Making the Jump from Half Marathon to Full Marathon

[deleckidesign]

I've done 2 half and have 2 more halfs planned for this year. After seeing people running in the full in Hollywood Studios, and people walking around with their Mickey medal, I want to do the WDW full in 2012. Any advice or tips for training other than training for a longer period of time and the obvious increase of miles? Mentally preparing to say "I can do it"? After finishing the half, I didn't feel like I could go any further...is that a symptom of I trained for a half marathon not a full and I'm going to feel tired?

Any advice and tips are welcome!

 

[Vickibean]

Sorry, no advice to offer, but I am in the same situation. I am running the princess half this year, and I'm contemplating the full in January 2012. Can't wait to hear what people have to say!

 

[verticalchaos]

Same boat ~ my first half was Saturday! I'm doing the NYC Half in March and the Disneyland Half in September for sure. And I'm going to do the full in 2012! So I'll be working my way up - and probab;y throwing at least one half in between March and September.

 

[KristinU]

I'm no help since I'm also in the same boat. I'll be running the princess half in February and it will be my 4th half with a few more planned for 2011. I really like the distance, but I think I'm ready to challenge myself for a full. I'm interested to hear some insights and tips!

 

[Ronda93]

Me, too. I did three halfs last year. I wanted to do Mickey this year, but there's too much non-refundable stuff involved. My first marathon will be St Louis, April 10. I can flame out and only have spent a tank of gas ; )

Training is ramping up. I'm staring at the 18 and 20 milers and wondering if I've got it in me. I'm training to finish using a 5:1 Galloway. I'm slow and expect to have a 12:00 pace. Biggest priority is to not get injured.

If I can do the distance, I'll do Mickey 2012.

Ronda

 

[johde]

I can't be too much help either. I've done 2 half marathons and have 2 more planned for this year. As far as feeling you couldn't go much further, that just means you completed the event well. I felt more tired and worn out after my fastest 5K than I did after either half marathon. http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm is a good website that give estimates on how quickly you can do 1 race based on results in different races. I'm planning on getting better at the half marathon distance before trying for a full. Maybe the 2013 Disney Marathon.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Subscribing.

I've done two half marathons (Philadelphia RnR and Wine & Dine) and have five more scheduled for 2011. (Manhattan in two weeks, National in March, Brooklyn in May, Queens in July and Staten Island in October).

I'm looking at maybe doing a marathon sometime in 2012. I will have guaranteed entry into NYCM, but MIGHT do Disney or another full before that.

 

[SAHDad]

Hrm, no marathoners have chimed in yet.

When I ran my first half at Disney in 2006 (it was my second half marathon, but my first at Disney), I crossed the finish line in a fairly respectable time, but I was pretty beat up by it. Still, I loved the training and the distance, and wanted that Mickey mdeal, so I figured I would do a marathon at Disney somday.

I added more miles, ran a couple of half marathons, ran a couple of marathons, and returned two years later to do the Goofy. I ran the half several minutes faster than I had in 2006, and it was much, much easier. (I did not do well at the marathon the next day, but that was mainly due to the heat and humidity, not because I had run hard in the half.)

As you increase your training, the long runs that, right now, take everything out of you, become almost second nature. If you think back to when you first started training, running for 5 or 10 minutes was probably really hard, but now, with a half marathon (or more) under your belt, going out for a half hour run probably is not such a big deal.

When I am not training for a marathon, an 8 mile run seems like a long distance. When I am training, 8 miles becomes an easy day.

 

[fashionista311]

i was in the same situation as alot of you all were in last year - i had run some halfs, and wanted to make the transition to the full but wasn't sure how. 13.1 was still a challenge, and 26.2 seemed SO daunting.

then i got an opportunity for free entry/gear/training/vip race-day status to the nyc marathon...and even though i wasn't sure i was ready, i knew it was a once-in-lifetime opportunity and i would be crazy for turning it down. i had about 6 weeks until "offical" training started. i was currently running 3 days/week - 8 miles (combined) during the week, and long runs usually in the 6-8 range on average. i focused on adding another day of running to my schedule, and ramping up my long runs to 10 miles/week - to bring me to a total of about 25 miles/week.

honestly..the actual training is (one) of the hardest part of going from the half to the full. when i was getting to the point right before the taper (the highest mileage) i would just be exhausted from running 16 miles, having one rest day, and having to run AGAIN. i would also have to run 8 miles midweek...and i didn't know what was crazier, the fact that i just ran 8 miles as a midweek run, or the fact that the effort didn't seem all that (relatively) difficult.

the actual marathon was tougher than i did imagine...my knee started bugging me around mile 8, and persisted for the rest of the race (i later figured out it was a bit of runner's knee, most likely brought by running a half a few weeks earlier at a harder race pace rather than training pace...and not giving myself enough time to recover. live and learn). also, i experienced bonking around miles 16-18 that was unlike anything i've ever encountered in a half marathon.

i think in general, the marathon is a completely different beast than a half marathon. but if you're willing to put in the hours and miles training - it's 100 percent doable to transition from the half, and it's worth it to see what you think of the distance. despite everything, i personally liked the challenge enough that i'm thinking about doing another one in the fall..but not enough that i can handle being on such a strict training plan that i would want to do one more than once a year, at least for now. good luck with whatever you choose to do!

 

[jmasgat]

Congrats on your half success!

I ran the half (my first) in 2009 and then ran the full in 2010. In between, I didn't do any other long distance races--that's just me. I don't go for quantity in races, it seems. So I made the jump from half to full after just one half--- no other halfs in between

Deciding you want to do the marathon--and getting over the fear--is the first step, so you're on your way (snd is forking over large cash to Disney ). Believing you can do it is a BIG deal.

After I did my half, I took a few weeks off (ITB) and then decide to do a spring "fast 5k" (which, as we all know, is a very relative thing!). This let me keep a base of miles going that weren't too bad and also gave me a goal. (I am very goal-oreinted). That took me through the early spring and then I decide to try a sprint tri. So I changed up my training--which is refreshing--and did one in June. Summer, I decided to start to build my base back up, so I did part of a half marathon plan that I had. Did a Muddy Buddy (on a whim). By the time Labor day or so rolled around, I was able to start my marathon plan with the right level of base.

So I would say do the following: take some time off to let your body recover. Find a marathon plan that looks good for you. I would do it now because even though you won't be using it now, you will be able to plan around it and make sure you are ready to start it. Then spend the next six months or so working on keeping some kind of base, and maybe throwing in a small race or two to keep you motivated. If you like running halfs, you could do another one, I suppose. But IMHO, you don't need to. Plus, you want to be in good shape to start the marathon plan in the fall.

As for race experience/fatigue/etc. Well it's tough, for sure. But I recall at mile 10 of my Disney half, I wasn't sure I was going to make it! This is why we train. And try not to judge and project forward when it comes to training. Don't get in the trap of saying "That 13 mile run was awful. How will I ever do 26.2" Every run is different and a race is different from training.

Sorry to be long winded. Hope this makes sense and hope it helps. If not, I'm sure others will chime in!

 

[joan4mickey]

I AM going to run the full next year. I started running three years ago because my DS said "Why do you always walk? Have you ever tried running?" So I did and ran 7 miles at a 10 mm pace. In May 2008, I ran the last Minnie Marathon (15K). Then I ran another 15K that year. And in 2009 the Princess Half and 2010 the Princess and DL 1/2. This year the I am doing the Princess Half and taking up trail running. Next year I WILL do the full and a mulit day stage trail run..75-100 miles over 5 or 6 days. I wanted to do the stage run this year, but I'm taking the family to Alaska and time and money are holding me back.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

I just ran/walked the Marathon yesterday and I can honestly say it is a different beast. I am glad that I listened to Coach Charles and didn't get too ambitious with my long runs as I had originally planned. I now don't see any advantage to going over the amounts in training programs. So, that is my first tip. I can see it with the half training programs...but not this. I have to admit that when I got to the 14 mile mark, I was feeling great and shocked myself by doing so well. Then I realized I had so much more ahead! For me, the worst was Animal Kingdom and the industrial area. At that point it doesn't matter how in shape you are, you have to really push yourself. You have been running a lot longer than most people ever want to, it starts to heat up and distractions are at a minimum. I had revisited getting Runkeeper Pro for the live feature and it worked great but drained my battery and so at that point, I no longer had music for motivation! So, I wish I had a back-up plan if I run the Marathon again. If you are lucky enough to find someone to keep up with, which Robert from Disneyrunning.com was nice enough to let me tag along that helped so much but I will bring extra batteries next time! My Achilles started to act up in Hollywood Studios so I was grateful to have made such great time in the beginning so that I could take it easy in the end and finish 9 minutes later than my goal of six hours. I didn't try to go too fast and the intervals allowed me to take it easy AND make good times. My Achilles honestly was aggravated by going the Harry Potter attraction and standing for three hours just to go on a stupid attraction. So, I would recommend not walking around like that before the race! I know it is hard when most of us bring our families...oh, and wear compression pants!

Sorry for the big message-not easy to type on the iPhone trying to get back to Atlanta but I will share more details when I get home. But I will say that any of you can do it! Thanks to all of you that cheered us on! It made a difference especially at the end when I wished the race would end with a dip in the pool at the Yacht Club?!? Not sure which one it was but many of us were ready to quit but when we heard people with their encouraging words (not you are almost there - but you can do it, keep going, you are doing great, etc.) we all decided to keep going!

 

[deleckidesign]

Keep the tips coming everyone!!

I'm still in the stage of telling myself that with the proper training, I can do it.

I plan on spending the next week recovering from the Disney World half...then the next 3 weeks building back to a regular base before beginning a 12-week half training plan for a half in May that I've already signed up for.

And I'd like to do the Disneyland half in Sept. So...I figure that I can line up marathon training to start in June and the half in Sept. will just be part of that training plan. Hopefully this plan will prove effective.

 

[verticalchaos]

I'm definitely doing it - I think one of my running club teammates who went Goofy this year (literally...he and one of the others RAN Oceola Pkwy from Sports to the expo and back - I witnessed this madness while my sister and I were DRIVING like sane people) is going to see to it if I even breathe a word of doubt.

My half schedule as it stands now (registered or determined) is...

3/20 - NYC Half
9/4 - Disneyland Half
10/1 - Wine and Dine (just figured out this is doable with a little mini-vacation thanks to Rosh Hashanah)

I want to add in at least one other one in the late spring/early summer, and then once the Wine and Dine is over I will pull back on the racing and focus on training for the full. Get my 9 races required for guaranteed entry into the 2012 NYC Marathon done early in the year and throw in fall ones pretty much only if they meet the training plan distance.

 

[John VN]

Congratulations.

Yesterday was my first Full. Saturday was my second 1/2 and Friday was also my 2nd 5K, so YES, I am Dopey. Started training less than a year ago but when I began I set a goal to complete all 3.

Here is my advice, do as jmasgat suggested.

If your goal is to finish next year's Mickey, faithfully train and you WILL achieve it.

BTW, I am hurting but it is a HAPPY HURT.

 

[adstrand04]

I've done 2 half and have 2 more halfs planned for this year. After seeing people running in the full in Hollywood Studios, and people walking around with their Mickey medal, I want to do the WDW full in 2012. Any advice or tips for training other than training for a longer period of time and the obvious increase of miles? Mentally preparing to say "I can do it"? After finishing the half, I didn't feel like I could go any further...is that a symptom of I trained for a half marathon not a full and I'm going to feel tired?

Any advice and tips are welcome!

I was a spectator for 2 years prior watching friends and last year I thought the same thing. My advice, find a really good friend. I mean a friend that won't leave you stranded. As I said on another post. I went from the couch to a 1/2 and full all in the same year. For both my races I ran with my son's Godfather stride for stride. He also ran the 1/2 with my wife. Both training times we did the Hal Higdon approach for beginners. My 1/2 was 2:10 in March '10 (Sarasota 1/2) and full was 4:51 at Disney '11.

 

[chimera]

Find a training plan that you like and stick with it. Most of the full plans are a bit longer than the half. Check out Galloway's and Higdon's websites. Both have half and full plans so you can compare them and see the differences.

The one piece of advice I can offer is never, ever underestimate the weekly runs. When you're doing these distance races, a lot of people tend to focus on the one long run each week, but those short and mid distance runs during the week are just as, if even more, important for building up your base mileage. Dont' skip them 'cause they dont seem to matter as much.

creds: Sat was my 16th half, my full in 2008 was one and done. I'll not likely do another one, though I've learned around here you never say never

adstrand...we're neighbors. I work in LWR, have done Sarasota half 3 times

 

[momoflizandains]

Great info. I am seriously considering it as I completed my first half on Saturday. I would like to train more and get another half under my belt. Possible the Mickey in 2013.

 

[J3nn78]

It is all in the training and the previous races really don't matter.

Sunday was my first full marathon. Prior to that, my ONLY races were 2 5Ks over the summer.

A little over a year ago, I started the Couch to 5K program to lose weight. A few weeks into the program I visited the WISH board here and read about the marathon. I decided to go BIG and I trained following Jeff Galloway's Run:Walk:Run method.

 

[J3nn78]

One more thing, as my best friend and I passed the 13 mile mark, we were REALLY happy we went with the full because we would have been sad for it to be over so quickly. As it was, 26 miles flew by. I have never had so much fun running!