Deciding you're ready for a full marathon

[LSUlakes]

As it was said earlier, you aren't ever ready for your first until you do it. It's like having kids. People tell you what it's like but until you experience it for yourself you don't really know. It doesn't mean you can't do it. And you will most likely make mistakes along the way. But, if you decide to do it and want it bad enough you will make it across the finish line and it was be one of the best feelings of your life.

My story: My wife told me she wanted a divorce in the fall of 2013. She told me I was a fat, lazy, slob during the process. I was 250lbs of unhappy and unhealthy. My life was turned upside down and at this point I had been trying so hard to save the marriage that I had lost myself. I didn't know who I even was anymore.

So, I needed to get back to finding myself. I also wanted to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone. I turned to Disney for both. I love Disney. I joined this site. I decided that the getting out of my comfort zone was going to be signing up for a Disney race. I knew I would do the work if it meant I could go to Disney. I picked the 2014 Tower of Terror for one simple reason. It was the shortest of the major races. I didn't think I could even do 10, never mind longer. I decided to sign up in March before I had run a step. Then I did a 10K proof of time race in June and as I was running it I decided I could do a marathon. So, I signed up for a marathon in October, just 2 weeks after the ToT.

So, I went from fat, lazy, slob to marathoner in just 7 months. It was hard. I didn't train as much as I should have (one of the mistakes I referred to), and my time was awful as a result. But, I could have quit and I didn't.

Now I am addicted to running. I am doing the 2016 Disney full marathon. And I have set a goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon this year as well. All of this after I turned 40. So you can do this if you want to. You just need to commit, put the time in, and get ready to feel unbelievable when you cross that finish line in January.

I tip my hat to you sir. I'm another year or two away from a real shot at a BQ but it's a long term goal worth the effort. Hope you get the BQ!

 

[FFigawi]

Dont think of it as a full marathon - think of it as just nine 5Ks...you can do it!

Breaking races into manageable chunks is a good mental approach when the overall distance might seem daunting. In the race I just ran, my partner looked at it as 17 5Ks. That was too many for me to count, so I opted for 4 half marathons and a 5K to close it out.

 

[Keels]

Breaking races into manageable chunks is a good mental approach when the overall distance might seem daunting. In the race I just ran, my partner looked at it as 17 5Ks. That was too many for me to count, so I opted for 4 half marathons and a 5K to close it out.

Showoff. #HumbleBrag

 

[FFigawi]

Thought the OP would like to see this.

 

[derekleigh]

After thinking about it for a bit, I'm kind of in the same boat as you except with the Dopey Challenge. Ever since the event was created I knew I wanted to complete it. However at the time I hadn't done a full yet. I felt I needed/wanted to complete each leg individually so obtain a sense of what the challenge would require of me, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

I know I'm ready for the Goofy Challenge and (IMO) that is a bigger challenge than Dopey. Different topic. But in my case I want to RUN Dopey, like the entire 49.6 miles. That is the true twist/challenge/etc FOR ME. I know many people will do it with a walk/run method and that is great, I take my hat off to them. But I just don't feel ready for that kind of challenge yet. I want a few more full's under my belt before I sign up for that.

The beauty of running is it's so individual and personal. No one has a map for your trip, you are the one that calls the shots and takes the route you feel is best suited to your needs.

I hope this made sense and wasn't just some rambling thought I decided to type.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Breaking races into manageable chunks is a good mental approach when the overall distance might seem daunting. In the race I just ran, my partner looked at it as 17 5Ks. That was too many for me to count, so I opted for 4 half marathons and a 5K to close it out.

My legs hurt just thinking about that.

 

[Waiting2goback]

Not to hijack @MeridaAndAngus' thread ...

But you're a real inspiration, @Waiting2goback. Congratulations on all of your accomplishments so far!

Very kind of you to say, thank you. I think anyone who runs a marathon is an inspiration because I know what it takes to do it.

I tip my hat to you sir. I'm another year or two away from a real shot at a BQ but it's a long term goal worth the effort. Hope you get the BQ!

Just because I said it was a goal doesn't mean it will happen. Welcome to the roller coaster that is my running life. I just had a 10K tonight and my results weren't as good as I wanted so I am down on my chances. In a couple weeks I'll have a few good runs and I will be ready to win Boston in my mind.

But thanks for the kind words. Now back to convincing the OP to sign up for this year's marathon!!!

 

[pxefig]

For me, my trickling thoughts of can I run a marathon began with the WDW 20th anniversary marathon. A friend liked the medal and asked if we should run our first full together for it. I couldn't do it that year for money reasons, but that imagining what it would feel like to cross the finish line and be a marathoner ... that daydream never really left my mind. Since you have already started wondering if you can do a full, it is inevitable that you WILL do a full!
I decided I was ready when a half marathon was becoming old hat to me. Like I was consistently signing up for them and training for them and pretty much at the drop of a hat would be able to run one with no extreme exhaustion at the end or anything like that.
One thing to consider specifically with WDW being your full is where you live. If you are in the North, keep in mind that the bulk of the long runs will be in December. Will you have the tools you need to get the miles in in colder temps?
For a full, the most important decision for when to do one is when you can commit to the training. I have two full marathon experiences, one where I was super diligent with the training and one where I blew off pretty much ever long run after 16 miles. It makes a world of difference for the marathon for getting those training runs in. We are talking 5+ hour training runs. If you have the time to commit to the training, the marathon is really just the celebration run of all your hard work and training.

 

[ZellyB]

I agree with everyone else that if you are thinking about doing it, you're basically already there.

With your running background, I don't have any doubt you would be able to complete a marathon. It's really just making sure you can commit the time to the training and putting in enough miles. If you can do that, you can run a marathon.

For me, I started running using the Galloway method back in spring of 2012. My goal was to run a local half. One day out on a training run with our group, another member was talking about the Disney marathon weekend and while on my endorphin high, I pronounced to my husband that we should run the marathon in January. I went home later that day and signed us up before I had time to change my mind. We adapted our training schedule and in less than a year from the time I started running, I had completed my first half-marathon and my first full marathon. I've found that it's important for me to keep a race on the books that I'm training for. That is my biggest motivator and if you really think you want to run a marathon, I'd encourage you to just take the plunge and sign up.

 

[Baloo in MI]

I am a little late to the conversation. But really wanted to say congrats on taking on this challenge. I have only completed one marathon (2015 Disney Marathon). It was pretty tough, ok really tough! But it was such a meaningful expereince and really pushed me to dive into running. I have since run a 5k and 5 half-marathons. I am working up to another marathon in October and then Dopey in January and I am so excited!

I also just want to share that I have found this thread to be so inspirational and the exact reason I love this dis board. People offering support and sharing their expereinces, makes me want to head out on a run right now!

If you want to reach the distance, you will. Enjoy the journey.

 

[JClimacus]

I've been researching, debating, wondering when/if I'm ready to sign up for my first full marathon. I've already decided that I want to do my first full marathon at Disney World, but I'm debating whether I'm ready to try for it this year, or if I should wait another year. I'd love to do the marathon this January, as it would make me a "marathoner" just before a landmark birthday. It would be a real personal victory for me.

One option for you is to start training AS IF you are going to run the Disney Marathon in January. The Marathon is still only 80% filled so you probably have a while before available spaces becomes a critical problem. Start stretching your runs out (or run/walks) to longer distances into the 15+ mile range and see how it goes. Frankly, from what you've described of your training, I think you could go for it right now. But if you're nervous, you don't have to commit, just start preparing as though you were and wait till later to pull the trigger on it.

I did a similar thing in January 2014 when I decided to run the 2015 Marathon. I was a hefty 223 lbs at the time, and I told my wife that if I lost 20 lbs by the time signup opened in April, I was going to do the Disney Marathon (which would be my first. I've never raced longer than 10k, and my last 10k race was many years ago). So I trained and dieted AS IF I had committed to the marathon, and when April came around and I was 202 lbs, I signed up. I ended up getting all the way down to 180 for the marathon and it was even more fun than I imagined - even including the painful last 5k. Now I've talked two of my kids into running the half and I'll be back for Goofy.

 

[JClimacus]

If you want to do it, then you're ready for it....
I'm not a big believer in the theory that you should run half(s) first to see if you want to run a full. I think that makes the full seem like more of a challenge than it really is because you get scared by thinking "OMG, I have to run twice as far as I just did?!"

John, I'm laughing because that was my experience after running my first half last August. I was physically devastated at the end of the race - I had put everything in it because I was going for the Disney corral qualifier - and just like you say, I was thinking to myself "Good God I'm only halfway there." It wasn't until I got some 20 milers under my belt that my confidence came back.

 

[steph0808]

You just know.

I started running in January 2012 with Couch to 5k because I needed a new challenge (I had planned a wedding, gotten married, finished my master's degree) and life was getting boring. So I thought - I'll take up running.

So I started running and I did a 10k in April. Around that time, I was reading an article about the most interesting marathons and Disney was on the list. I didn't know Disney had a marathon! And it was the 20th anniversary year with a cool medal? I'll never be able to run that far...I didn't register.

Then I ran a 5k in May. Then a 5k and 15k in July. And registration still wasn't filled. Then they discounted the price of the marathon and I said to my DH, "That's it, I'm signing up." I did - without running more than 10 miles before that.

And I ran it - it wasn't perfect (I got the flu on the plane ride down and my time was terrible!). But it was probably the best experience of my life.

Then I had a baby and I haven't been as dedicated to running - I really do need to get back to it!

 

[Baloo in MI]

I did a similar thing in January 2014 when I decided to run the 2015 Marathon. I was a hefty 223 lbs at the time, and I told my wife that if I lost 20 lbs by the time signup opened in April, I was going to do the Disney Marathon (which would be my first. I've never raced longer than 10k, and my last 10k race was many years ago). So I trained and dieted AS IF I had committed to the marathon, and when April came around and I was 202 lbs, I signed up. I ended up getting all the way down to 180 for the marathon and it was even more fun than I imagined - even including the painful last 5k. Now I've talked two of my kids into running the half and I'll be back for Goofy.

Congrats on the weight loss, setting a goal and making it happen. 40+ pounds in a year is really good. What did you do to drop the weight. I can only imagine how much that must of positively effected your running!