Is It Totally Unrealistic?

[disneyrun]

Can you go from running only a little to running a marathon in a year? Is this crazy? What should I be doing other than the obvious? I've set this goal and now I'm so energized to make it happen. Do I read any particular books? Is there some plan to take you from hardly running to running a marathon? Have I lost my mind?????

 

[princessrunner]

Wow, you are energetic!! I would never have considered a marathon in my first year of running! I think my best advice would have to be start small. You have to build up a base for the miles and get your legs/feet used to the pounding and distance. There have been several different sites recommended on these boards (i.e. Hal Higdon, Galloway running, etcetera) and there are a lot of helpful books out there too. I personally used Marathoning for Mortals for my half training and will use it again for my marathon training because the plans fit into my lifestyle/kids/work scheduling.

Good luck with your goals!!! Oh, and happy running!!!

 

[goingthedistance]

Yes you can do it! My wife and I did our first marathons within one year of starting to run. Just remember to start out slow and try not to increase your weekly mileage or your long run mileage too quickly. Most people won't start training for the Disney Marathon until late August or September, so you have until then to build up a solid base. I second the MfM book by Bingham. You can also look at your local running club for help training too. Personally I would do one of the couch-to-5k programs now to start your base.

Oh, BTW, yes you are crazy, but no worse than any of the rest of us crazy people.

Paul

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

My first response to your question is "it depends." Do you know how fast you can do a mile now? There are several factors to consider, and a major one is that you need to be sure you get your physical before undertaking any exercise program.

I would have to say you can do this especially if you begin right now to build your base. That is start increasing your run/walking activity and strength/stretch routines now. We have a local group around here that boasts and has successfully proven that it can be done.

I'm not sure if you mean exactly running the entire event. I'd say you definitely can run/walk or walk/run or walk the event. WDW marathon is a 16 minute per mile pace. You would want to do your best to train up to a 15 min pace so you can have a minimum amount of cushioning.

Come play on the weekly thread and go to the library to check out some of those books mentioned. I too use the Marathoning for Mortals book by John Bingham. I am a Penguin and proud of it!

 

[Lexxiefern]

Absolutely! I just started to run/jog/walk this past march. And I just completed the goofy!! I think the #1 thing you need is determination and of course take the training seriously.

You can do it!!

Becky

 

[aladdinsgirl]

Disneyrunning--it is possible to go from to little running to a marathon in a year, but like Lisa/princessrunner said, it's best to start small. How about training for the half marathon in 2009 and the full in 2010? Training for a marathon takes a lot of time and commitment, most training programs have you running 4-5 times a week and exercising (cross training--elliptical, biking, swimming, weight lifting, etc) those other 2 or 3 days with only one rest day a week. Not to mention a long run, usually on Saturday, that starts around 6-7 miles and goes up to 20 miles. And while it's okay to miss an occasional run or cross training session, it's not a good idea to make it a habit to miss runs or cross training.

As far as books about marathoning, John Bingham is my favorite, I've used his Marathoning for Mortals program many times, but other good books by him are The Courage to Start, No Need for Speed, and Running for Mortals. Just go to your local bookstore to the running section and there will be lots of books, some for training, some for speed, a lot of selection.

What you should be doing now--get into a running schedule, you don't need to be running a lot miles now (most marathon training will start late summer for a January marathon), but definitely run 3-4 miles 3 times a week (maybe 3 miles twice and one 4 miler, or run 3-3 milers now and maybe in May bump one 3 miler up to 4) and then maybe 5-6 miles on your long run on the weekend. It's also a good idea to start cross training now and lifting weights--I've found that is key to preventing injury--build those leg muscles and tendons and ligaments up now so they can withstand the beating they are going to take in the next few months.

Eat right--not necessarily diet, but eat healthy--lots of carbs, protein, fruits and vegetables and calcium to prevent injury.

Good luck in training and please keep posting, you will find the support on these boards is incredible!

ETA: I don't want to sound like a Negative Nellie, making you think you can't run a marathon next January, I just want you to be as prepared for the distance as possible and to know everything that goes into training. I want to see you at that start line (for whatever distance you choose), not sidelined with an injury. Training for and running a marathon is an incredible journey, one you will never forget for the rest of your life. I want your experience to be a good one so you keep coming back for more!

Krista

 

[goofyinohio]

It is something you can do. I started running in June of last year and just completed my first marathon last week. Every book by Bingham is good if you ask me, but the one that best fits is the Marathoning for Mortals book that he and his wife Jenny wrote. Another good book is the Non-Runners Marathoner Trainer. This book is really good on the Mental aspects of running a marathon as well as physical. Both of these books really helped me out during the Disney marathon and I read them back in June.

Good luck!

 

[wtpclc]

OK, I don't recommend this, as it makes fro a really tough year, but dh and I did. We had not run for over 15 years before that. However, we started with teh goal of doing a full run,. but knowing taht that may be too much for us and that if we hadd to go back to a w/r r/w, we would.

We started end of Feb/begin of March with teh walk/run the half program from MfM (Marathoning for Mortals). DId about teh first 8 weeks and then went to teh run/ealk teh half program. After the first 8 weeks of that we went to run the half. Again, about the first 8 weeks of taht and we transitioned into teh run the full program.

Seriously, it was a tough year and we were incredibly dedicated. I missed one LR due to injury, adn that was a relatively short LR. Missed a few more SRs (LR - Long run, SR-short run), but not many and was pretty good with XT too.

DOn't forget to post on teh weekly thread too. Don't think I coudl have done it without knowing that others had gone through the same struggles I had.

 

[disneyrun]

Wow! Thanks everyone for the encouragement and the realistic opinions. It is what I need. I'm so dedicated and being able to put in the time shouldn't be an issue as I do have the time and a lab who'd be in heaven to be able to go on more runs. I really NEED a goal to work toward and as I turn 30 in December I'd love to know that my first marathon is on the horizon Look for me as I'm going to be a regular fixture around here and look forward to getting to know all of you : Thank you all for the advice - I'll be hitting up the book store this weekend.

 

[Jynohn]

Several years ago we happened to be at Disney when the marathon was going on. At that point I had no idea what it was all about, we just saw all the runners on the Boardwalk and I said to my husband, "I want to do that next year." Up until that point, the only "running" I had ever done was jogging a mile or two on my treadmill a couple of times a week.

As soon as we got home, I started looking up training plans, and I was actually disappointed to find out that I wouldn't need to begin any "serious" training for several more months. I was all gung-ho and wanted to start immediately! I used the next few months to slowly build up my mileage, but didn't need to add any real distance runs until about 5-6 months out, at which point the training gradually began to get harder and harder.

My point is, if I can go from a few miles a week on the treadmill to running a marathon within a year, then you can do it too!

Good luck with your training and see you in 2009

 

[wfloyd]

I went from no running what-so-ever in February to completing the marathon the next January. It is possible but you need to be checked by a doctor first to make sure your body can handle it. I just slowly set goals to go to 5k then 10k and eventually started in the marathon training. Just take it easy and it is possible.

Bill

 

[scoolover]

Here is my life story summed up quickly.

Dec 05 - 375 lbs and I had weight loss surgery.
April 06 - I started running after a few months of walking
June 06 - First 5K
August 06 - First long race - 11.6 miles.
Jan 07 - Disney marathon - exactly 13 months after surgery.

Can you do it -- ABSOLUTELY!

 

[SamSam]

Here is my life story summed up quickly.

Dec 05 - 375 lbs and I had weight loss surgery.
April 06 - I started running after a few months of walking
June 06 - First 5K
August 06 - First long race - 11.6 miles.
Jan 07 - Disney marathon - exactly 13 months after surgery.

Can you do it -- ABSOLUTELY!

Now that is inspiration! You ROCK!

 

[chimera]

Yes, you can totally do this.

Set a realistic goal just to finish, don't go for a specific time.

You won't need to start training until about August. Spend the next few months building up your mileage base. Around here, we call it training-to-train. Start slow, don't increase your mileage more than 10% or so per week and just work on putting in the steps. What I did most wrong with this year's full was not having enough base mileage. You should probably be doing about 15-25 miles per week before you start training for best results. You can get through the marathon on less, but it will be painful.

For books, John Bingham is sort of a running guru for many of us. Other folks have also used plans by Jeff Galloway (www.runinjuryfree.com) and Hal Higdon (www.halhigdon.com).

And please feel free to come join us on the weekly walking/running club threads! Lots of motivation, advice and encouragement throughout your marathon journey!

 

[disneyrun]

Thanks everyone! I'm looking forward to falling along with everyone as I work toward that goal. I'm a vegetarian so I'm struggling with the protein issue as I begin to build my base mileage. I'm trying to lose some weight too so it's figuring out if I'm getting enough calories but not too much. I'll have lots of questions and it sounds like you are a great bunch of people to ask :