For the full marathon runners, where did you start at with your training. Were you doing shorter races and moved up, just running long runs... And what training programs did you use?
The first race I ever did was a half-marathon. I didn't do a full until about 2 years later.
I found out after the half that I could realistically run at least double-digits every weekend if I wanted to. Still, going past 15 and 16 mi was hard for me. But after you stick those a few times, it gets progressively easier. 20mi is still daunting to me though, even though I did it twice last year in training.
The hardest part for me is switching to running almost every day. I was technically in better general shape last year as it relates to cardio and strength. But I decided I get more of a release from running than lifting so I've switched gears.
As far as programs, you will find a lot of different philosophies. I am doing Pfitzinger's 18/55 program, which means it's 18 weeks and peaks at about 55 miles. It's known for having more "speed" or "quality" workouts. Like there's a couple weeks where I'm supposed to be running all out for a race of at least 5mi and then doing a 17 mile run the next day...
You'll see a bunch of other ones...there's Hanson's, which maxes out at 16 miles for the long run...theres Hal Higdon's, which is like one of the first Google results, and he has some for novices and more experienced racers...and plenty others.
You can learn a lot about marathon plans and running at
this site.
NICE!!! What's your goal time?
I'm going to do a tune-up race a few weeks before and see what the equivalent is. I did a half-marathon in May and finished in 1:37, which ranges from 3:25 to 3:35 in some race predictors. I anticipate that the current program will make me faster...just how much, I'll have to check. I'll probably try and be conservative to avoid smacking the wall.
