So I've recently been kicking around the idea of training for a marathon beginning next fall semester (my senior year). I know it takes a tremendous amount of dedication, physical and mental strength to even pull this off, and I'm conflicted by the thought of giving up so much time during my last hurrah before entering the workforce. But at the same time, the thought of pushing myself to such limits and achieving this goal is incredibly enticing. This will probably be the last year (for a while at least) that I'll have so much control over my work outs and nutrition, and realisitically it could be now or never.
What do you guys think? Can anyone speak from experience about marathon running?? What appeals to you more, the parties and road trips of senior year, or the sense of accomplishment you'll have the rest of your life from surviving a 26.2 mile run?
Ok let me start off by saying I have completed a marathon so I do have the relevant experience. The first question you have to ask yourself is, if you enter the marathon, what are your goals. Are you looking to finish the race or are you looking to post say, a time to qualify for boston? If you are just looking to finish, while the training won't be easy, it will not take the amount of dedication that putting up a competitive time would. before I did my marathon (finished sub 4hrs) the longest run I had done was probably 13-14miles and I had only done it twice.
the next aspect you have to consider is what type of shape you are in right now. do you weigh 250lbs and have to drop a ton of weight or do you have a decent base to start with. If you already have a decent base your life is a lot easier and you won't have to give up parties/eating junk in the same way you would if you are 250lbs. In reality, if you have a base, an hour of running a day with a long run on the weekends and Sunday off for 3 months would probably have you in very good condition to finish and do well
thanks for taking the time to reply and offer your insight. I have a solid base to start from in terms of my build, 6ft 175lb. I go to the gym for weight training usually 3-4 times a week but only incorporate cardio once or twice a week for roughly 30 minutes. my cardio is less than stellar. It's not like I was a soccer player and have trained endurance before.
I'm not really into junk food anyway, I'm more concerned about the social sacrifice. Did it limit your ability to go out with friends/travel/etc?? The marathon I'm considering is in March, when would you recommend I start training?
Finishing a marathon is relatively easy if you have a solid base/were an endurance athlete in high school. Finishing a marathon under 4 hours is a whole different story.
Dude, its senior year. Its going to take a serious commitment. Plus if you are 21, you can probably drink at school sponsored events. If you are able to balance drinking/going out with your training, go for it. Don't think this is your last shot though. Marathons are run mostly by older people anyway, so its not correct to think its now or never. You most likely will have the ability to train and run for a marathon when you are older.
Honestly, if you're trying to be competitive about it, I'd wait. You don't get senior year back.
That said, this balancing drinking with training thing is overrated. I've been going out on Friday and Saturday nights, then laying down 2 hour runs on Sundays for awhile now. Obviously you have to cut back more when it gets closer to the race, but running through a hangover is pretty great training for a marathon, if you ask me.
I wouldn't say I'm trying to be super competitve about it in terms of my time. Finishing the race is what's most important to me. I'll have a lot of free time on my hands during the week (hopefully with an offer in hand) and I want to do something big. The conditions to train are probably about as perfect as they'll ever be given my age, physical well-being, and perhaps my greatest asset, free time.
Take this for what it's worth, but today was the Paris Marathon and the finish line is around the corner from my house. It's a big event, so I go every year. Just like every other year, there were people crossing the finish line at 5'8" 250 lbs, and lots of them. Granted, they didn't break any land speed records but they can legitimately say they finished a marathon (something I can't say).
If you're really concerned about the social balancing act between senior year and training for a marathon, you should probably pick up The 4-Hour Body. The book has a chapter specifically about hacking endurance sports like a marathon, where you can go from zero to respectable finish time in 12 weeks of training.
I'm actually thinking about running the Paris Marathon next year (because I have a feeling it will be my last year here), so I'm on the same page as you.
I know a girl that did it and stayed very social. You just have to stick with it and realize that, towards the end of your training session you'll be spending a lot of time on saturdays on the road running instead of sleeping.
You could probably get away with doing what you are doing for the time being and beginning your training in november. Bear in mind that I am no expert in these matters but i would say start out in November with some lighter running in November on a treadmill to acclimate your body to the impact. Avoid over training early so that you don't get stress fractures. With your build you'll probably be able to run at a pretty decent pace relatively quickly but try to stay slow in the beginning. From there I would try to building up to 5-7 miles a day in December throwing in a long (~10) mile run in once or twice before Christmas.
Around the holiday/new years which is a big travel/relaxation time of the year (I rarely work out as much as I need to/would like to) try to just be as consistent as possible giving yourself a little break if you need it. if you get out 3-4 times a week at this point for 3-4 miles that should be enough to keep your base. After your second semester starts I would aim for 7-9 miles 4 days a week,speed work 1 day, then 1 long run ~12 miles on the weekend. I would also recommended throwing in 1 extra long training run (~20 miles) 3-4 weeks outside of your target date, to get acclimated with that kind of stress. From that point continue with your above routine except add one more speed day instead of normal training. In the week and a half before your marathon, taper off your training to allow yourself to recover and rest. Run 2-3 miles the day before and you should be good to go.
In terms of affecting social life, it shouldn't have any real impact. Its very easy to balance the two if you want to. If you drink heavily a couple nights of the week, workout later in the day/make the following day your rest day. If you want to travel, bring shoes and just try get out for a couple shorter runs. Its all about balancing things and remembering you are doing this for fun/yourself. Just keep things in perspective and it'll all work out
thanks a lot for all of your help and advice. it's very much appreciated.
It's funny, before recently I would've laughed at the thought of my considering a marathon. Something just clicked the other day and the decision seems pretty clear to me now. If I wasn't working as an SA I would start training relatively soon, but I know I need to focus my energy on my internship this summer. Hopefully this desire sticks around for a few months and I can start pounding the pavement come the Fall.
I definitely agree that it will mess up your social life less in college than once you graduate, since you have so many more hours of social life in college. I think it's a pretty cool thing to say you've done, and you can definitely put together a respectable time while enjoying yourself on the weekends...so go for it, just don't let it completely curtail your social life.
Just finished a 21 miler...I'm fucking beat right now.
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