Just finished my first week of the marathon training program that Nike Run Club offers. I wanted something structured and easy: I like having someone/thing just tell me what to do and I do it. But I don’t care to track my runs with that app. it’s going well I guess. Working on my zone 2 on my recovery runs while also just kinda ignoring my HR on some other runs.
Anyway, what was ur training experience like? How did u feel, was it easy or hard? Did u use an app? Join a Strava club? No one I talk to irl is into running.
I mean, just run?
Do 5ks till they’re easy, then 10ks, then 20ks which are essentially “half marathons” since a marathon is ~43ks.
So basically, when you run a 20k, a 5k, and then another 20k back to back to back.
You’re ready for a marathon.
If you’re not a runner and you’re trying to run a marathon, you’re gonna give yourself shin splints and likely something even worse. Your body will adapt to those muscular skeletal stress, if it can adapt slowly you’ll be better off. If it has to adapt too quickly it will fuck it up.
Like “shin spints” sound like they’re not a big deal, but it’s your muscles/tendons causing microfractures because your bones aren’t strong enough. Try to “push thru” and you get real stress fractures, because bone grows slower than muscles and tendons.
If you really need to improve fast and no one can talk you out of it: run on soft grass as much as possible, or at least a real track. Avoid concrete and compacted running trails at all costs.
I’ve been almost exclusively running on concrete lol. Though there is a HS track very close so I can do that more. It’s just so boring. Luckily I haven’t had any shin splint pain and I’ve gotten to easy 5k’s so it’s looking good so far.
One thing I haven’t looked into is the best way to hydrate/fuel during a run. I haven’t gotten to a point where that’s necessary as long as I prepare properly. But I’m pretty sure anything over 10K it’s a good idea to bring something. which means I should probably buy something to hold stuff
Yeah, go to the track, it’s worth it especially if you’re going to run long term. But what’s even better is stuff like soccer fields, just don’t wear cleats because then you’re damaging their grounds. Depending on where you live it may be hard to get ground better than a track.
“Camelbacks” are incredibly cheap these days. You can buy cheap ones on Amazon/Temu or even military surplus ones. But it’s worth getting one with small pockets to hold phone/keys/wallet while you run. Don’t feel like you need to buy ultra light shit either. If you train in heavy/cheap equipment, it’s easy when you run the marathon. They’ll have water stations out and everything, you don’t need to carry anything.
But especially if you want to try occasional trail running to break up the monotony of regular track practice, you’ll want to have your stuff with you.
A sprained ankle on a track sucks.
A sprained ankle 2 miles away from your car in a state park has literally killed people before. Be very aware about when what you’re doing crosses from running to hiking and don’t be afraid to bring a lot of gear even just for the weight for training.
The only thing that’s worth spending money on is shoes, and you should prioritize safety/support and ergonomics over “racing” shoes.
You can race in training shoes, you can’t train in racing shoes. They won’t hold up to it and neither will you.
Everything else about running can be cheap.