So the NYC Marathon is exactly 18 weeks away as of yesterday. This will be my first marathon on November 7th.
Fortunately day 1 is a rest day according to the plan that I chose, Hal Higdon's Novice 2 plan. This is good because I ate some bar food yesterday that sidelined me competely.
I am not sure how I want to approach this marathon. Its my first and the longest run/race that I have ever done was a super hilly 25K that I RACED, and subsequently battered my knees from running downhill that much. Whats another 10.7 miles?.......prolly the hardest 10.7 of my life. In terms of time spent out on the battlefield, I have been out there three times for 5.5 hours+. Of course, 3 of those were on a bike, which is completely different from running.
What am I getting at? I need to find some respect for this running distance. Part of me is like, "Eh, whats an easy 26.2? A walk in the park!" WRONG. I doubt it is anything like that. I need to constantly remind myself that every time I have finished a 13.1 either as a standalone or in a HIM that I always seem to ask myself, "So you wanna turn around and do this thing all over again?" NO is always the answer. Of course I was racing those 13.1 milers and wasn't pacing myself for double the distance.
In other words, I think (as of right now) since that distance is completely in the unknown, I think racing my first Marathon would be downright stupid, especially given the volume of the plan. I think the Marathon will be my first and last race of the season to go out there and enjoy myself and not put any pressure on hitting a time. I always say to myself that I should never "race" a new distance since I am going to PR it now matter what.
Any tips from you Marathoners? Did you race your first or merely go out there to figure out what this thing was all about?
A day off is the first day of training??? Now that is a training schedule I can agree with! :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the training! I'm sure that you are going to do great. Especially with all your HIM experience.
Nice work choosing a Training Plan that has Day 1 as rest!!! :) haha
ReplyDeleteYou will do great after watching your HIM performances this year...I'm thinking my upcoming 70.3 will be WAAAAY harder than any marathon I have done. My first 26.2 was also NYC! I chose to run it not race it...its a great event..amazing route thru all the burroughs...those rollers in CP at the end are much different in the marathon!
-Derek
Good luck with your marathon training! I would like to give you some advice but I have only done one marathon and it was many years ago!
ReplyDeleteI did my first marathon during a difficult time in my life. I was in great shape but not trained. The marathon was difficult but definitely doable - you feed off the crowd and other runners a lot more in the marathon for some reason. You will do great.
ReplyDeleteThat little kernel is still ruminating in the back of my brain, so I have no advice for you. Except to wish you God speed!
ReplyDeleteI love Higdon's plans, but have you checked out FIRST Marathon training? 3 running days a week with Swim/bike cross-training really fits into tri training well. I did that for Sugarloaf and really liked it.
ReplyDeleteRespect the distance - but you are an endurance athlete, so you know how to push through feeling crappy - so you do have a bit of a leg up on other first timers in that respect.
DO the long runs, if nothing else.
Somewhere between mile 18-24 it is probably really going to suck. Embrace the suckage. I think you are going to have a rocking first marathon.
I'm doing my first marathon in the fall too! I looked at Hal Hidon's plan, but just couldn't figure out how to do it all with my tri training too. Like Caratunk Girl, I'm doing the FIRST plan. We'll see how it goes. I'm doing it with my sister, so I'm definitely not "racing" it. I'm thinking of it more as an awesome experience that I'll get to do with my sister and as a complete learning experience for another marathon later.
ReplyDeleteAren't you doing Timberman in August? You should stay on your Tri plan and then pick up the Higdon plan at like week 12 and use it until the Nov 7th marathon. The first 6 or 7 weeks is going to be less than your current volume now, right?
ReplyDeleteYou are going to do great with what ever plan you use! You are so determined and have such a desire to do well:) Good luck with the training Jon! I can't wait to follow your progress:)
ReplyDeleteI dare say that with the dedication you've shown over your other training, you will be just fine for the marathon, even if you don't respect the distance yet. You're a rookie at this distance, you're allowed to make mistakes and be disrespectful, you'll learn the lessons, especially when they are this painful!
ReplyDeleteDO NOT race your first marathon! I always tell the people I con into running their first 26.2 that you can't go out too slow. You will be so fine, though, with all the training and HIMs you do! Seriously, fine. Happy marathon training!
ReplyDeleteI asked myself the same question (who can I double that), but it's just different! You have plenty of time. Just respect the distance and enjoy the ride!! :)
ReplyDeleteOh... and I forgot... we're not heading to RI this weekend now. :( Hope you have a great race and maybe we'll meet up at a different one!
How does one forget about having 26.2 on the calander?!?!?!?!
ReplyDeleteI am not gonna waste your time, who would trust an aquabiker with running tips.
You'll be surprised by how manageable it feels after doing long course tris. I agree you should look into the FIRST approach and if you want to modify a bit you can run an additional day each week. The biggest problem for me is the boredom and repetition of marathon training so cross training breaks that up and reduces your risk of injury. My advice is to do the long runs and have a loose goal, but don't go crazy "racing." There is a lot of pain in a marathon and as long as you can push through that, it's easier than a hard HIM in my opinion. You'll love NYC, it's the best!
ReplyDeleteI would get done with Timberman before you worry too much about a November marathon. Give yourself a week or two of recovery and then 'just' worry about your Fall marathon. Your HIM training will more than take care of the first few weeks of that 18 week marathon plan.
ReplyDeleteYou will find the time commitment on the marathon training easier that HIM training...but the long runs each week will be tough (don't skimp on them).
Go for a very comfortable pace for the first 20 miles on race day, just enjoy, and if you feel good go for it on the last 10K.
I think you will love the marathon as long as you are trained for it.
I ran my first marathon just to finish (4:19) in 2005 and then it took me three more marathons to finally get a Boston Qualifier. I ran Boston for the first time this Spring and it was an AWESOME experience. Totally worth all the effort put in.