FAQs: The Marathon Question
‘I want to take up running because I’ve signed up to run a marathon in 10 months’ time/half marathon in 5 months’ time. (Eeeeek!) Can you help me?’
I get an email like this almost every week and after the Dublin Marathon in October, at least twice a week. The honest answer is no because I don’t think it’s a very wise plan and it would go against everything I teach! While it is probably possible to do that, and there are people who have done it, the truth is that it’s not very safe or good for your body and therefore, I would strongly advice against it. I think many non-runners don’t realise how demanding running is and how much preparation has to go into running a marathon.
Few things you should consider:
EXPERIENCE: Before you begin training for a marathon, the general rule is that you need to have been running regularly for at least a year, ideally 2 years. I would say two years is better to give yourself enough time to build a good base (see below), especially if you’re very unfit when you start. Remember that running a marathon should be a natural progression on a runner’s career – if you don’t feel like that’s what it is for you at this stage, then it’s probably too soon, no matter how long you’ve been running.
Fauja Singh (pictured right) didn’t start running until he was 81 and ran his first marathon at the age of 89. Read his inspiring story here
MILEAGE: You shouldn’t even think about training for a marathon until you have a good base of about 32km (20 miles) per week. A good base means that you have run that distance weekly for several months, you enjoy it and feel comfortable with that distance.; you don’t get a stitch and don’t feel overly tired after your runs; you experience no serious pains and have had no injuries for few months. 32k is the minimum recommended base because that is about half the minimum weekly distance you will need to do for your training, and doubling your mileage is a big stress for your body. Remember also that you should not increase the stress from running (either distance or pace or both) by more than 10% at a time and remain at the new level until you feel comfortable, so it takes a long time to build up your mileage.
BODY AWARENESS: Before you start training for a marathon, it is important that you really learn to listen to, and respect, your body. If you think that those tight calves or that sore hip is just part of the game and that you can just run through the pain, you’re very likely to end up with a serious injury sooner or later and be forced to stop running for a period of time. Learn to work with your body, ask why are my calves so tight, what can I do about it? Why is my left hip sore but my right hip is ok? What is causing this? The answer is rarely, if never, ‘that’s just the way my hips are’ or ‘it’s just part of being a runner’. Most likely it’s because of the way you run, weak hip stabiliser, bad posture etc reasons, all of which are fixable! Every ache and pain is there to teach you something. It is your body’s way of telling you that you’re doing something wrong, something needs changing and you should see it as an opportunity to learn and to become a better runner!
DO YOU ENJOY RUNNING?: If you haven’t discovered the joy of running yet, then training for a marathon is probably not a good idea – it won’t be fun, that’s for sure. Consider this: when you finish the 8-week beginners’ course, you are running about 5km 3 times a week. It doesn’t sound much, but anyone who’s done the course would probably agree with me that it’s enough! Going from zero to 15km of running a week in 2 months is a big increase in activity levels for most people. You want to stay at this level for a while, to give your body time to adjust and get used to running and, most importantly, to give you time to learn to enjoy running! If you don’t enjoy running 5km, then how on earth are you going to ever get through 42km?!? Even 10km is a long way to run if you hate it!
RACE EXPERIENCE: It’s also advisable to do a few shorter races before you attempt your first marathon. Start with a 5k, then do a few 10ks and a half marathon (after appropriate training, of course!)
RESPECT THE DISTANCE: Full marathon is 42km (26 miles). I think many non-runners don’t realise just how long this is and the stress it puts your whole body under. Marathon is approximately 52,400 footstrikes, it would probably take you around 5+ hours to complete. This will tear away at your body, especially your joints. Your body needs time to build up to this level of stress and it’s simply not possible to do it in 26 weeks! Even a half marathon (21km/13 miles or around 2h 30min of running for a first timer), is a tough distance to run and you need to take your time preparing your body for it. Marathons are about patience, including before the starting line!
ARE YOU IN GOOD GENERAL HEALTH?: Speak to your doctor – this is especially important if you’re going to ignore my advice and start training for a marathon before you’ve built a good base. It’s good to have a general health check and your doctor might suggest additional test like a cardiovascular stress test.
HAVE YOU DONE YOUR RESEARCH?: If you’re really serious about running a marathon, it is important you do your research. Pick up a few books (ideally by different authors). There’s a wealth of information online, some of it very good, but, unfortunately, some of it very bad, so make sure you don’t rely on information on one website only (no matter how well known the website is!). Whether you’re training for a full marathon or a half, you will need to find a training plan that suits you (and then stick to it religiously!), you’ll also need to think about your diet, fitting in yoga, pilates or other cross training sessions, you’ll need to learn about carbo-loading and tapering, budget for couple of pairs of good shoes, maybe a regular sports massage, and don’t forget to plan your fuelling strategy!
Finally, consider your goals. If you make your goal to become a runner for life, to make it part of your lifestyle and to learn to enjoy it, you will, quite likely, one day get to the stage where running a marathon is a natural next step. Whereas, if your goal is to finish just this one marathon, it’s very likely that it won’t be an enjoyable experience and you’ll never learn to really love running… Remember also that it is much more rewarding and much better for your health and fitness to keep on running regularly for the rest of your life, than to run one marathon and then never run again.
