I'm running the marathon this year. Any tips?

[MinhDinh]

Hi guys, I'm running the marathon with my boss to raise funds for the RNIB. It's a charity for the blind if you don't know of it. Me and my boss have pledged to raise 3 thousand between the two of us.

I work in an opticians and he is an optometrist and that's why we are running for them. It's in our field of work. Sorry that there isn't a better story for that :p

I have been drinking a lot of water and eating a lot of protein and carbs such as rice (Kind of a standard dish for a Vietnamese guy lol). I only recently started training on a treadmill.

My first run was 2.5 KM on thursday.

Yesterday I did 3 KM

I plan to do 3KM today.

I am going to start going 5 days a week and have paid for 3 months.

I know I need a lot of work but does anyone have any tips? Maybe I should go on a running forum really. Well hopefully I get advice on here.

I am not drinking Lucozade etc incase I rely on it. Other than that, running is damn tough!
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Hit the G spot.

[benjami]

Left foot, right foot - repeat.

[Alexio]

You're doing it wrong.

Do not drink a lot of water. You need surprisingly less water than you will think. Be hydrated by all means but don't drink lots of water. Remember that water can take up to 40 minutes to actually hydrate your body, so drink well before you intend to exercise.

Do no just train on a treadmill, it is nothing like running a marathon. You might be capable of running 26 miles on a tread mill, get out there on the big day and then find you're done after 10 miles and in lots of pain.

A treadmill doesn't really train you to push forward as much as you would have to if you were on real ground, it's a bit more like jogging on the spot. If you set it to an uphill setting you'll have much more what it would be like to run on the road but then if you hit an actual hill during the marathon it'll be harder again and you'll be screwed.

Don't do it every day. I trained every other day. If gives your muscles a chance to recover and generally makes it a whole lot easier.

Don't focus on distance - focus on time. You want to be getting fitter, not more easily running distances. If you focus on doing 10KM you'll eventually do that in about 60 minutes. A couple of months on and you should be able to do it in 50 minutes, giving yourself a whole 10 minutes less of the cardio you need.

Make sure you have the right running shoes. Not trainers, proper running shoes designed to cope with the way you run and where you land your feet.

Finally, make sure that each week or couple of weeks you force yourself to go for a longer amount of time (or distance if you must) then you have before. If you haven't hit the wall of impassable pain then you aren't trying hard enough. Making sure your heart rate stays high (around 150) is a good way to train once you can run for hours without getting out of breath to make sure you're still pushing hard enough.

I did a half marathon that was half uphill, and a steep hill at that. To train for it I did hill repetitions. That's where you sprint up a very, very steep hill for 60 seconds and then jog slowly back down. It's supposed to be very painful. Do it one more time every week if you try it, it really, really pushes your heart to it's max. This is mostly strength building.

If you train on time or distance you can run, this is building stamina, but if you train with repetitions like sprinting up hills it builds how fast you can actually run the marathon in.
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will never give up his CG. I look at my fuel gauge more as a progress bar than a fuel gauge.
G: With my GSXR I do often effectively use it as a scooter with a clutch in town.
ms51ves3: why does it need 500 miles? Are you teaching it how to be a piston?

[UnknownStuntm...]

[The Shaggy D.A.]

It's funny, I only just came across this page whilst looking for something else :-

https://www.the-fitness-motivator.com/first-marathon.html

There's a spreadsheet to help plan at the bottom of this page :-

https://www.the-fitness-motivator.com/fitness-plan.html
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[Annabella]

Agree with Alexio - focus on increasing the length of time you run for rather than the distance you run.

When I trained for mine I did three shorter runs during the week (starting at 40 minutes building up to an hour and as I became more fit the distance increased naturally as my pace did) then a sustained period of exericse on a Sunday - so I'd go out for a few hours to cycle or run gently for two hours.

Have something like a pint of milk when you get back from exercise to help your muscles recover and remember to eat properly.

Don't just drink water, you'll get dehydrated losing the salts your body needs.
Don't worry about carb-loading just yet, you aren't doing enough exercise to stuff yourself full of spuds...
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Avast! Pirates ahoy!
I did Cadwell!
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[hellkat]

Don't run past my house without stopping for a cup of tea and a bun
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Not nearly as interesting in real life.

[The Original Muzza]

Life is short, a marathon is long. Quit now, eat cake and get drunk.
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From then on, I and the bicycle feelings deeper.

[Paivi]

[Alexio]

[hellkat]

[GhostRider]

A boxing instructor told me that when he was running if he wasn't being physically sick by the end of it then he knew he hadn't pushed himself hard enough.

Similar stories from a couple of bootnecks and matelows.......or was that their hangover cure? I canny remember.

GhostRider
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[The Original Muzza]

[Dr. DaveJPS]

[Dragonfly]

Wear a nappy.

https://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk187/evolv3_lolpics2/Dedication_poopRunner_motiv.jpg
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Muzza on Binge:
He's too busy beating the everloving shit out of Lizzie to notice this thread has taken a turn down Drama Avenue and stopped off at the popcorn shop.

[CptBlack]

Basically what Alexio said, but I repeat train every other day at the most when you get to longer distance/time else you risk overtraining which can be more serious than it sounds.

Am I correct in thinking its late April? If so, doesn't leave much time to go from nothing to completing it.

Aim for a slowish time and better it next year.

Last 2 points to echo, run on the road and make sure you have proper running shoes.

I'm sure you found it, but looks like loads of useful stuff here:
https://www.virginlondonmarathon.com/training-centre/training-advice/training-advice/training-guides/

[Irezumi aka Reuben]

Do some reasearch (get a book from the library) on diet and hydration.

Some info given in here (and all over the net) could lead to poor performance at best and dehydration at worse. Dehydration is extremely bad!

[JonB]

Running is a highly personal thing, what works for one person may not for someone else.

I don't take any hydration with me when I run, even when I do 13 milers. I hate carrying any un-necessary items, like a water bottle.

Be patient, but not too patient. Set yourself pre-arranged goals and try and stick with them.

I have to say from doing no running to doing a marathon in three months is probably going to very difficult. Not impossible, but extremely difficult. I guess you are probably not fussed about time, I reckon you'll probably manage a 5 hour run?

Good luck anyway. Only advice you should take from me that is absolutely imperative is: - MAKE SURE YOU BUY RIGHT FITTING RUNNING SHOES. I cannot stress this enough. Price isn't everything either, a lot of running stores will still be trying to get rid of 2009 stock, see if you can find a bargain.

As a side note, unrelated to marathon running. I went running in the pitch black through a country lane last night with just a LED headlight and I ran so bloody fast. Guess it was the paranoia that someone was following me that made me run faster.
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Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[MinhDinh]

Thanks guys I do have some mizuno running shoes. Not expensive but they seem really light and comfortable.

I am aiming for 5 hours yes.

I think time is important. I'm running AT 11.2 ON THE MACHNE BUT AS YOU GUYS HAVE SAID, i NEED TO RUN LONGER AND ON THE ROAD. wHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO START ROAD TRAINING?

Whoops caps.

OK so no water just yet I guess. I bought a gydration bag that carries 2 litres. I must look like a right fool to the gym people lol.

3 Months is not a lot of time but I think it is doable. I'll finish it anyway. I pledged to do it so I will.



Hellkat baby, You know I'm doing this marathon all for you :p I miss hugging you and feeling those yummy tits on my chest
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Hit the G spot.

[Alexio]

3 months is probably only just about doable. I went from being really unfit (couldn't run for a whole 60 seconds without having to stop wheezing) to running my 13 miles in under two hours by training for 6 months. After pushing myself really hard 13 miles was everything I could manage and no more. More would have killed me without training (although saying that I was just 18 years old...)

Which brings me to think it entirely depends on how fit you are right now. And if you're starting off by running 2.5K it would suggest to me that you have a large mountain to climb.

Some encouragement though, you don't have to have reached running 26 miles in your training in order to do it in five hours (a respectable time) on the actual day. I only ever managed to run 10 miles during my training but on my half marathon day gave it my all and 13 miles just came to me

They recommend you are able to comfortably run something like 16 miles before doing a marathon and you'll be ok. I'm sure it'll somehow be possibly to train to that in 3 months.

Ok, so runners world has a schedule for if you want to be able to run a marathon in 4 hours. https://www.runnersworld.ltd.uk/4hr.htm
It implies that if you're able to run 5 miles now (and 3 miles quickly) then you're fit enough to train for a marathon in 14 weeks and do it in 4 hours. Good luck!
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will never give up his CG. I look at my fuel gauge more as a progress bar than a fuel gauge.
G: With my GSXR I do often effectively use it as a scooter with a clutch in town.
ms51ves3: why does it need 500 miles? Are you teaching it how to be a piston?

[JonB]

Start running on the road now. I cannot emphasise enough that road running is a different world to treadmill running. Treadmills are good for the days where it is absolutely lashing it down, or you can't really be bothered so just ticks your body over for another day.

You can plan routes and stuff on www.fetcheveryone.com and www.mapmyride.com , the latter for cycling, but is just as good for running!
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Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[Bucky]

Start road running & get someone to ride next to you armed with a spatula...

https://scarletwords.com/wp/images/2008/06/goshdashtidar.jpg


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[smegballs]

This sounds interesting, that mapmyride is a goodun!

This has actually inspired my to get a little fitter myself!

Anyone have anything to say about running in combat boots?

[Alexio]

[ms51ves3]