So You Think You Want to Run a Marathon

I claim zero expertise. I am not an experienced marathoner. I didn't run competitively for anyone. But...I did just complete a marathon. And... I remained injury free

Maybe you've always had this secret compulsion to run a marathon. To see just how far your body can actually go. But the furthest you've run is a 5k. You aren't a runner. You have bad knees. Welcome to my world.

After this adventure of training for a marathon, I believe you can do it. In my humble opinion, do the following or best of luck. (You will need it as you run head first into the proverbial wall.)

• Follow a training schedule

• Don't try to do it alone

• Make cold your friend

Follow a training a schedule

Goggling "marathon training schedule" provides more than a few. I looked for the easiest to understand. Straightforward and simple. I recommend Hal Higdons. This is the beginner schedule. (I would drop the Sunday crosstraining for a rest day, to keep the Sabbath sacred. Then either rest or crosstrain on Monday.)

Week	n	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	rest	3 m run	3 m run	3 m run	rest	6	cross
2	rest	3 m run	3 m run	3 m run	rest	7	cross
3	rest	3 m run	4 m run	3 m run	rest	5	cross
4	rest	3 m run	4 m run	3 m run	rest	9	cross
5	rest	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	rest	10	cross
6	rest	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	rest	7	cross
7	rest	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	rest	12	cross
8	rest	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	rest	13	cross
9	rest	3 m run	7 m run	4 m run	rest	10	cross
10	rest	3 m run	7 m run	4 m run	rest	15	cross
11	rest	4 m run	8 m run	4 m run	rest	16	cross
12	rest	4 m run	8 m run	5 m run	rest	12	cross
13	rest	4 m run	9 m run	5 m run	rest	18	cross
14	rest	5 m run	9 m run	5 m run	rest	14	cross
15	rest	5 m run	10 m run	5 m run	rest	20	cross
16	rest	5 m run	8 m run	4 m run	rest	12	cross
17	rest	4 m run	6 m run	3 m run	rest	8	cross
18	rest	3 m run	4 m run	2 m run	rest	rest	race

I trained using the Intermediate II. What you see below are my slight alterations. I don't run on Sundays. You can click on the link to see the original.

Week	Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat
1	rest	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	rest	5 m pace	10
2	rest	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	rest	5 m run	11
3	rest	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	rest	6 m pace	8
4	rest	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	rest	6 m pace	13
5	rest	3 m run	7 m run	3 m run	rest	7 m run	14
6	rest	3 m run	7 m run	3 m run	rest	7 m pace	10
7	rest	4 m run	8 m run	4 m run	rest	8 m pace	16
8	rest	4 m run	8 m run	4 m run	rest	8 m run	17
9	rest	4 m run	9 m run	4 m run	rest	9 m pace	12
10	rest	4 m run	9 m run	4 m run	rest	9 m pace	19
11	rest	5 m run	10 m run	5 m run	rest	10 m run	20
12	rest	5 m run	6 m run	5 m run	rest	6 m pace	12
13	rest	5 m run	10 m run	5 m run	rest	10 m pace	20
14	rest	5 m run	6 m run	5 m run	rest	6 m run	12
15	rest	5 m run	10 m run	5 m run	rest	10 m pace	20
16	rest	5 m run	8 m run	5 m run	rest	4 m pace	12
17	rest	4 m run	6 m run	4 m run	rest	4 m run	8
18	rest	3 m run	4 m run	rest	rest	2 m run	race

I actually jumped into the schedule late, at week 7. I had been training for my triathlon the 7 weeks before. But before that I was at zero. Just had a C-Section, basically bed rested for 7 months to protect my blood pressure. Also I always did a hill run each week. Either a 5 miler or a 10 miler with at least 1-3 miles of brutal uphill.

Don't try to do it alone

If I am going to be totally honest, just about every morning was brutal to wakeup to my alarm clock. Knowing Marie would be waiting for me on the corner got my lazy self out of bed. Find a friend or a club, anything. But trying to do it alone....it probably won't happen.


Make the cold your friend

I suffer with the notorious "bad knees." I never have had surgery or anything to that extent, but boy do they hurt. Especially when I am just coming into it, after 9 months off for a baby, or upping my mileage, or trying a new trailrun. But Marie and I religiously waded into the Provo River, up to our waists and iced our legs. We shivered in the snow run-off for 10 minutes and walked away injury free. I also kept two bags of frozen peas in my freezer whenever I felt an ache, out came the peas. Ice. Ice. Ice.

Throw a few races in. A 10K, a half-marathon. My longest race prior to this year was a 10 miler. I had a fabulous experience training and competing. I highly recommend the challenge to everyone. I will give you moral support if you are far away. If you live by me, come run!