Longest training run before running your first Full Marathon?

[frank2271]

Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. I was talking to a friend of mine who has ran four fulls and he was telling me that "anyone running a full should have run atleast an 18 mile training run before the marathon".

I was wondering if that is what you guys think? Shouldn't it be further than that?

Tell me about your thoughts, or your past experience.

Thanks,

Frank

 

[Wilt Dasney]

The piece of advice I come across most is that a first time marathon runner should achieve a peak week distance of 40 miles, with a long run of 20 miles. That's the formula I'm following on my plan right now. I have specifically read instructions that runners should NOT attempt the full 26.2 in training.

I think part of the reason for this is the danger of hitting "the wall" due to lack of glycogen typically sets in around 18-20 miles. I think the idea is a first time runner shouldn't have to experience that feeling of fighting through the last 6-8 miles in a practice session so close to the race...probably to help them stay healthy and to prevent them from freaking out about what they're in for on race day. :lol:

When I started training, I didn't think 20 would be enough to prepare me, but having come across this suggestion from so many "experts" I'm not going to argue. And honestly if I can get comfortable with 20, I KNOW I can add a 10K to that distance...even if I have to walk every step!

 

[joel_maxwell]

Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. I was talking to a friend of mine who has ran four fulls and he was telling me that "anyone running a full should have run atleast an 18 mile training run before the marathon".

I was wondering if that is what you guys think? Shouldn't it be further than that?

Tell me about your thoughts, or your past experience.

Thanks,

Frank

I have never attempted a Full before but am in the process of training for one now. I personally dont think it is necessary to run anything over 20-21 but yes, I do feel that you need to complete in consecutive weeks at least a 17, 18, 19 and 20 at the end of the build up. A step back week somewhere in there. I think for the mental aspect of 20 more so than the physical part.

That is just my opinion though.

 

[joel_maxwell]

The piece of advice I come across most is that a first time marathon runner should achieve a peak week distance of 40 miles, with a long run of 20 miles. That's the formula I'm following on my plan right now. I have specifically read instructions that runners should NOT attempt the full 26.2 in training.

I think part of the reason for this is the danger of hitting "the wall" due to lack of glycogen typically sets in around 18-20 miles. I think the idea is a first time runner shouldn't have to experience that feeling of fighting through the last 6-8 miles in a practice session so close to the race...probably to help them stay healthy and to prevent them from freaking out about what they're in for on race day. :lol:

When I started training, I didn't think 20 would be enough to prepare me, but having come across this suggestion from so many "experts" I'm not going to argue. And honestly if I can get comfortable with 20, I KNOW I can add a 10K to that distance...even if I have to walk every step!

That is what Im thinking as well.

It isnt, "If I finish, it is how well am I going to finish"

 

[dreamfinder]

First one maxed out at an 18mi or so run. And yeah, I hit that wall hard during the race. Second, I maxed out at like 22 or 23, and I felt great during the race. So at least for me, something in between there seems to be my sweet spot.

 

[MKCP 1985]

Someone who wants to finish a marathon versus someone who wants to qualify for the Boston marathon will answer this question differently.

As a casual runner in my early 40s, I decided to run the full marathon a year ahead of time and lightly trained throughout 2009, running a series of 5K and 10K races and a half marathon at Thanksgiving. The longest training run I ever did was no more than 18 miles and my finish time was 5 hours and 18 minutes.

Should I have trained harder? Certainly. A colleague in his early 30s trained along with me and reported his miserable long distance runs throughout the year and was frustrated at my refusal to train as hard as he did. He finished the race about 30 minutes faster than I did, and we were equally exhausted at the end.

So what I take from that is this: If you do some reasonable training and are not otherwise unhealthy, you don't have to run a full marathon in training before race day in order to finish. The experience of running the 26.2 miles in training will give you a better idea of how to pace yourself and will certainly help you to run a better race.

But it isn't mandatory. :wave:

 

[frank2271]

First one maxed out at an 18mi or so run. And yeah, I hit that wall hard during the race. Second, I maxed out at like 22 or 23, and I felt great during the race. So at least for me, something in between there seems to be my sweet spot.

What did the wall feel like for you and how did you handle it in order to finish the race?

 

[MCC1]

I'm an advocate that you should at least hit the 20 mark, capping at 18 is a little short, personally I usually do a couple of 22/23 milers. Also in play is the big psychological aspect of the 20 mile mark being 'the wall' in a lot of propaganda, so going through that in training helps on race day so you don't freak when you approach that big 20 mile mark sign.

 

[JillC LI]

From personal experience, maxing out at 20 miles during training is sufficient to be able to finish a marathon if your weekly mileage is decent (35-40 miles for the final 4 peak weeks of training). My longest 3 training runs for the marathon were 18, 19, and 20. I never hit the wall in training, but I believe I mentioned in an earlier string that I did hit the wall in the marathon at just before 20 miles, and I was able to push through it by telling myself that I "only" had 10K to go, and I had run that a gazillion times in all sorts of conditions.

Now if your goal is to meet a certain time in addition to finishing then, yeah, I'd go further than 20 miles in training.

 

[mraphael]

i'm training for my first Full and I will have run 23 miles in my longest run before the race. When I did 20 2 weeks ago, it wasn't a physical problem, it became more of a mental thing for me....But, I finished strong, and felt great.

 

[lukacseven]

First marathon - 19 miles. The most I've run training for a full was 22 miles. I like the idea of running 20 miles and figuring you're only a 10K out.

Check out the course map. If you make it to entrance to Hollywood Studios, you'll do fine.

 

[joel_maxwell]

First marathon - 19 miles. The most I've run training for a full was 22 miles. I like the idea of running 20 miles and figuring you're only a 10K out.

Check out the course map. If you make it to entrance to Hollywood Studios, you'll do fine.

Unfortunately for me, my 20 mile marker is uphill (actually, the second half of 19 and all of 20) and is next to the Pancake House in 5 points South Birmingham. Im sure by then, then griddles will be going and then smell of a dozen different pancake combination will be in the air. :hurl:

:lol: Now, if it were beer in the air, yummy.

 

[Main Street USA]

As some have said above, it's about how you plan to complete the race. I have absolutely no intention of coming anywhere near running the whole thing, in fact, my longest race to date is a half, and if you add up all of my walking, it probably amounts to about three miles. This is fine with me.

I'm guessing I'll walk about 8 to 10 miles of the marathon, for sure. I just want to finish. I don't care what my time is.

I plan on finishing nothing longer than a half to train before January, and I can't even run near the full 13.1.

We'll see what happens, I guess!

 

[Donald Duck]

I have always gone over the mileage for the respective race, however, I do taper about a week before the actual race. Half marathons: I already do 11-13mi mon-Friday and 22-26 on Saturdays. I keep the same routine for fulls as well.

I completely understand the logic of not overtraining and preventing injury, but for me, personally, I need to make sure I can do the mileage so there are no surprises on race day.

 

[dreamfinder]

What did the wall feel like for you and how did you handle it in order to finish the race?

Well, ever had your body just kinda shut down and stop working how you want it to? That is pretty much what mine did. I had run into similar isssues while ramping up the miles, but not this bad. I'd force myself to jog a bit, and then have to walk just as long. Legs kinda felt like weights, body parts started cramping up, I was just frigging miserable. But I had to motivators to keep going. One was knowing that I had spent the last year training for this and spent a crud load of money to be there doing it. The other was the fact that I had to check out of my hotel room in 2 hours.

 

[joel_maxwell]

Well, ever had your body just kinda shut down and stop working how you want it to? That is pretty much what mine did. I had run into similar isssues while ramping up the miles, but not this bad. I'd force myself to jog a bit, and then have to walk just as long. Legs kinda felt like weights, body parts started cramping up, I was just frigging miserable. But I had to motivators to keep going. One was knowing that I had spent the last year training for this and spent a crud load of money to be there doing it. The other was the fact that I had to check out of my hotel room in 2 hours.

:lol:

I think that one would get me. I want a shower after wards and I dont want house keeping getting all my stuff.

 

[MKCP 1985]

As some have said above, it's about how you plan to complete the race. I have absolutely no intention of coming anywhere near running the whole thing, in fact, my longest race to date is a half, and if you add up all of my walking, it probably amounts to about three miles. This is fine with me.

I'm guessing I'll walk about 8 to 10 miles of the marathon, for sure. I just want to finish. I don't care what my time is.

I plan on finishing nothing longer than a half to train before January, and I can't even run near the full 13.1.

We'll see what happens, I guess!

You will do fine. . . when you get out there and you leave the Animal Kingdom, the rest of the race for people like us (the 5 hour plus finishers) is a scene from a zombie movie. :lol:

 

[frank2271]

Well, I did 16 miles this morning. I love running in this cool weather. It was 44 this morning when I started and 60 when I finished. I think I'm not drinking enough, my lips are getting really dry and I had a tough time the last mile. I also got a stitch around mile 14. (aren't stitches from dehydration?) What do you guy and gals do to help with the HUGE amount of calories lost during the race. My Garmin said I burnt over 1900 calories in 16 miles, that's a lot, how do I replace some of those during a full so I can keep going?

 

[joel_maxwell]

Well, I did 16 miles this morning. I love running in this cool weather. It was 44 this morning when I started and 60 when I finished. I think I'm not drinking enough, my lips are getting really dry and I had a tough time the last mile. I also got a stitch around mile 14. (aren't stitches from dehydration?) What do you guy and gals do to help with the HUGE amount of calories lost during the race. My Garmin said I burnt over 1900 calories in 16 miles, that's a lot, how do I replace some of those during a full so I can keep going?

Nick got me hooked on the Honey Stinger's instead of GU packets. They taste just like real honey and not a pack of fake, plastic GU stuff.

 

[MKCP 1985]

fake plastic GU has never led me wrong or left me cramping and puking on the side of the road. :lookaroun