycling)

What do runners suggest? How many months do I need to complete a solid plan? What training plans do you suggest?

I haven't thought about which marathon I would like to run but the Athens marathon interests me for its historic course. Pheidippides' story speaks to me and I could see getting it up for that race. I like to run in the hills on the western edge of Barcelona so I don't think the profile of the Athens course would be too bad. But I want to do a destination type marathon. Small, rural might be my other choice. Definitely not New York. Having lived there it doesn't interest me. Berlin sounds ok. But I think I'd like to do Athens or some mom and pop marathon.

[Tom]

18 weeks will do it. Build up to a 3 hour run on one weekend day. Run enough that the 3 hour run is maybe 40-50 percent of the time you run in a week. Run the 3 hour run without any real distance goals, just cruise. This'll work if you're not too serious. You don't say what your cruising pace is, but the other times you run during the week try and go just a touch above it. I felt I was ready if I had been doing three hour runs enough where they didn't tire me at all.

Edit: I just saw the destination thing. If you can wait until next August I highly recommend the Reykjavik Marathon. 50 degrees, raining sideways. What's not to love about that?

[holliscx]

You don't say what your cruising pace is, but the other times you run during the week try and go just a touch above it

My flat cruising pace is 4:45/km then it falls to 5:00/5:10 late like the last 5km of my half which I ran 1:51 conservative with first 3km straight up (basically a mountain climb) and last 3km straight down (excruciatingly slow).

I jumped in a 10k race a couple weekends ago to see what my "race" pace is and I was able to comfortably run 4:08/km - that was the hardest that I could sustain - a few splits were 4:00/km but I can't run that over 10km.

Reykjavik is one that caught my eye. Since watching Heima I've always wanted to do a road trip around the island. Thanks for mentioning it although living in Barcelona I'm developing an allergy to rain.

[MisterDangerPants]

I would recommend going to Hal Higden's web site and check out his marathon training guide. He has several training programs for runners of every level. Hal generally has an 18 week plan though has a nice 3 day per week schedule that takes 24 weeks (this is the plan I loosely follow). There's also a PR plan that's 30 weeks. For Boston, of which I just ran my 6th, I generally start training in late September for an April marathon. I ramp up super slowly the first few months to avoid injuries. Anyway, hope this helps.

What marathon are you planning to run?

[holliscx]

What marathon are you planning to run?

Undecided but the original Athens course interests me a lot.

There was a small low key predominantly flat trail run out west somewhere but I don't recall the name.

It might also depend on time of year like when the best training block falls. I like your Sept-Apr plan for example for you run over winter but I could probably make any time work.

I feel like if I'm enjoying running long maybe this is a sign. My brother recently shattered his lower leg in twenty pieces skiing. His doctor said he can forget skiing moguls and also running a marathon. Like me he didn't have aspirations to run one but this is in the back of my mind - there's something about my brother being told no that makes me want to say yes. I thought about running the Chicago marathon in his honor since he lives there but it's not really relevant since he had no intention of ever running a marathon although he was a daily runner.