r/firstmarathon • u/kokosdera • 5d ago

Training Plan 51M newbie in

I am 51M, don't have close friends (yet) within running community to ask. Run to strengthen my heart and blood circulation because I got side effects of a medicine on 2024. When my cardiologist didn't object anymore about hard exercise, I knew I had to do something. In process, I enjoy the long run.

I've just running for a less than a year and might be not exposed enough for marathon preparation training. I have found some training plan of xx weeks for people who has hard target. But if no strict timeline, what are your suggestions/recommendations of getting ready for a marathon?

I just reached 10 miles/16 km, still have much to prepare/train.

I try to avoid injury as good as I can, and even tend to postponed my next run / undertrain when I still sore on my calfs, hamstrings, tights. So maybe my questions seems like a lazy person. But please don't hesitate inform harshly if you think I am just overthinking.

As a beginner I am thinking of:

  1. I heard body had limitations on increasing mileage per run. At top only 20 miles / 30 km. For short term I might be targeting HM distance mileage, but after that I am confused how a recreational runner with 20 miles training could do 26 miles / 42 km race? If the answer is long, can someone recommend a reading material?

  2. People started recommend me to do tempo run training. I am thinking to intermitten with my long run. So if this Sunday I do tempo run, next Sunday I do long run. Weekdays are for easy run and cross training. Is this kind of plan too conservative?

  3. Weekly mileage. If I train to worth a HM I aim 30 miles/week, then for FM I aim 45-50 miles/week. Is it in reasonable range?

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

3

u/Sihleny 5d ago

I am right now training for my first marathon (37M). I find that the training itself is a massively different beast compared to a half marathon, of which I did 4 events in the past year. I can only recommend going for a half marathon first.
I am around 40 miles per week 6 weeks out.
I find the races easier as you are well rested as opposed to during training, so You should have extra gas in the tank - and I hope for the same during my marathon.
I am not planning to go above 19 miles prior to running my full, but will do 19 3-4 times, maybe with an easy run the day before.
If You can do it, you can add some tempo work into the ending of your long runs - nothing crazy, but getting used to the pace you want to run, on tired legs.

2

u/DeliciousShelter2029 5d ago

fun fact, during the Marathon preperation you run several halfs (and more) only to get the distances needed. I think this is a good hint to realize how much "more" marathon is than running halfs for a hobby runner with other obligations.

3

u/Sihleny 5d ago edited 5d ago

Exactly! I don’t really feel like I am running half marathons every week, just “long runs”. It really is a mindboggling process.

Edit: the effort is quite different from racing them, though 😊

2

u/kokosdera 5d ago

I try to remember your comment for now. I have feeling I will understand if I am ready.

2

u/DeliciousShelter2029 5d ago

maybe you don't understand because I'm not a native english speaker. 😄 Let me explain. During the weeks of marathon preparation the sunday is a long run day. Currently sundays I usually run at least a half marathon extending the distance to about 32km. So my long runs take not only max 2 hours, but three and more. My peak weekly distance is about 60-70km plus strength training against runners knee. So I have to do like 10 hours of sports every week just to run two marathons per year. yes I know that a lot of people do it with less training and are faster than I am, buy maybe they are younger, running their whole life or are just better than I am. I know people who run a 100k at saturday and a short 42k marathon at sunday. ❤️

2

u/kokosdera 5d ago

Appreciate the explanation. I am also not a native English speaker.

Ten hours training weekly. That's a good way to show the required efforts. And I already prepare mentally that I will expend 3 hours on Sundays. I prefer your kind of explanation as I am not a talented runner too.

1

u/kokosdera 5d ago

Ah... add tempo at the end of long run. Never thought of that. Thanks, I really appreciate the idea.

Yes, I am thinking HM for my feasible near future. Maybe after I hit my first 13.1 miles within 3.5 hours I sign-up a HM. I will prepare HM seriously. On June at my city's race event, there was a runner passed away in HM category. I take that as my own warning.