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Poll: Have you run a marathon?

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Poll: Have you run a marathon?

#1
If you are a marathoner, what online resources/texts or training program have you used or you follow?

2012 NYC marathon would have been my first marathon but it got cancelled. I would be running 2013 NYC marathon and probably 2013 Chicago marathon.

Re: Poll: Have you run a marathon?

#2
I was a first-time marathoner in 2012 and I found Hal Higdon's site very useful. http://www.halhigdon.com/

FWIW, training for a marathon isn't too complicated. Start at least 18 weeks beforehand. Run about 10-11 miles during the week and do one long run on the weekend, building up to 20 miles two weeks before your race.

Re: Poll: Have you run a marathon?

#3
The only online tool I've used is Smart Coach [1] so I can't compare it to others, but it has worked well for me thus far. I'm still building to a full marathon with half marathons, but they have programs for half or full. Goal for the next one is to break 1:30. After that I'm going to start training for a full marathon.

[1] http://smartcoach.runnersworld.com

Re: Poll: Have you run a marathon?

#4

I was a first-time marathoner in 2012 and I found Hal Higdon's site very useful. http://www.halhigdon.com/ FWIW, training for a marathon isn't too complicated. Start at least 18 weeks beforehand. Run about 10-11 miles during the week and do one long run on the weekend, building up to 20 miles two weeks before your race.

The Hal Higdon plans are renowned and come highly recommended.

I'm using his half marathon plan for my first half mara and training is proceeding nicely. The pace feels right.

Re: Poll: Have you run a marathon?

#5
I have fall in love with Strava - minimal iOS running app (http://app.strava.com/mobile). I am not affiliated with them in any way.

I can also second Hal Higdon's site above.

A lot of people in a recent half marathon I ran were using the half marathon as a staging ground for their full marathon. By running a half marathon/5k/10k you can get a feel for what running an actual race feels like, which is invaluable.

Re: Poll: Have you run a marathon?

#7
I think the best thing you can do is run with a group, especially if you can find one training for the same marathon.

It'll keep you a lot more motivated than running by yourself, and it's a lot more fun. Plus if you're a techie, it's a good way to get outside and meet people.

FWIW, the 2013 Chicago Marathon and the 2013 NYC marathon are pretty close together for a first-time marathoner. I would suggest just doing one or the other.

If you get really into marathons, there's a very interesting subculture of people who do them all the time - for instance, the Marathon Maniacs - http://www.marathonmaniacs.com/

Re: Poll: Have you run a marathon?

#8

I have fall in love with Strava - minimal iOS running app ( http://app.strava.com/mobile ). I am not affiliated with them in any way. I can also second Hal Higdon's site above. A lot of people in a recent half marathon I ran were using the half marathon as a staging ground for their full marathon. By running a half marathon/5k/10k you can get a feel for what running an actual race feels like, which is invaluable.

Thanks for the Strava tip - looks nice. How's the GPS accuracy? RunKeeper's been giving me problems lately.

Re: Poll: Have you run a marathon?

#9

I think the best thing you can do is run with a group, especially if you can find one training for the same marathon. It'll keep you a lot more motivated than running by yourself, and it's a lot more fun. Plus if you're a techie, it's a good way to get outside and meet people. FWIW, the 2013 Chicago Marathon and the 2013 NYC marathon are pretty close together for a first-time marathoner. I would suggest just doing on…

I second the doing it as part of a group advice. And similarly pick just one marathon and train for that. You'll want a couple months recovery after your first marathon before trying another.
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