Running a marathon...am I crazy?

[Knoxville-Horn]

I've decided to run a marathon just to see if I can. There's one in San Antonio next November. This should give me time to train.

I'm in relatively good shape. I play soccer twice a week AND I've been working on my feet for years. I probably walk about 15 miles a day.

My only concern is that I have an ACL reconstruction on both knees. Normally, they don't give me too many problems; however, I do notice that the pain increases as my activities increase. For example, last Summer, I began to play 3 games a week, one full day of sand volleyball and I worked on my feet. That sucked on my knees.

My question is... would running long distance, say, twice a week combined with ALOT of cycling work as a routine to train for a marathon? Or, better yet, does someone else that may have a similar medical condition have any advice on how I should approach this?

Thanks ahead of time...

 

[alden]

Crazy, but it might be fun. My concern would be that it would be pretty easy to hurt yourself trying to ramp up that fast.

You should go out and run 18 miles one day and see how it feels. That will be a good reality check.

Edit: for some reason I thought you were going to try and do it sooner than November. You have enough time, but don't put it off to long. The sooner you start running regularly, the better. Most people can run a marathon with proper prep.

 

[chuychanga]

I can't answer you question about the knees, but yes you can train for a marathon with a couple of runs each week complimented by cycling.

But do not run long distance twice a week. You should only have one long run per week. Start with three miles or so. Increase by one mile each week for 2 or 3 weeks and then back it off a few miles one week, then start increasing again. So you long runs each week might look something like: 3,4,5,3,6,7,4,8,9,5, etc...

The other run should combine some sort of speedwork with a moderate amount of distance. Mile repeats or 800M repeats with equal time rest between each interval. Start with an easy mile warm-up and finish with the same. Keep the total distance short in the beginning but increase the intervals each week until hard repeat sections add up to 3-5 miles cumulatively (not counting the warm-up, cooldown, an recovery jogs between each interval).

If those were the only two runs you completed each week you could eventually finish a marathon. You will not have nearly as fast a time as you are capable of without putting in a lot more miles (say, 5 or 6 runs each week), but you could finish.

On the bike, make one ride some sort of interval speedwork that really taxes you. The other rides should just be to help you recover, so don't go all out. No long run, nor speedwork session should ever be followed by another hard workout the next day. And you must have at least one day of complete rest each week.

So a typical week might look like:
Mon - Rest
Tues - Easy ride
Wed - Interval run
Thur - Easy ride
Fri - Interval ride
Sat - Easy ride
Sun - Long run

I have never had major knees problems, so I have no insight as to how yours will hold up as the distance increases. The best adive I have to to start with short distances and do not increase the distance to fast. Your long run will have to get up to around 20 miles eventually, but it should take a long time to get to that point. And if you only want to finish, you need only run that distance once prior to the race, preferably about 3 weeks out. From now until November is more than enough time, if you are as active as you say.

Search for Hal Higdon, Hansons Running, and scour the Runner's Wrold website.

Here is a link to the

Runner's World Smart Coach. You input your info and how you want to train and it creates a sample schedule.

Here's another site with a 3 runs a week marathon schedule

 

[Knoxville-Horn]

Sweet. Thanks for all the info. HornFans comes through again.

 

[Fievel121]

Wow, so Erica and I are trying to quit smoking. And were going to try to do a Marathon in November also. There is one in Dallas, I'll find the link at some point.
We both officially quit January 6th, but have a few give-up day since then (thats Cowboys!)

 

[Fievel121]

My boss is an avid runner and says that as long as you can run and had corrective surgery, you should be fine. He said he has known several people who have done it.

 

[AUinAustin]

Well I will toss a different thought in there. As someone who has had surgery on the knee in the mid 80's as a direct result of a marathon. Granted mine wasn't structural but I have two long scars on both sides of the knee from removing parts of the lining and bone spurs from overuse. I am not saying to not run a marathon but before I put out all the effort I would sure drop by a good orthopedic surgeon and tell him what you are thinking. The issue I had did not show up until 3 weeks afterward so I had no warning during the race.

 

[Zone Read]

One of the most rewarding and fulfilling things I've ever done. But, it takes a huge amount of time and effort. Runner's world online has a great training program, builds you from 3-4 mile runs at first to your longest run, a 20 miler, then a taper until the 26.2. Finish the 20 and you know you're ready.


Link

 

[ThrowittoRoy]

I've run several marathons and will be running Austin in 2 weeks.

I played soccer all my life, indoor and outdoor, but gave it up 3 years ago, as my knees, ankles and hips were in too achy after games.
Running is very different than soccer. You're essentially running forward at pretty much a constant pace so you're not getting the side to side, front to back, speed bursts etc. that you would get in soccer, which is what would kill me.

I doubt you can just get out there and run one without some type of build up training, but yes, you could just finish it if you're in decent shape, but you'd walk part of it for sure. No one runs an entire marathon without walking, especially miles 22 - 26,2 without some proper training. it just doesn't happen.

Like someone said above, there are plenty of marathon training guides online. Use one of those, or find a running group that has a marathon training program for the marathon you're looking to run. I run with a group here in town (Austin), and it's the best thing I could have ever done. You get to meet other runs with the same goal, your long runs are supported (water stops), they have good coaches that can give you good advice, and you'll get nice variety in your training runs instead of the townlake loop over and over and over again.
If possible, i'd recommend a hometown marathon as your first one, as it's nice to be familiar with your surroundings and not have to do the whole travel thing.
The feeling of crossing that finishline is like nothing else. It'll bring you back for another one.
Good luck!

 

[midtown]

Someone talked my wife into doing the San Antonio 1/2 last year. On her first training run she was supposed to do 6 miles but didn't make the right turn and ended up doing 10 and said it wasn't really hard. She finished the San Antonio full marathon last September.

 

[Knoxville-Horn]

I just don't want to end up looking like that guy from the triathalon video.

I'll definitely put in the training before I do it. I have a friend who just completed his first and he has in no way shape or form an athlete's body. By that, I mean, he has somewhat of a beer belly. He did put in the training and he did complete it.

I'm looking forward to it, plus, it'll be an excuse to go back home to Texas. If only I can work in a football game while I'm there.....

 

[bozo_casanova]

Yes, you can do it. Pretty much anybody can run a marathon with 6 months of training. And you should do it, because it will change your life. And I don't mean you'll get in shape or learn to love running, I mean it's a transformative sort of experience.
Anyway, get Jeff Galloway's book Marathon.

One final bit of advice: do what you want, but your goal in a first marathon should be to finish, not finish in a time goal.

 

[bozo_casanova]

In reply to:

---

---