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’ve only done one marathon, but while training for it I followed the training plan the marathon organisers put out.
https://www.sunshinecoastmarathon.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/SCM-Advanced-Marathon-Training-Plan.pdf
As a general rule, I disagree strongly with some of the advice in the current top comment. Your longest run should cap out at about 35 km, definitely not the full distance. And you should taper. Your longest training run should be a couple of weeks out, and your final week should be more focused on shorter efforts to keep your sharp, rather than on volume. You want to be well-rested for the big day.
20 km weekly is very low volume for a full marathon. Initially and during the taper that’s fine, but at peak load you should probably be doing about a full marathon across the week (but not in one run!). Though perhaps this is something that depends on level. If there’s anything in my comment that doesn’t apply at all levels, it’s this.
Run/walking is also perfectly fine if you need to, especially to prevent injury. It’s not a tactic that’s going to get you a sub-3hr time, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Listen to your body. Joint pain and sharp pain like shin splints is bad and you should stop or slow down. A more aching pain in your muscles might be something you can continue through.
Yeah, a lot of training advice ends up true for people at the elite end of the pack, but it doesnt mean that same volume should be aspirational for the average Joe.
Same thing with gear. A shoe designed for a 2 hour marathon probably isnt right for someone aiming for 5 hours.
Yes, but the advice you hear for people at all levels of training is that running the full distance in training is counterproductive. The other user who seemed to be suggesting otherwise might have made it work for them, but it is definitely not advisable.
It’s definitely true for a day long ultra marathon, definitely not true for a 5k, but where the dividing line is is hard to pin down (and it’s going to be person specific).
Oh, and happy third cakeday!
We’re talking about a marathon in this thread. 42.195 km.
Yeah, but I dont know if that dividing line is less than or greater than marathon distance.
Fair point. I would say that in terms of general wisdom, the answer is very clear: it’s less than or equal to. Nearly every place you go will say that running a full marathon distance in marathon training is unnecessary at best, and counterproductive at worst.