Marathon training - Month 1
- ciaralitchfield
- Nov 12, 2014
- 4 min read
First month of marathon training
In October I completed my first Half Marathon (21 kilometres, 13 miles). I completed my run along with 16,000 other runners including Ellie Goulding (Yes she smashes my time!) at the Royal Half Parks event which was a beautiful route. I really enjoyed the experience but can remember getting to the finish line and thinking I can’t imagine doing that all over again for the full Marathon.
This year Cancer Research UK is the official charity for the Virgin Money London Marathon 2015. As many of you know I am an ambassador of this charity so will be there on the day in my Pink and Purple kit (cheering form the side not running!!). I have huge admiration for everyone taking part and have promised to stand at the end ready to catch a few people!
The event takes place on the 26th April 2015 giving runners just under 24 weeks to train!
When training for my Half I started as an intermediate runner having completed a fare few 5 and 10k’s in the past. Getting my head around the amount of training I had to do was still a nightmare. Training is so important not just for your pride (I was determined to finish in under 2 hours) but to make sure you avoid any injuries.
Starting early and keeping to your targets is vital. There are many resources online that will help you to plan your training and organise your time. I used the Nike Plus Running app which I have had on my phone for years. This app tracks your run allowing you to keep a record of time, distance, routes and calories burnt. It will plot your route by GPS and save it for you to follow again. You can input the distance you need to train for and the date of the race and it will work back for you. Another benefit of the app is that if you have used it for a while it will indicate which group you should start at for training (Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced).
Outlines
Nike Plus indicates that it should take about 24 weeks to train for a full marathon; most participants will have already started. The plan is broken down into weekly routines consisting or runs, a rest day and a cross training day. The plan will cover 116 runs and 1,115.6km start to finish.
4.88 km and 8.05 km runs make up much of the first month of training. The distances seem very precise but I found it’s nearly impossible to stick to them exactly. Sometimes routes turn out slightly shorter or longer than planned. The main objective is to hit the overall distance of the week in the indicated number of runs, just stay as close as you can.
Cross training
This includes any sporting activity that is not running. So you could go swimming, cycling, play a team sport or yoga. Make sure you keep sessions light if you feel particularly tiered after previous runs. These sessions allow the muscles you use for running to rest while allowing you to build up fitness in other parts of your body.
Week 1 – Warm up (Start now!!)
This week covers 17.7 km over 3 runs.
This is made up of ~4.8km x 2 and ~8km x 1. These are giving you a warm up to 5k and 10k runs which are markers in the running world. Take 1 rest day and 1 Cross training day.
Week 2 – Fundamentals
This week covers 30.58 km over 5 runs.
This is made up of ~4.8km x 3 and ~8km x 2. This helps you to build up distance and get used to pacing yourself. Take 1 rest day and 1 Cross training day.
Week 3 – Build a base
This week covers 32.19 km over 5 runs.
This is made up of ~4.8km x 3, ~8km x 1 and ~9.6km x 1. This incorporates your longest run yet while still falling just short of the 10k milestone. Take 1 rest day and 1 Cross training day.
Week 4 – Build strength
This week covers 26.96 km over 5 runs.
This is made up of -3.2km x 1, ~4.8km x 1, ~6km x 1, ~6.5km x 2. This week’s gives you some shorter runs which you should be able to complete a bit faster than before as your strength will have built up. Take 1 rest day and 1 Cross training day.
Nutrition
Pre run
Running 10 minute miles is a good place to start when training. 8km is roughly 5 miles giving you an estimated completion time of 50 minutes, 9.6km is around 6 miles giving you a goal of an hour.
At this stage you won’t be running in excess of an hour on many of your training days so running on an empty stomach shouldn’t be a problem. It’s not a bad thing to get in a high carb snack before a run and it’s advised on days you exceed and hour (so possibly your 8/9km days).
High carb snacks such as a banana, fruit yoghurt, or granola bar will give you a boost. Try to eat these an hour before your run allowing time for digestion. Avoid any heavy meals and ensure you are well hydrated.
Post run
Both carbs and protein are needed after a run to help build and repair muscles while replenishing energy stores. The sooner after your work out you can eat the better so the nutrients can get to work. Sports nutritionists use the ‘20g of protein guideline’ as the gold standard of muscle recovery. Having this 20g within 30 minutes will optimise recovery, try greek yogurt or a protein shake at this point. Don’t panic too much on days with shorter runs as your muscles won’t be under as much stress.
