Differences in training for half vs. full marathon

[pinkxray]

I am just looking for some feedback and personal experiences everyone has had when training for a marathon vs a half marathon.

I did two half marathons in 2013 and thought the training schedule was very manageable. I work part time and my daughter is in schedule so it was very easy to schedule my long run on a day off while no one was home and short runs were easy to manage.

I am currently pregnant (Due Dec 6,2014) and have my sites set on the 2016 Disney marathon. There is a small part of me that thinks I will be ok is I manage my time ok but there is another part that thinks I might be a bit crazy to take something like this on.

I haven't kept up with the running so I would start with the C25K in Feb 2015, followed by training for a local half in Sept. 2015 and then would bump up the miles to do the full in Jan.


What was your experience when it came to the commitment of training for the full vs half. I get it is twice as long. I guess I am mostly worried about having longer runs during the week as well as really needing to be on top of nutrition during training since I will be nursing an infant during training.

Thanks for any info. Just wondering if I should stop daydreaming about it or not.

 

[Ariel484]

I think a lot of that will depend on what training plan you are looking at, and what your half training plan is vs. what you'll end up using for the marathon.

For me personally, I like to use training plans by Hal Higdon. Currently I am using his Intermediate plan for a half marathon I am signed up for that is next Sunday. The only change I made to this plan was to drop out the Thursday 3-milers so that I'd be running 4 days per week. With this training plan I'm maxing out at 25 miles per week. Longest run during the week is 5-6 miles and the longest long run is 12 miles.

Compare this to the training plan I'd use if I was going to train for a marathon - I'd use Higdon's Novice 1 plan. This one maxes out at 40 miles. So almost twice as much. Longest long run is 20 miles and the longest run during the week is 10 miles. (In my case I'll be getting ready for Dopey when this half is over...but I'm hoping I'll adjust to that schedule okay since it's similar to the half schedule I'm on now.)

I'm not sure how helpful that is...assuming a 10-minute mile I'm maxing out at a little over 4 hours per week of running during half marathon training, vs. a little over 6.5 hours per week of running with that marathon plan. Also, the marathon plan is 6 weeks longer.

You'll get different results with different plans...for example Galloway has runners going 20+ miles 2-3 times in his marathon plan, I think.

You say you are good at managing your time - I think this is key. I have all of my runs scheduled and know when I will get them in. If you stay on top of it and pick a plan that works with your schedule I'm sure you'll do fine. Congrats on the upcoming baby!

 

[derekleigh]

My first full is scheduled for WDW Marathon Weekend 2015, but to date I've done half a dozen HM with 5 of them being sub-2:00.

My longest run has been 16 miles at a 9:33 pace and I've been running at least 20 miles/week since March. I'm not going by any one plan. I've looked at a bunch and formed a plan that fits me, which includes:

- 15 +/- miles during the week
- Longer run(s) on the weekend (I have Sat & Sun off)
- Cross training with P90X3 on non-running days


I know some plans call for HIGH mileage (40 - 50 miles/week), but I know if I ran that much, I'd injure something. I know my body and when it needs rest, so I MAY peak at 30 miles/week when I start hitting my 20-mile runs, but not before.

The ONLY drawback for VERY long runs (14 and over) is I know I take that time away from my family. That is why I schedule them first thing in the morning (4:30 - 5:00) on the weekends. Run it out, done.

Sorry if it was TMI.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

For someone who has run a half, 11 months is plenty of time to train for a full. The wild card for the OP is the baby, which I believe will be her second child. Still doable, but many parents underestimate how much more work is involved when the second child comes along. -- Suzanne

 

[FFigawi]

I only train for marathons and ultras, but I coach people who do halfs as well. In my experience, the main difference between training for the two from a time perspective is the long run on the weekends. The weekday runs are typically for 45-60 minutes for both plans, though the marathon does require some longer runs up to 90 minutes during the week, so there's not much difference there. The long runs, though, go up to 3 or 3.5 hours for a marathon with several in the 2.5-3 hour range. That's a huge time commitment compared with training for a half where your longest run will be about 2 hours at most. You've got plenty of time to get ready for the full, so I wouldn't stress over it too much right now. Just keep a steady base and choose a good novice training program next spring/summer.

 

[Castle2Castle]

My fiancee and I had never run a marathon when we signed up in April 2012 for the 2013 Goofy Challenge. We were able to train for and finish both races with the Galloway training plan starting in July (~6 months training). So you'll have the time on the calendar if you can find the time in your days to train for it.

Without looking back at the Galloway plan, I'll say that for my other marathons (2-5), I switched over to this FIRST to the Finish program which allowed me to improve my time while running only three days per week for an 18-week program (cross-training for non-run days). Pacing is dictated throughout by your ability and/or goal pace, with Tuesday speed work, Thursday tempo runs and a weekend long run. The highest weekday mileage is 10 miles on four of the Thursdays.

For Goofy 2015 my fiancee and I are making a hybrid of the above plan and the Hal Higdon Intermediate II plan. We're cutting out his Wednesday training runs and shaping the Tuesday/Thursday runs to be speed and tempo days according to the FIRST plan. For 18 weeks this is an average 28 miles/week (excluding race week) with a weekly max of 40 miles (the three 20-mile long run weekends) -- and our weekday runs will range between 3-5 miles.

The above hybrid plan doesn't officially kickoff for another week, but we've been playing with it for the past few weeks already just to prepare her better for the start, and so far it's been working great for our weekday schedule and her long run performance (improvement). We'll see how it works over the long run (no pun intended) between now and January, but the point is that plans don't have to be set in stone. Be aware of the principles behind each plans approach to mileage -- both quality and quantity of miles -- and you might see a good way to create your own hybrid which gets you the mileage you need without killing your schedule.

Best of luck with the rest of your pregnancy and with your training afterward, however you choose to approach it!

EDITED TO ADD: I took a snapshot of our hybrid plan since it may be hard to visualize based only on the description. The weekly mileage column includes Wednesday runs, but I calculated off to the far right the weekly mileage without Wednesdays as we were making the call to cut those. Our dates are funky because we're getting married and honeymooning in Disney Oct 1-14, so events will keep us away from running the first week and the yellow highlighted week is questionable whether or not we get those miles. Other than those nuances, though, that's our 18 week hybrid!

 

[pinkxray]

Thanks for all the input everyone.

I guess it will all depend on how I feel once our little boy is here but right now I am really hoping to do it. Our daughter will be 10 years old this fall so she's not too hard to work around to get in some running. Mostly it will just be working around the babies schedule and making sure I have a plan. The short runs won't be too hard to either squeeze in early mornings or bring the baby in the BOB stroller but its the long runs I worry about fitting in. However I have made it clear to DH I have plans to do this and he is on board and will be home on weekends when long runs would occur.

After reading the posts here I did check out some different marathon plans and it really seems like the Galloway plan would be the best. I used his TOT 10 mile plan in 2012, but switched to Hidgeon half marathon plans for the Princess Half. Both has them worked well so I am hoping I can stay committed once winter and post baby recovery hits.

Thanks everyone!

Hope to see you marathon weekend 2016.

 

[steph0808]

Marathon training was a lot of dedication for me - mostly for the long weekend run. It was a 4-5 hour chunk out of every Saturday (driving to the trail, running, driving home, showering, foam rolling, etc.).

I just had my first kid at the end of June. While I have been cleared to run, I have only been doing so sporadically. Mostly because the baby eats up most of my time, and my prime mid-week runs occur during lunchtime at work, which I haven't returned to yet.

The other thing is that I had some pregnancy-related issues that made the doctor restrict my activity (high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia). And I was super in shape when I got pregnant - running a PR half marathon (1:58) at 4 weeks pregnant.

I think 13 months is a good timeframe to get into marathon shape, but don't be surprised if you have a serious lack of motivation in the first couple weeks/months postpartum!

 

[Castle2Castle]

Pfft. . . for all that I wrote, I didn't talk much about the differences. Steph and others are right about the dedication on the longer long weekend runs. Not only is there more time commitment to get in the miles, but also the time commitment to recovering after those runs. A lot of lazy afternoons after those runs for me! Not that you can't manage it still, but just keep in mind the time commitment for recovery as well as those runs.

 

[pinkxray]

Marathon training was a lot of dedication for me - mostly for the long weekend run. It was a 4-5 hour chunk out of every Saturday (driving to the trail, running, driving home, showering, foam rolling, etc.).

I just had my first kid at the end of June. While I have been cleared to run, I have only been doing so sporadically. Mostly because the baby eats up most of my time, and my prime mid-week runs occur during lunchtime at work, which I haven't returned to yet.

The other thing is that I had some pregnancy-related issues that made the doctor restrict my activity (high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia). And I was super in shape when I got pregnant - running a PR half marathon (1:58) at 4 weeks pregnant.

I think 13 months is a good timeframe to get into marathon shape, but don't be surprised if you have a serious lack of motivation in the first couple weeks/months postpartum!

Congrats on your baby! Thanks for posting. I am very nervous that all the energy and determination will go right out the window once our baby is here but we'll see.

I think the thing I am most worried about is those long,long run days that do eat up a good majority of the day with the run/recovery.

Pfft. . . for all that I wrote, I didn't talk much about the differences. Steph and others are right about the dedication on the longer long weekend runs. Not only is there more time commitment to get in the miles, but also the time commitment to recovering after those runs. A lot of lazy afternoons after those runs for me! Not that you can't manage it still, but just keep in mind the time commitment for recovery as well as those runs.

I think those long,long run days are what is making me nervous. When I trained for the half marathon I was able to do the long runs on Fridays since I am off Fridays plus DH and DD were gone until about 3:30. I did my runs right after dropping DD off at school so by noon I had done my long run and any recovery needed.

This time since I will have the baby home on my days off I will have to do the long runs on the weekend with DH watching him. I don't know if I will be able to have the recovery time after the runs that I will need once the mileage gets high. I have a feeling after doing 20 mile run I might walk in and have the baby plopped right in my arms.

 

[Waiting2goback]

I am no expert in running by any stretch. I just began running in March of this year. I have done a 10K. I have the ToT in October and two weeks after that I did sign up for a marathon so I am in the middle of the training.

What I think I can discuss with some confidence is the parenting side of this. I am a stay-at-home dad of 4 kids. I know a little about babies and their schedules. I may not have been breastfeeding the babies but I was the one up and feeding them, etc... I know how hard it can be to workout once you are exhausted.

And, as one poster said, you might not see how much work it is going from 1 to 2 kids. On top of that your first is 10 years old. You are not used to being up with a baby. Your oldest may be less work now but you aren't used to having a baby either.

Having said all of that, I totally think you could do this IF you commit to it and you prepare for the unexpected. Not everything will go as planned with the baby. You have to factor in time for the unexpected.

If you are willing to put in the time and you are prepared for the unexpected you can do it. And guess what, if you decide you don't want to do it in 2016 you can do it the following year or the year after that. I don't think Disney is closing any time soon and based on the popularity of these races I don't think runDisney is shutting down either.

I hope I didn't discourage you because I wasn't trying to. I just think that training for a marathon is hard. Having a baby is hard. You are trying to do them both at the same time. Your husband will be a HUGE part of making this happen if you decide to do it.

 

[Waiting2goback]

My first full is scheduled for WDW Marathon Weekend 2015, but to date I've done half a dozen HM with 5 of them being sub-2:00.

My longest run has been 16 miles at a 9:33 pace and I've been running at least 20 miles/week since March. I'm not going by any one plan. I've looked at a bunch and formed a plan that fits me, which includes:

- 15 +/- miles during the week
- Longer run(s) on the weekend (I have Sat & Sun off)
- Cross training with P90X3 on non-running days


I know some plans call for HIGH mileage (40 - 50 miles/week), but I know if I ran that much, I'd injure something. I know my body and when it needs rest, so I MAY peak at 30 miles/week when I start hitting my 20-mile runs, but not before.

The ONLY drawback for VERY long runs (14 and over) is I know I take that time away from my family. That is why I schedule them first thing in the morning (4:30 - 5:00) on the weekends. Run it out, done.

Sorry if it was TMI.

Not related to the thread so I apologize. I do P90X for my cross training. I am just wondering how you like P90X3?

 

[pinkxray]

I am no expert in running by any stretch. I just began running in March of this year. I have done a 10K. I have the ToT in October and two weeks after that I did sign up for a marathon so I am in the middle of the training.

What I think I can discuss with some confidence is the parenting side of this. I am a stay-at-home dad of 4 kids. I know a little about babies and their schedules. I may not have been breastfeeding the babies but I was the one up and feeding them, etc... I know how hard it can be to workout once you are exhausted.

And, as one poster said, you might not see how much work it is going from 1 to 2 kids. On top of that your first is 10 years old. You are not used to being up with a baby. Your oldest may be less work now but you aren't used to having a baby either.

Having said all of that, I totally think you could do this IF you commit to it and you prepare for the unexpected. Not everything will go as planned with the baby. You have to factor in time for the unexpected.

If you are willing to put in the time and you are prepared for the unexpected you can do it. And guess what, if you decide you don't want to do it in 2016 you can do it the following year or the year after that. I don't think Disney is closing any time soon and based on the popularity of these races I don't think runDisney is shutting down either.

I hope I didn't discourage you because I wasn't trying to. I just think that training for a marathon is hard. Having a baby is hard. You are trying to do them both at the same time. Your husband will be a HUGE part of making this happen if you decide to do it.

I really appreciate your post. It absolutely isn't discouraging, just honest.

I probably am underestimating how different things will be a year from now and will probably look back and wonder what the heck I was even thinking. Maybe I'll have to set my sights a little lower, at that point I might be happy enough to be in training for a 5k.

And you are right about Disney and RunDisney not going anywhere, I can always do the marathon in a few years. Thanks again for your post!

 

[peachygreen]

The biggest difference is the ling run, not just in the time it takes but the toll it takes on your body. I have a 4 & 8 year old so they can entertain themselves which is good because I need some recovery time on Saturdays after my long run.

Marathon training and nursing is also tough. You have to be especially careful about hydration to maintain your milk supply. I ran a marathon when my oldest was 18 months and nurses throughout, but she was 1 when I really ramped up the training and nursing was not her primary source of nutrition.

I don't think I'd have been ready to ramp up the training 6 months earlier, but that's me. I also worked full time and time was not my friend. My training was done (still is for that matter) at night after she went to bed and long runs were often early in the morning before she woke up. 10 miles was both of our max with the jogging stroller but 6 miles was more reasonable.

Good luck. I hope you have a healthy baby and quick recovery.

 

[derekleigh]

Not related to the thread so I apologize. I do P90X for my cross training. I am just wondering how you like P90X3?

I love it! I signed up to become a beach body coach and I had heard a lot about P90X for a long time. X3 just came out so I jumped on the challenge pack (P90X3 and shakeology).

P90x3 was what my cross training plateau needed. It's a great variety of different works, some of which can be do with no equipment which are awesome for traveling!

But since using X3, my running times have seen some great improvements!

Let me know if you want to know more!

 

[RnbwSktles]

I didn't read all of the replies so I apologize if someone has said something similar already.

I ran my first marathon this past Jan (WDW) and I started the training without having ever done more than just 1 5k. I followed the Galloway plan, but only went up to 20 miles. I also slacked pretty badly on the weekday runs, so even though I don't recommend it, you can still accomplish your goal even if life gets in the way a lot.

I also gained 10lbs during training so I obviously didn't follow a good nutrition plan.

I did not have the easiest time running the full because of the things I slacked on and will definitely be doing things differently next time. I just wanted to reassure you that you CAN make it happen!

 

[Waiting2goback]

I really appreciate your post. It absolutely isn't discouraging, just honest.

I probably am underestimating how different things will be a year from now and will probably look back and wonder what the heck I was even thinking. Maybe I'll have to set my sights a little lower, at that point I might be happy enough to be in training for a 5k.

And you are right about Disney and RunDisney not going anywhere, I can always do the marathon in a few years. Thanks again for your post!

I want to clarify my post because I want to be clear that I do think you can do it. All I was trying to do is to point out that things might not go as smoothly as you plan right now.

I don't know how old you are. I am soon to be 41. I find that if I do not get my full 8 hours of sleep that it makes recovering in between runs much harder. That will be a factor for you unless you are one of the lucky ones who gets a baby that sleeps through the night after a few weeks. NONE of my kids ever did that. It was a minimum of a year before they slept through the night, some even longer.

And, while I am not an expert runner I am in the middle of training for my first marathon. I found the training for the ToT to be much easier (not easy) than for the marathon distance. I did 8 miles yesterday and I'm not really even sore today. I think I could do the 1/2 distance without an issue right now even though my longest run was 10.6 miles so far. The thought of doing ANOTHER 13.1 miles after that is scary to me right now. I will still give the marathon my best effort but I think I bit off a bit more than I can chew.

There are so many factors I am not sure about with your situation. If you are younger than me, you might not need the sleep to recover. You may already be in better shape than I was when I started. You may be a better runner than me in general as I am just learning. All I wanted to do was to get you to plan for the unexpected and factor that into your goal. If you do that I think you will be able to do it.