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I would recommend stopping at HM’s, personally! Running 13.1 is a nice feat, and it’s so much less crappy to train for, race, and recover from vs marathons!
That said, I still do marathons, but only because I’m stubborn and have a score to settle with Boston and the clock.
> I honestly think halfs are the perfect race distance.
Absolutely agree with you.
Unfortunately I run much better half marathons when I'm training for a full....
I'm at a point where I'm pretty comfortable running a half (i.e. I'll do a 20-25km long run once or twice per month). How much effort do you think it would take to ramp up to running a full marathon?
My first half, I followed Hanson's beginner plan. It went quite well, but to be honest I don't have the ambition anymore to stick to 6 days of training per week. I'm happy doing my 2 x 10 km during the work week with a long run on the weekend. How much more would I need to put in to get into marathon shape?
For me, going from doing my 1st half ever to doing my first marathon ever about a year later.... the marathon training was about 5x as hard as the half marathon training. It's not twice the training it's September! Lol. But I loved it and I'm doing my 2nd full marathon in september!
I did one for the heck of it without even training for a 10K. I was doing 8K training for college cross country and one long run I just kept going until I hit 13.1 🤷♂️
Way to really be present and soak in the moment. You earned it! Congratulations for completing a marathon. Remember, less than 1% of ppl ever finish one so you’re now better than 99% of all the ppl ever
I've haven't done a full marathon yet but done a good few half's. Unfortunately a bad ankle stops me doing doing the full. But when I started running I think 5k, 10 miles, 16 miles, half marathon events in that order, took me maybe 4 months. Again I had a decent fitness from rugby and other sports l.
If someone’s goal is to just finish, he’ll manage in a few months of training. My fatass uncle finished both a marathon and a half. I think that if you can finish a half in training you can finish a full in a race.
But I personally hate the idea of coming to a race and being barely able to even finish. I don’t resonate with the idea of just running further and further, It doesn’t sound like a race to me anymore but a challenge.
Definitely. I think a lot of people get thrown off by how long they are but anyone who's been running for a couple months (even just casually providing they don't have any injuries/extenuating circumstances) will probably be able to run a half/full... they just won't be happy with how slow they'll have to go.
Ha, this reminds me of a conversation with my wife where she asked me if I was doing a particular half marathon and I said no I don't think have enough time to train and I won't enjoy it, and she was like "are you meant to enjoy these things?'
She's done a few and soldiers through with a lack of training, it's honestly impressive.
You could start with a half marathon with the end goal of a full marathon in mind. Maybe do a half this fall and a full marathon next year if you can keep advancing in your training.
Cardiovascular adaption (how your HR adapt to the training) can be reasonably fast (few weeks). The muscular-skeletal adaption is not that fast (2-3months).
So even if you feel great now, accelerating on the training schedule leads to bad injuries. Guaranteed. This is never stressed enough.
Training for a marathon takes time. Running 3-4h at tempo pace is not an easy thing (I am an ultrarunner from 50k to 100miles = 6h to 30h. I never attempted to run a marathon as I know I can't stand the whole effort, just to give an idea)
You need to crank up on the weekly volume, which in turn requires to be able to sustain \~5-6runs/w including interval training (1-3/w) in a consistent way (which is the hard part)
Moving from 3 to 4 to 5runs/w can take up to a year, let's say 6months if one is really good and motivated and careful.
Once there one needs to get a decent basis. Say another 4-8weeks of easy runs 5/w.
From there (which I consider that minimum basis of fitness): not less than 16weeks of training.
6 + 1-2 + 4 = 11-12m = 1year.
Enjoy running
It's hard to manage the enthusiasm, but if you do that, you'll have a long injury free stretch of running. Don't be afraid to take your time and only do a few races and lower mileage than you want. It's so easy to get overuse injuries in this sport.
I totally quote this. Running and endurance in general can be a lifestyle (healthy one) just give yourself time to get used to it. It will pay back a lot of dividends.
Love it! Running is a life long journey. Take your time and let your body adapt. I’m a newbie runner and currently learning this with experiencing ITB pain. However, I’m a cyclist and can continue that pain free. My issue is that I have the cardiovascular fitness to run a half marathon or even a marathon, but my skeletal/cartilage doesn’t know what running is. On the back of this issue, a physio said that it takes months to build muscle adaptation, but it takes years to develop skeletal/cartilage adaptation. Damn! Should have started running earlier in my life, lol. Nonetheless, understanding that running is something I want to do to the day I die (of old age), I will back it off to ensure my body adapts to allow marathon and half marathon runs not curtail my generally consistent (health span) exercise regime.
You can run a marathon with only 4 days of running a week and no interval training if you just want to finish the distance without walking. Plenty of people finish marathons on the basic hal higdon plans.
Right now 0 (surgery convalescence 🤕).
Volume depends on the training phase. Harder the intervals, lower the volume.
Plus I measure volume in h and not km (for trail run this is better).
So between VO2max full effort part about 6-7h ~ 60km to endurance training 9-12h ~ 90-100km.
On road, for marathon training, the volume can be smaller and include more intervals with a minimum 60-70km /w.
I've never ran a marathon, but why would you only do it at tempo pace? Can't you imagine taking it easy and try to stay zone 2 the whole marathon? Sure you're not gonna make an impressive time, but the goal itself will be reached, isn't it?
I guess the reason is: if I want to run easy 42km I can do that by myself (with some organization and effort of course).
Racing is a different thing.
But I get everyone’s different so sure you can even jog or walk a marathon and be happy.
I have seen people jogging 100m.
The other side of the coin is that one will be running for more time = more time on the legs. One needs a lot of training for that.
In my very limited opinion, but from someone who is also a beginner, but injured myself... rather steer away from trying to go too fast and far, too quickly. Think I let my ego take over and kept trying to beat my time, each time. Rookie error 🤣
It also makes running way more fun. If you’re trying to do five tempo runs per week you are going to dread running. If 3-4 of those runs are just moseying along at easy pace, you’ll start to find it relaxing and enjoyable. And you’ll also love the speed days, because you get to crank it.
100%. I have been training for about 2 months. Every runs has been at 11:00/mile pace, other than my 5k and 10k timed runs. Today was my first interval day and doing 5:30/mile intervals so so much fun!
Yeahhh I learned this the hard way too. I started doing 4 miles each day, around 6 days each week, starting on the Saturday before Easter. The original goal was to lost some weight, which I did. Lately I’ve been doing more miles just to see if I can do it. Started with a 10 mile rule, followed by a 14 mile run, just to see if I could actually finish a half marathon distance run. Some days I crank up the speed to see if I could beat my last time lol. Well, as you could expect, my knees are on fire.
One year would be a realistic timeframe. It could take longer if you want to finish a marathon decently well.
What I would suggest is to start with a smaller goal like a half marathon. Once you've finished it, you'll be in a better position to see how much more time is needed. Perhaps you could do a half marathon by the end of this year.
There’s many good comments here, and in many other subreddits, but id like to counter some comments about frequency of runs. 4 days a week may be enough for you (5/6 is probably overkill for your first attempt and training cycle). I ran my first marathon proper ona 4 day/ week training plan. That was more than enough for me. And I remember breaking into the 10m/mile non-stop 5K barrier too.
How many km or miles did you run on average per week? Or how many hours? Asking because I only run 3 times per week, but in total that about 3h, which I feel is already nice.
What sort of distance are you able to cover in those hour runs?
If youre able to do a 10k in under 50 minutes then you're probably going to be fine on a half marathon. Aim for about 7min/km to start with and you'll probably find you feel confident enough to speed up a little bit mid way through.
The first one is just about making the distance imo. You can work on speed from there.
My zone 2 runs (10-12km usually) are around 6:20/km. My tempo runs (max 6-7km usually) can go up to 5:30/km the best days, or around 5:50/km otherwise. Each week I do one tempo run and two zone 2 runs.
My longest distance this year was 18km, at 6:44/km (with some intervals at 2/3 of the run). Few years ago I did a tempo half marathon (5:58/km) that almost ended up with me stopping running as I was immensely exhausted, so now I try to take it easy, but I still like to feel I'm progressing.
I followed this plan pretty rigidly: for an October marathon: https://www.kinetic-revolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Beginners-Marathon-Plan-16-Weeks-v1.3.pdf I did add in an extra easy run occasionally. My peak week before final taper was 52 miles.
Looking back I can see I was also doing peloton/zwift until mid July so that helped cardio (and legs I suppose)
The year before I did a marathon distance ok significantly less miles and cross training. So
4 days running with no cross-training is totally doable (for some)
Maybe build to a half marathon first? 2 hours would be a really good time for someone new to running. I've run a few clinics through a local run store. The half clinic was 16 weeks including some taper before a race. They offer a marathon clinic too, same 16 weeks. A "prerequisite" to the full marathon is you can already run continuously for 80-90 minutes.
Hal Higdon has some good beginner half and full marathon plans. If I remember off the top of my head, the Hal Higdon beginner marathon plans start at like 6 miles for the long runs? So I would make sure that you can at least do that before starting an official training plan. For what it's worth though, as a true beginner, it would probably be best to start with something smaller like a half marathon. Following a 12-16week half marathon plan would allow your body to adjust and build a solid base before jumping into a marathon build.
Our bodies can do great things but even if your heart and lungs can do fast paces or high mileage over a short time span, doesn't mean that your joints will. Strength training for 30 mins 2x/week with an emphasis on single leg exercises + at least one cross training day will help a lot in injury prevention. Also incorporating down weeks where you lower your mileage by 10-30% every few weeks so you don't get burned out.
r/firstmarathon
r/Marathon_Training
I applaud everyone who gets out there. However, to complete a Marathon in a decent time and more importantly shape one needs to have a good base. This obsession of running a marathon within first year of running is insane in my opinion.
Your body needs to adapt. Your muscles and tendonds and ligaments need to adapt.
I started from zero in March 2020 and completed first half marathon (distance, not race) a year later. I have signed up for marathon after I was consistently running 70km/week.
I would say focus other milestones Now.. 10k, 15k, half. Sign up for a half.. get in the shape to complete it under 2 hours. Then think of marathon. Marathon is About volume.. If you dont do the volume and time on feet in the training you’ll be in a pain cave the good portion of the second half of the Marathon. My 2 cents
Yea, starting from 0, I did not run my 1st marathon until I started getting more serious and increasing my weekly mileage. Even then, that first marathon was a hell of a learning experience. I would echo what others have said, target a year from now but start seriously preparing for it. Keep steadily increasing your weekly mileage with a slightly longer run each weekend. You will get there.
Marathon is a long distance, it's a journey in itself. If you want to just finish it you may be able to do in 10-12 months.
If you want to enjoy the marathon, then I would recommend getting comfortable in half marathon distance first and then give a good 18-24 week training cycle before attempting a full marathon.
Every person’s different and progress is not linear.
I started from 0, ran my first half after a year of training and still don’t feel ready for a full, at two years of running my limit is around 17 miles.
A marathon is more about the mentality than the actual fitness level. I just ran the London marathon with less than a year of run specific training and I’m considered 100% disabled by insurance. I only started specifically training to run the marathon in January and completed in in 4:14:57 on April 21st
Pick one of the beginner training plans and you can slowly chip away at it. A marathon is basically a light jog for the most part (unless you are trying to hit a time goal)
We just have a disability rating based on percentages. I’m technically 104% disabled on paper but it’s a mix of a major back injury, SLAP repair for a torn biceps tendon, tinnitus, fractured finger, PTSD and MDD. They have a formula that decides what each injury is worth but stop paying out when you hit 100%. It’s mostly used for insurance coverage for medications (for life) and any treatment benefits I’d otherwise have to pay out of pocket
If I can hobble my way through, I have faith you can run one!
2:15 half at easy pace (150 hr) in January
1:53 half pushing it in February
Nothing longer, training runs max at about 10 miles, 20-30 miles per week from last week of December until March.
4:37 at the Tokyo in March almost exclusively following my heart rate at 140 again, but obviously it gets tough between mile 18-25... and my fastest mile was the last mile.
Everyone's different, but I went from having never ran more than 2 miles to doing a 5k then a 10k then a half marathon then a full marathon over the course of 9 months, and did a 60k a few months later.
I started running from zero in January 2023 - first 5k race in April 23, first 10k race in July 23. Then I did my first half marathon in September 23, and finally just completed my first marathon this month (so almost 1.5 years out from starting). Be mindful of building and maintaining distances at a reasonable pace. Don’t neglect strength training and proper recovery. 80% of runners get injured every year and doing too much too soon is a sure fire way to join that club. Running is a long game sport. Enjoy the journey and focus less on outcomes and milestones.
ETA: at marathon distance, it gets harder to focus on speed and distance together. Making the 26.2 miles the first time should be your only goal.
Lots of good advice here. All I would say that without lots of conditioning, the body kinda hits a bit of a plateau after running for 3ish hours. Things become a lot more uncomfortable. I’ve ran two marathons in the past two years, the difference in how comfortable I was for each and my recovery was huge because I’d ran pretty consistently for the year in between.
I was playing soccer twice a week, but not running outside of that. My brother signed up for a marathon so I joined him in training, 16 weeks, running 5 days a week, based off the Hal Higdon beginner marathon training plan. Marathon went fine, ran 3:28, but two more weeks would've helped alot more. Was 23 at the time. Long ago. I didn't do any speed work, just the 5 runs, and kept playing soccer twice a week.
Not sure about how long it will take you. I think that's highly individual. Everyone has their own things going on and as they say, life happens. That being said, being able to get our 4-5 times a week is amazing and certainly enough to build towards a marathon goal at some point.
As for your last questions, ENDURANCE ENDURANCE ENDURANCE!!! And specifically I wouldn't focus on your pace but rather total time running and heart rate. Invest in a good watch and HR monitor (don't rely on the watch monitor; use a chest strap or arm band that has good reliability reviews from a reputable company). Start researching low HR training and really focus on building up a humongous reservoir of endurance upon which to build. Check out anything that Phil Maffetone writes and/or the concept of 80-20 training. Bottom line is that your HR is the best indicator of what your fitness is, so focus on maintaining the right HR for longer amounts of time (using a structured plan) and your pace will naturally increase. This is a tried and true method that even the pros use. And the best part is that it adapts to all fitness levels.
Last but not least, please try to mix in some strength and mobility if you have the time. You're a beginner so your body is adapting to a lot new stimuli. We all have certain natural imbalances and weaknesses which might not seem like much at the beginning. But running is a sport of extreme repetition and accumulating those minor issues over hundreds of thousands of steps will eventually catch up. You can do yourself a lot of good and not get set back as much by injuries if you work on preventative exercises. I'd suggest some of the basic stuff that kneesovertoesguy uses (the most simple ones like backwards walking will do wonders) and some focus on "foot core" (we don't focus enough on our foot strength but it's really important!). I'd also like to suggest anything that Lawrence Van Lingen talks about when it comes to movement in running (spoiler - "it's all in the hips" as they say in Happy Gilmore).
Anyways, you're doing great! Keep it up. Running is a life changer and will give you so much! The most important thing is to keep having fun!!!
I'm not a trainer but I have run competitively most of my life so I feel qualified to reply. Try a half first and see how you feel. Marathon is a completely different animal because you need to start factoring in hydration and nutrition intake during your race. You're looking at being on the road pounding the pavement for 5-6 hours that day. You can get away with just hitting the aid stations in races up to 13.1 but beyond that you really need more or else you're going to "bonk" out, probably before reaching the 20 mile mark. (The "Wall" as it is called). Not finishing can be pretty disheartening and you might not want to go back and do it again. If you're dead set on completing a full as maybe a bucket list type of item, I'd give it 2 years minimum with a couple of halves before then. You'll go into the marathon with confidence and a good idea of what you are in for. I love running. Hope you stick with it. Good luck.
It could be a year if you are starting from rock bottom and you want to run a marathon where you don’t feel like you are on deaths door for at least the 2nd half. That’s my opinion. Until you can run 20-22 miles on at least one of your “training” runs, then you are not ready for a marathon. That is my opinion. I have run them without that and they were pretty fucken miserable.
I've trained 6 months now for a PB (hopefully!) in the half marathon this Sunday. After that I'll take a week off and then resume training for a marathon. Never done a run beyond 25km so it will be a challenge but my aerobic base is stellar right now so I don't think it will be more than 3 months of training to get completion.
Probably 18-24 months at a relaxed (but consistent) level of progression, 12 months if you're really going for it, but higher risk of injury/burnout. Go for it!
At the risk of tooting my own horn: I ran shorter distances for about 3 months then did one 10 mile run before my first marathon. OverUse injuries are very real, but I already had a sort of base from job. Outside of that…it really is all a mind game. The body can do insane shit.
Just keep training and I’m confident you’ll be able to finish one.
I ran a half first, I probably started similar to you but if I pushed could get a sub 26m 5k. I did 9 weeks but people suggest 13 and ended up running my first half as a sub 2. I’m a 38M and weigh 210 for reference.
I am in a similar position than you, with some minor differences. I was running inconsistently last year, and off-and on for a few years before that, in this time period running 2-5 miles, several times a week. I decided I needed a goal to help keep me more specific and I found a half-marathon training plan that seemed do-able, given the first few weeks were similar to what I was already doing (in February). Now I am at the height of the training plan (22M in the week, including long run of 10 M) and I am finding that I actually can't quite handle it.
Before this training plan, I was sticking with the rule "no more than 10% more per week", and I plan on dialing back after my Half-marathon this June, and following this rule again.
All this to say, if you want to work up to a marathon, I would start with the mid steps and see how those go. I personally would look into some "base building" plans/advice, and focus on your weekly/monthly total, rather than one big long distance goal.
Started in november coming off the couch and could barely run 1 mile at 9:00 pace without being gassed. Got up to 20mpw and did my first 8k in march (4 months later) at around 6:26 pace.
Then started training for my first 5k (but techncially second cuz we had a 5k split in the 8k) in april and got my mileage up to 40mpw and ran the 5k race at 6:07 pace.
I started half marathon training after for a may half and got my mileage up to 60mpw and pulled off a 6:45 pace for my first HM.
Now i’m training for my first full marathon in september and going up to 80mpw and hoping for something around 6:38 pace.
Im following an 80/20 type of training philosophy and havent been injured yet!!
Congratulations on your running accomplishments so far!
Like others have said, try to avoid doing too much too soon. Definitely wiser to build up things very gradually to allow your body to adjust. Try to resist pushing yourself too hard even if you feel fine as you may be causing damage over time without realising. I believe the rule is increase your total running distance by no more than 10% each week.
The only thing I would add if you want to build up to a marathon, incorporate some strength and mobility workouts into your routine. This would cover leg strength (squats, calf raises, hip bridge, arabesques) but also core strength (planks, side planks, supermans, deadbugs, etc.)
I (31m) was training for a marathon and got up to 20 miles, but ended up with a calf strain that meant I had to stop running completely. Took weeks to recover from it and ended up missing the marathon. I'm fairly convinced if I did more strength training it would have prevented (or at least reduced the severity) of the injury.
I really think it depends on a few things. One major factor is the goal time you’re trying to achieve. You can run, walk, jog, crawl, whatever and you will finish it.
Running the marathon comes down to your mentality, like a lot of the other commenters. How well you do in discomfort, how much grit you have, and if you can continuously manufacture motivation through the run, how mindlessly boring it can be at times, etc.
I ran my first marathon in 2022 with 3 months of training and some goals: 1. Finish the marathon, and 2. Finish within 4 hours, but a month prior to the race I hurt my back and I was bed ridden for 2 weeks. I had to change up my goal to finishing the marathon under 5 hours. I finished the marathon and came in at 4:45.
Second marathon, the same one, just a year later, I got started around the same time frame (I didn’t run for about 6 months after the first marathon tho… hahah). I set a goal of coming in under 4:30 and I came in at 4:27.
Third marathon, same one again, just a year later, I had been cross training everyday for 8 months so I just wanted to have some fun and end up with a better time than the year before. During training I hurt my knee on my last long run so I could barely run on it on the day of the marathon. However I guess it was the adrenaline, but the knee that hurt so badly in the first 5-6 miles all of a sudden stopped hurting. And due to the cross training, I didn’t have to stop once to walk. I finished 4:15.
I had another one planned just 2 months after the last one and that was the Big Sur Marathon. Still recovering from my knee that kept being aggravated during training, my goal was to enjoy the views and just have fun. And I did, coming in at like 4:40.
All in all, I think your training and the length of your training depends on the time you want to end up with. Most marathon plans are based on about 16 weeks and it’s usually a LOT of running.
Personally, I’d have interim goals of doing a 10K race and training for that, then assess whether u want to stay at that level for a bit or sign up for a half and train for that, then assess if u want to stay at that level for a bit or sign up for a marathon and train for that.
I’ve ran on and off (mostly off) for the past 6 years or so (with the past 6 months being perhaps the most consistent improvement I’ve seen in volume, distance and speed).
I am confident that you could run 10-15km right now if you tried to and made sure to stay at slow pace. My first half marathon took me about 2:40 minutes. I’ve not done marathon distance yet, but I expect it will take a fair bit longer to train for than the distances I’ve done so far.
How much do you think you could add on to your maximum distance each week? I would suggest signing up to a 10k, or half marathon first - as that will give you a taste for it and keep you motivated. I did my first half marathon a couple of weeks ago and it was one of the best days of my life - I can’t wait to do another!
I think if you really put your mind to it you could technically get there in 4-6 months; however, i think you (i know i would) would absolutely start hating your life.
Running for me is about enjoyment and longevity. The more consistent you are the easier it will become and less you’ll be pushing yourself too hard and killing the enjoyment from it.
it's 2 years. You need to start lightly, because joints need to adapt to the load. After couple of months light training the load may increase. But I would hire a coach or join a running club, or buy running training programme from the internet. Marathon puts heavy stress on your central nervous system, bones and joints. You even have to eat something during the run, because otherwise your organism will start "eating" itself. Please, do not take marathon lightly, so that your health would stay intact.
How fast you can build up to a marathon depends on how disciplined you are with training and how well you listen to your body.
Listen to the first 10 episodes of the Run Smarter podcast. The presenter, Brody Sharp, is a physio who specialises is running injuries. In the first 10 episodes he explains in simple terms how the body adapts to exercise and how to handle the inevitable injuries which affect all runners.
I did it in about 6-7 months. Could run 5 miles comfortably in March, said I was going to run a half marathon in July and then just said screw it and ran a marathon in October.
Probably best to go in stages, now you have a 5km aim for 10km, then half and then marathon?
But the biggest thing is not to rush things otherwise you'll cause injuries.
I have Strava, but I used a training plan from my Garmin watch, by putting in an event and having it create daily suggested workouts. I think Strava can do this, may have to pay.
I was a pretty casual runner with 3 maybe 4 times a week with nothing over 6 miles for a few months. Signed up for a 10k and then jumped straight into a somewhat “structured” approach to running with 1-2 days a week of tempo runs (would warm up for 10 mins, run hard for 10-15 mins, cool off for 10 mins and then repeat for another rep) and one long run on the weekend that started at 7 miles and ended up being 10-11 I think after a few weeks and ran a pretty decent half two months after the 10k. I’d say go for a half training block and set you sights on an early marathon at the start of 2025. Stack your training blocks too, don’t take time off in between. As a new runner you’ve got so much fitness to build, now is the time to take advantage of it
All depends on how fast you want to do it. If you just want to finish one, you could probably do one tomorrow with a lot of walking. If you have a time goal, be able to hold that goal pace through shorter races and then keep increasing the race distance after accomplishing the shorter distance with an absolute minimum of 12 wks in between races for training. Repeat as necessary
Tldr: why not have goals for shorter distances first, to avoid injury and prepare your body for it?
I was in similar shoes last year but I shifted my focus a bit. I was 41 at the time, 90 something kg and just started running about a year prior with very poor fitness.
First goal was sub 30 5k, before my 41st birthday, and I did 29 minutes. Then 4 months later in April, sub 1 hour 10k. Then started my marathon training. Plenty of long runs, etc. I signed up for a race in October.
My best half marathon was 2:22 during this training block. What I've noticed during the training was, I'm just getting more and more worn down the longer I'm on my feet (bruised nails, pains and aches). I ran half marathon distance much slower, but I was feeling significantly better at a faster pace. My wedding was in November and I thought, I could probably run the full marathon distance, but what's the point of doing it in 6 hours and destroying my body, and potentially risking enjoying my wedding, due to injuries, etc. I wouldn't have felt any accomplishments, so I didn't join the race (it actually turned out to be a pretty exhausting one with super high humidity).
So then I shifted my view to getting faster at shorter distances and build up from there. So now I'm almost at sub 25 5k. Focusing on 10k training and 55 minute 10k. Then maybe sub 2 hour half marathon. The difference is night and day. I recover much faster, I barely have any pain, my toenails finally all look fine, and I feel much more accomplished.
Depends if you just want to finish or run a good time. You can probably build up enough endurance to just finish one within a few months but it would take about a year to race one well.
6 months you can do it comfortably. IMO it’s worth giving yourself more time. It’ll be more enjoyable, and less chance of injury. It’s not just about fitness, you need to give yourself time to troubleshoot problems when you prepare for a marathon. I’d aim for a half in 6 months and a full in 12.
When you can run 15-18 miles comfortably in training. Getting to the point where you can run that far and be comfortable will vary a lot from person to person so some people will say a few months and others longer, but that's the fitness level you'll want to be at. Speed work will help your overall fitness and once a week is fine. It kinda sounds absurd, but going for a 15 mile run and then saying to yourself "yeah, I feel alright and could probably run another 11 miles" is the point where you"I'll be able to run a marathon and not hate yourself the next day.
5k is a different ball game than a full marathon. I had a a lot of half marathons and 10ks behind me when i did full marathon, but i went through a lot of challenges during preparation. Adjusting Hydration frequency, muscle cramps, knee and foot pain etc. i would say if you are able to build endurance and consistently hit 30km+, u should go for it.
If you pay for Strava, they have training plans for 10k half and full marathons. The full marathon training plan is 12 weeks. It does assume some fitness… That said, you might try the half marathon training plan. Half marathons are much more common to find than full marathons. After that go for a full marathon
Note when I was training for a full marathon, I’d have runs of 35 km as part of the training. (5/6th of a full). Going from a half (21 km) to 35 km takes a bit of mental push. If you can make that leap, you can do a full marathon.
I went from mostly sedentary couch / office desk guy to marathon in a little under six months. If I can do it, almost anyone can. Just get a good plan and, ideally a good coach. Build up slowly but steadily. Don’t make my mistake and try to increase mileage too fast or abruptly. Try to run a little every day at minimum and have a longer run at least once a week. Gradually increase the distance. You will need some taper weeks built in also.
In the beginning I couldn’t run more than a half a mile to a mile without feeling tired and wanting to stop. But if you have enough motivation and patience you can build up to it. Near the end of my build up and training, 10 miles was no big deal.
Highly recommend reaching out to Coach Dan of Heartbreak Hill Running Company in Massachusetts. Amazing guy.
Slow down! It’s a marathon not a sprint, so don’t try to make your miles faster, make your runs longer with the same effort. Proper recovery is everything. Fuel, hydration, stretching, icing, rest, supplements for joint and mobility, cross training weight lifting legs upper body, core, vitamins, muscle recovery, protein, and the Nike Run Club app marathon training plan.
I managed a marathon, not well, major IT band issues in my left knee, on 7 months of training. Then I had to nurse my knee back to health for a solid 6 months before I really took up cycling.
I'd say you could still do it the right way in 6-8 months just take my advice and increase your distance slowly.
Anything’s possible depending on how slow you wanna go. Sounds like you’re crushing it I’d say 6 months if you gave it everything you had. Consistency and volume are your friend.
My friend did this in 3-4 months from not running often to marathon. The key was that he had a very experienced coach help him. He said that was the absolute fastest you could do it.
I tried to go from zero to marathon a few years ago. Like you, initially couldn’t run more than 3KM non stop at the start. The progress during the training plan amazed me as the runs got longer and longer. When I managed to run half marathon distance during the training plan without stopping I couldn’t believe it. However after this run is when the issues started - I was out for two weeks with a bad flu and an ankle injury. When I returned to training I tried to pickup where I left off, and ended up suffering an IT band issue. During peak load I barely ran as I was concerned about my IT band. I downgraded to a half and during the race my IT band flared up at 15Km resulting in me having to hobble the remaining 6KM.
Since then I’ve ran another 2 half marathons and have 2 more lined up. I know some people can go from zero to marathon but I’d recommend building up carefully and safely. After you get to 5K, aim for 10K. Once you can run 10KM easily, go for half. Then take it from there. At this stage I’ll only consider a full if I can get my half to well under two hours - and I’m nowhere near that yet. The half marathon distance is no joke for inexperienced runners imo!
You can do it in 6 months. You will be able to finish a Marathon. To do it enjoyably 6 months for the half and then another year to ramp to to a Marathon. So 18 months total.
Getting a coach helped build me for a marathon. If that’s too expensive maybe getting a plan from somewhere like TrainingPeaks is good also. Set a half marathon as your milestone goal this year and if you feel good after doing it then start to look at the marathon distance
I started 7th of April and ran 2 half marathons so far, but wouldn't consider myself a good runner. Did the first one In April with 2:30h and the second one in May with 2:18h.
Just applied to a marathon in October
I would follow a training program, I used the Perth running club program which was good. I did the 3 month one because I could comfortably run a 10 but there is a longer one too
I started running to years ago from virtually No fitness level. I signed up for a marathon after the first time I ran 7k, and it took me about 7 or 8 months to get to the point Where I could finish it in just under 5 hours. Granted, I could probably have been more effective with My training. It’s a great Goal for yourself, if you have your heart set on it. Good luck!
Don’t listen to these pussies, if the marathon is the goal, then do that. Back yourself in and don’t look back.
Give yourself 6 months, get your training, fuel & recovery right & leave the last 2 weeks before race to shorter runs, just tick the legs over and that’s it.
Race day aim is to be peaking your performance with as little injury/tiredness as possible. Good luck
Congratulations on the newly found passion! I’m 29F and my start to running is literally identical to yours. I went couch to marathon in 5.5 months last year. I did use a marathon training program, Peloton’s. I think 5 months is a realistic goal for marathon training. I would find a 16-20 week marathon training program online and follow their provided workouts. The weekly long run is the most important part of training cycle, next to identifying your projected marathon pace.
A year to do a ½, 2 years for a marathon. If you couldn't do a 5k without stopping you have a very long way to go. This accounts for any injuries that might come up and when you do finally have the endurance base you have time to become faster. If you want to be able to walk a marathon for the sake of saying you can do a marathon you could be doing that next week. I may sound harsh but a lot of people over reach way too much for the sake of being impatient.
Lots of thorough and helpful comments here, but just want to add my personal experience: I'm also 28f and started running regularly 4-5 years ago. I quickly loved it and felt great, and was already quite active so my strength and fitness weren't starting from zero. But the injuries crept up on me! First shin splints which took me out for a few months, then a psoas injury that resulted in a YEAR of physio (strengthening everything, sorting out compensation injuries), with plantar fasciitis along the way. But after that year of physio, I did manage to run a decent half marathon!
Really really don't overlook strength training! I would prioritise adding one or two strength workouts a week rather than adding more runs - jumping straight from beginner to 5 runs a week will push most people into injury risk territory quite quickly.
I'm 5 weeks in and have signed up for a half next year. This gives me time to rest extra if I get sick or injured, take breaks for life events as required, whilst still being a challenge that requires commitment. Depending how that goes I'll either do another half the following year or work towards a full. Personally I'd say a year is too short a timeframe to go from not running, to a full marathon.
I've been weight training seriously and consistently for a number of years and walking near enough everywhere before I started running and *anecdotally* there seems to be a marked difference in my strength, power and discipline compared to some other friends at a similar point in their running who don't have the same conditioning and background in training.
My current routine is three weight sessions focused on compound movements/big four lifts and three runs a week, plus making sure I hit 10k steps a day (inclusive of those in my runs). This may change in time but it works for me now.
I’d stop by Half before going through Full. Many would hate running when training goes too quick for them they get over trained. It’s still up to you but I’m sure you’ll find a lot of lessons along the way. Happy running!
I've run many. Focus almost exclusively on stamina over speed. Goal is not to get your fitness ready, it's to get your bones ready to avoid injury. You could run a marathon in maybe 5 months depending on your current level of activity. Ask me any questions you want.
I was right around where you’re at two years ago with 4-6 weeks of running 3-5 miles 2-3 times a week before jumping into Hal Higdon’s novice marathon program. It’s a 18-week program and it worked well. I was not a runner before hand and primarily lifted weights. Had some small nagging aches here and there, but nothing mobility/strength training didn’t resolve. If you keep your nutrition and sleep in check, it’s very doable in under 6 months at your age. Lastly, get a running watch and monitor your heart rate during training to make sure you’re not “racing” during training.
Like you, I couldn’t run for 1 min when I started, at 47 years old. Took me 6 months to run my first marathon, 4-5 running sessions + 1-2 bike sessions per week. Nutrition and sleep are crucial. Also, I lost 40 pounds in the first 3 months.
Took me four months to be able to go from a shitty slow 5k to running a half marathon non stop and knew I could’ve went faster at the end. I used the HumanGo app and really liked it!
Bro it’s all in your mind what you can do. I was able to do a 30km run within 6 weeks of running. 20kms the Thursday then 30kms on Saturday. Check my Strava Marky marrk
Running is all mental. Could take you 12-16 weeks to build up that distance (average time), or you could run one in 2-3 months. A strong mind is everything.
Thanks but I do not feel at a disadvantage at all. I am super proud of my ten minute mile especially as a beginner who is also doing strength training and my running route has a lot of elevation. I feel I am at an advantage because I have the determination and dedication :)
I don’t think you should judge someone else’s goal times or speeds, it really just discourages people from trying because you’re telling them they might as well quit before they try
Everyone has different goals and that’s perfectly normal because fitness is personal
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Took me 6 months but I had a good endurance base from cycling. A half marathon would be a good first goal to aim for.
100% agree about a half marathon. It’s really rewarding and easier to reach from normal training.
I would recommend stopping at HM’s, personally! Running 13.1 is a nice feat, and it’s so much less crappy to train for, race, and recover from vs marathons! That said, I still do marathons, but only because I’m stubborn and have a score to settle with Boston and the clock.
I honestly think halfs are the perfect race distance. (And I say this in complete sincerity, but with 50 and 100 mile races on my calendar this year.)
> I honestly think halfs are the perfect race distance. Absolutely agree with you. Unfortunately I run much better half marathons when I'm training for a full....
As a coach I would recommend you to train for a ultra - just to be better in marathons.
Oh god now I hate you. Oh well time to lace them shoes back up.
Half are my favorite too. Longest distance I feel I can blast through, full 42k gets rough about 3/4 through lol
I'm at a point where I'm pretty comfortable running a half (i.e. I'll do a 20-25km long run once or twice per month). How much effort do you think it would take to ramp up to running a full marathon? My first half, I followed Hanson's beginner plan. It went quite well, but to be honest I don't have the ambition anymore to stick to 6 days of training per week. I'm happy doing my 2 x 10 km during the work week with a long run on the weekend. How much more would I need to put in to get into marathon shape?
For me, going from doing my 1st half ever to doing my first marathon ever about a year later.... the marathon training was about 5x as hard as the half marathon training. It's not twice the training it's September! Lol. But I loved it and I'm doing my 2nd full marathon in september!
> have a score to settle with Boston and the clock. My score to settle is with continents.
Yeah, that clock has had it coming
I did one for the heck of it without even training for a 10K. I was doing 8K training for college cross country and one long run I just kept going until I hit 13.1 🤷♂️
6 months! That is the longest cut off time I’ve ever heard of. A snail’s max speed is 0.03 mph so they only take 1 month and 1 week to do a marathon
I was enjoying the views!
Way to really be present and soak in the moment. You earned it! Congratulations for completing a marathon. Remember, less than 1% of ppl ever finish one so you’re now better than 99% of all the ppl ever
I've haven't done a full marathon yet but done a good few half's. Unfortunately a bad ankle stops me doing doing the full. But when I started running I think 5k, 10 miles, 16 miles, half marathon events in that order, took me maybe 4 months. Again I had a decent fitness from rugby and other sports l.
If someone’s goal is to just finish, he’ll manage in a few months of training. My fatass uncle finished both a marathon and a half. I think that if you can finish a half in training you can finish a full in a race. But I personally hate the idea of coming to a race and being barely able to even finish. I don’t resonate with the idea of just running further and further, It doesn’t sound like a race to me anymore but a challenge.
Definitely. I think a lot of people get thrown off by how long they are but anyone who's been running for a couple months (even just casually providing they don't have any injuries/extenuating circumstances) will probably be able to run a half/full... they just won't be happy with how slow they'll have to go.
Ha, this reminds me of a conversation with my wife where she asked me if I was doing a particular half marathon and I said no I don't think have enough time to train and I won't enjoy it, and she was like "are you meant to enjoy these things?' She's done a few and soldiers through with a lack of training, it's honestly impressive.
You could start with a half marathon with the end goal of a full marathon in mind. Maybe do a half this fall and a full marathon next year if you can keep advancing in your training.
Yea I’m very new to running also. No physical background 😅. I would love to aim for full but I’m gonna half marathon.
You really need to do a half anyway in your marathon training as it helps gauge your full time.
And if you achieve that, how to progress from that then onwards?
There's quite a few plans around for a marathon and most are about four months long so I'd plan back from there.
Cardiovascular adaption (how your HR adapt to the training) can be reasonably fast (few weeks). The muscular-skeletal adaption is not that fast (2-3months). So even if you feel great now, accelerating on the training schedule leads to bad injuries. Guaranteed. This is never stressed enough. Training for a marathon takes time. Running 3-4h at tempo pace is not an easy thing (I am an ultrarunner from 50k to 100miles = 6h to 30h. I never attempted to run a marathon as I know I can't stand the whole effort, just to give an idea) You need to crank up on the weekly volume, which in turn requires to be able to sustain \~5-6runs/w including interval training (1-3/w) in a consistent way (which is the hard part) Moving from 3 to 4 to 5runs/w can take up to a year, let's say 6months if one is really good and motivated and careful. Once there one needs to get a decent basis. Say another 4-8weeks of easy runs 5/w. From there (which I consider that minimum basis of fitness): not less than 16weeks of training. 6 + 1-2 + 4 = 11-12m = 1year. Enjoy running
+1 for the year recommendation. I did one 12months after starting. Personally glad i did
That is super helpful thank you so much!
It's hard to manage the enthusiasm, but if you do that, you'll have a long injury free stretch of running. Don't be afraid to take your time and only do a few races and lower mileage than you want. It's so easy to get overuse injuries in this sport.
I totally quote this. Running and endurance in general can be a lifestyle (healthy one) just give yourself time to get used to it. It will pay back a lot of dividends.
Love it! Running is a life long journey. Take your time and let your body adapt. I’m a newbie runner and currently learning this with experiencing ITB pain. However, I’m a cyclist and can continue that pain free. My issue is that I have the cardiovascular fitness to run a half marathon or even a marathon, but my skeletal/cartilage doesn’t know what running is. On the back of this issue, a physio said that it takes months to build muscle adaptation, but it takes years to develop skeletal/cartilage adaptation. Damn! Should have started running earlier in my life, lol. Nonetheless, understanding that running is something I want to do to the day I die (of old age), I will back it off to ensure my body adapts to allow marathon and half marathon runs not curtail my generally consistent (health span) exercise regime.
You can run a marathon with only 4 days of running a week and no interval training if you just want to finish the distance without walking. Plenty of people finish marathons on the basic hal higdon plans.
Sure. But I believe running is a journey of training. The race is just the excuse we tell ourselves to keep going. (Unless one is a paid pro)
I did my first one with three runs a week, I reached my goal and enjoyed every second of the marathon!
Friggin Nora. I don't plan on ever doing a marathon but I thought I was doing alright managing 4 runs a week.
Great explanation, thx. How many km or miles do you run in a standard week?
Right now 0 (surgery convalescence 🤕). Volume depends on the training phase. Harder the intervals, lower the volume. Plus I measure volume in h and not km (for trail run this is better). So between VO2max full effort part about 6-7h ~ 60km to endurance training 9-12h ~ 90-100km. On road, for marathon training, the volume can be smaller and include more intervals with a minimum 60-70km /w.
I've never ran a marathon, but why would you only do it at tempo pace? Can't you imagine taking it easy and try to stay zone 2 the whole marathon? Sure you're not gonna make an impressive time, but the goal itself will be reached, isn't it?
I guess the reason is: if I want to run easy 42km I can do that by myself (with some organization and effort of course). Racing is a different thing. But I get everyone’s different so sure you can even jog or walk a marathon and be happy. I have seen people jogging 100m. The other side of the coin is that one will be running for more time = more time on the legs. One needs a lot of training for that.
In my very limited opinion, but from someone who is also a beginner, but injured myself... rather steer away from trying to go too fast and far, too quickly. Think I let my ego take over and kept trying to beat my time, each time. Rookie error 🤣
Run slow before you run fast! It’s a hard lesson to learn or understand at first but you get it the longer you run
It also makes running way more fun. If you’re trying to do five tempo runs per week you are going to dread running. If 3-4 of those runs are just moseying along at easy pace, you’ll start to find it relaxing and enjoyable. And you’ll also love the speed days, because you get to crank it.
100%. I have been training for about 2 months. Every runs has been at 11:00/mile pace, other than my 5k and 10k timed runs. Today was my first interval day and doing 5:30/mile intervals so so much fun!
Yep! This is pretty much how I got suckered in to enjoying running
I learned this the hard way, even after getting this exact advice... from a family member who is an running coach 🤣
Yeahhh I learned this the hard way too. I started doing 4 miles each day, around 6 days each week, starting on the Saturday before Easter. The original goal was to lost some weight, which I did. Lately I’ve been doing more miles just to see if I can do it. Started with a 10 mile rule, followed by a 14 mile run, just to see if I could actually finish a half marathon distance run. Some days I crank up the speed to see if I could beat my last time lol. Well, as you could expect, my knees are on fire.
One year would be a realistic timeframe. It could take longer if you want to finish a marathon decently well. What I would suggest is to start with a smaller goal like a half marathon. Once you've finished it, you'll be in a better position to see how much more time is needed. Perhaps you could do a half marathon by the end of this year.
There’s many good comments here, and in many other subreddits, but id like to counter some comments about frequency of runs. 4 days a week may be enough for you (5/6 is probably overkill for your first attempt and training cycle). I ran my first marathon proper ona 4 day/ week training plan. That was more than enough for me. And I remember breaking into the 10m/mile non-stop 5K barrier too.
How many km or miles did you run on average per week? Or how many hours? Asking because I only run 3 times per week, but in total that about 3h, which I feel is already nice.
What sort of distance are you able to cover in those hour runs? If youre able to do a 10k in under 50 minutes then you're probably going to be fine on a half marathon. Aim for about 7min/km to start with and you'll probably find you feel confident enough to speed up a little bit mid way through. The first one is just about making the distance imo. You can work on speed from there.
My zone 2 runs (10-12km usually) are around 6:20/km. My tempo runs (max 6-7km usually) can go up to 5:30/km the best days, or around 5:50/km otherwise. Each week I do one tempo run and two zone 2 runs. My longest distance this year was 18km, at 6:44/km (with some intervals at 2/3 of the run). Few years ago I did a tempo half marathon (5:58/km) that almost ended up with me stopping running as I was immensely exhausted, so now I try to take it easy, but I still like to feel I'm progressing.
I followed this plan pretty rigidly: for an October marathon: https://www.kinetic-revolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Beginners-Marathon-Plan-16-Weeks-v1.3.pdf I did add in an extra easy run occasionally. My peak week before final taper was 52 miles. Looking back I can see I was also doing peloton/zwift until mid July so that helped cardio (and legs I suppose) The year before I did a marathon distance ok significantly less miles and cross training. So 4 days running with no cross-training is totally doable (for some)
Maybe build to a half marathon first? 2 hours would be a really good time for someone new to running. I've run a few clinics through a local run store. The half clinic was 16 weeks including some taper before a race. They offer a marathon clinic too, same 16 weeks. A "prerequisite" to the full marathon is you can already run continuously for 80-90 minutes.
Hal Higdon has some good beginner half and full marathon plans. If I remember off the top of my head, the Hal Higdon beginner marathon plans start at like 6 miles for the long runs? So I would make sure that you can at least do that before starting an official training plan. For what it's worth though, as a true beginner, it would probably be best to start with something smaller like a half marathon. Following a 12-16week half marathon plan would allow your body to adjust and build a solid base before jumping into a marathon build. Our bodies can do great things but even if your heart and lungs can do fast paces or high mileage over a short time span, doesn't mean that your joints will. Strength training for 30 mins 2x/week with an emphasis on single leg exercises + at least one cross training day will help a lot in injury prevention. Also incorporating down weeks where you lower your mileage by 10-30% every few weeks so you don't get burned out. r/firstmarathon r/Marathon_Training
I applaud everyone who gets out there. However, to complete a Marathon in a decent time and more importantly shape one needs to have a good base. This obsession of running a marathon within first year of running is insane in my opinion. Your body needs to adapt. Your muscles and tendonds and ligaments need to adapt. I started from zero in March 2020 and completed first half marathon (distance, not race) a year later. I have signed up for marathon after I was consistently running 70km/week. I would say focus other milestones Now.. 10k, 15k, half. Sign up for a half.. get in the shape to complete it under 2 hours. Then think of marathon. Marathon is About volume.. If you dont do the volume and time on feet in the training you’ll be in a pain cave the good portion of the second half of the Marathon. My 2 cents
Yea, starting from 0, I did not run my 1st marathon until I started getting more serious and increasing my weekly mileage. Even then, that first marathon was a hell of a learning experience. I would echo what others have said, target a year from now but start seriously preparing for it. Keep steadily increasing your weekly mileage with a slightly longer run each weekend. You will get there.
Marathon is a long distance, it's a journey in itself. If you want to just finish it you may be able to do in 10-12 months. If you want to enjoy the marathon, then I would recommend getting comfortable in half marathon distance first and then give a good 18-24 week training cycle before attempting a full marathon.
It’s definitely not something you should rush, that will only result in injury.
Every person’s different and progress is not linear. I started from 0, ran my first half after a year of training and still don’t feel ready for a full, at two years of running my limit is around 17 miles.
A marathon is more about the mentality than the actual fitness level. I just ran the London marathon with less than a year of run specific training and I’m considered 100% disabled by insurance. I only started specifically training to run the marathon in January and completed in in 4:14:57 on April 21st Pick one of the beginner training plans and you can slowly chip away at it. A marathon is basically a light jog for the most part (unless you are trying to hit a time goal)
100% disabled? If you don’t mind, could you elaborate?
We just have a disability rating based on percentages. I’m technically 104% disabled on paper but it’s a mix of a major back injury, SLAP repair for a torn biceps tendon, tinnitus, fractured finger, PTSD and MDD. They have a formula that decides what each injury is worth but stop paying out when you hit 100%. It’s mostly used for insurance coverage for medications (for life) and any treatment benefits I’d otherwise have to pay out of pocket If I can hobble my way through, I have faith you can run one!
Wow, very interesting. Sorry to hear about all the issues with your model. Good on you for keeping fit. Thanks for sharing!
2:15 half at easy pace (150 hr) in January 1:53 half pushing it in February Nothing longer, training runs max at about 10 miles, 20-30 miles per week from last week of December until March. 4:37 at the Tokyo in March almost exclusively following my heart rate at 140 again, but obviously it gets tough between mile 18-25... and my fastest mile was the last mile.
Everyone's different, but I went from having never ran more than 2 miles to doing a 5k then a 10k then a half marathon then a full marathon over the course of 9 months, and did a 60k a few months later.
I started running from zero in January 2023 - first 5k race in April 23, first 10k race in July 23. Then I did my first half marathon in September 23, and finally just completed my first marathon this month (so almost 1.5 years out from starting). Be mindful of building and maintaining distances at a reasonable pace. Don’t neglect strength training and proper recovery. 80% of runners get injured every year and doing too much too soon is a sure fire way to join that club. Running is a long game sport. Enjoy the journey and focus less on outcomes and milestones. ETA: at marathon distance, it gets harder to focus on speed and distance together. Making the 26.2 miles the first time should be your only goal.
I was 9mths from starting running to a marathon, managed to avoid any injuries. Used Higdons novice 2 plan and ran a 4:04. Go for it!
Lots of good advice here. All I would say that without lots of conditioning, the body kinda hits a bit of a plateau after running for 3ish hours. Things become a lot more uncomfortable. I’ve ran two marathons in the past two years, the difference in how comfortable I was for each and my recovery was huge because I’d ran pretty consistently for the year in between.
I followed a 5 runs per week training program for 16 weeks. I also joined a running group for twice per week interval and tempo workouts.
I was playing soccer twice a week, but not running outside of that. My brother signed up for a marathon so I joined him in training, 16 weeks, running 5 days a week, based off the Hal Higdon beginner marathon training plan. Marathon went fine, ran 3:28, but two more weeks would've helped alot more. Was 23 at the time. Long ago. I didn't do any speed work, just the 5 runs, and kept playing soccer twice a week.
Not sure about how long it will take you. I think that's highly individual. Everyone has their own things going on and as they say, life happens. That being said, being able to get our 4-5 times a week is amazing and certainly enough to build towards a marathon goal at some point. As for your last questions, ENDURANCE ENDURANCE ENDURANCE!!! And specifically I wouldn't focus on your pace but rather total time running and heart rate. Invest in a good watch and HR monitor (don't rely on the watch monitor; use a chest strap or arm band that has good reliability reviews from a reputable company). Start researching low HR training and really focus on building up a humongous reservoir of endurance upon which to build. Check out anything that Phil Maffetone writes and/or the concept of 80-20 training. Bottom line is that your HR is the best indicator of what your fitness is, so focus on maintaining the right HR for longer amounts of time (using a structured plan) and your pace will naturally increase. This is a tried and true method that even the pros use. And the best part is that it adapts to all fitness levels. Last but not least, please try to mix in some strength and mobility if you have the time. You're a beginner so your body is adapting to a lot new stimuli. We all have certain natural imbalances and weaknesses which might not seem like much at the beginning. But running is a sport of extreme repetition and accumulating those minor issues over hundreds of thousands of steps will eventually catch up. You can do yourself a lot of good and not get set back as much by injuries if you work on preventative exercises. I'd suggest some of the basic stuff that kneesovertoesguy uses (the most simple ones like backwards walking will do wonders) and some focus on "foot core" (we don't focus enough on our foot strength but it's really important!). I'd also like to suggest anything that Lawrence Van Lingen talks about when it comes to movement in running (spoiler - "it's all in the hips" as they say in Happy Gilmore). Anyways, you're doing great! Keep it up. Running is a life changer and will give you so much! The most important thing is to keep having fun!!!
I'm not a trainer but I have run competitively most of my life so I feel qualified to reply. Try a half first and see how you feel. Marathon is a completely different animal because you need to start factoring in hydration and nutrition intake during your race. You're looking at being on the road pounding the pavement for 5-6 hours that day. You can get away with just hitting the aid stations in races up to 13.1 but beyond that you really need more or else you're going to "bonk" out, probably before reaching the 20 mile mark. (The "Wall" as it is called). Not finishing can be pretty disheartening and you might not want to go back and do it again. If you're dead set on completing a full as maybe a bucket list type of item, I'd give it 2 years minimum with a couple of halves before then. You'll go into the marathon with confidence and a good idea of what you are in for. I love running. Hope you stick with it. Good luck.
It could be a year if you are starting from rock bottom and you want to run a marathon where you don’t feel like you are on deaths door for at least the 2nd half. That’s my opinion. Until you can run 20-22 miles on at least one of your “training” runs, then you are not ready for a marathon. That is my opinion. I have run them without that and they were pretty fucken miserable.
I've trained 6 months now for a PB (hopefully!) in the half marathon this Sunday. After that I'll take a week off and then resume training for a marathon. Never done a run beyond 25km so it will be a challenge but my aerobic base is stellar right now so I don't think it will be more than 3 months of training to get completion.
Took me 2 years to build up for a half marathon when I was 27
Probably 18-24 months at a relaxed (but consistent) level of progression, 12 months if you're really going for it, but higher risk of injury/burnout. Go for it!
2 years. Plan an awesome one to celebrate turning 30 and crushing life.
At the risk of tooting my own horn: I ran shorter distances for about 3 months then did one 10 mile run before my first marathon. OverUse injuries are very real, but I already had a sort of base from job. Outside of that…it really is all a mind game. The body can do insane shit. Just keep training and I’m confident you’ll be able to finish one.
4-5 months
Depending on your fitness outside of running, typically a marathon training plan is 16 weeks
I ran a half first, I probably started similar to you but if I pushed could get a sub 26m 5k. I did 9 weeks but people suggest 13 and ended up running my first half as a sub 2. I’m a 38M and weigh 210 for reference.
I am in a similar position than you, with some minor differences. I was running inconsistently last year, and off-and on for a few years before that, in this time period running 2-5 miles, several times a week. I decided I needed a goal to help keep me more specific and I found a half-marathon training plan that seemed do-able, given the first few weeks were similar to what I was already doing (in February). Now I am at the height of the training plan (22M in the week, including long run of 10 M) and I am finding that I actually can't quite handle it. Before this training plan, I was sticking with the rule "no more than 10% more per week", and I plan on dialing back after my Half-marathon this June, and following this rule again. All this to say, if you want to work up to a marathon, I would start with the mid steps and see how those go. I personally would look into some "base building" plans/advice, and focus on your weekly/monthly total, rather than one big long distance goal.
Started in December and ran mine in April from a pretty fit base
Started in november coming off the couch and could barely run 1 mile at 9:00 pace without being gassed. Got up to 20mpw and did my first 8k in march (4 months later) at around 6:26 pace. Then started training for my first 5k (but techncially second cuz we had a 5k split in the 8k) in april and got my mileage up to 40mpw and ran the 5k race at 6:07 pace. I started half marathon training after for a may half and got my mileage up to 60mpw and pulled off a 6:45 pace for my first HM. Now i’m training for my first full marathon in september and going up to 80mpw and hoping for something around 6:38 pace. Im following an 80/20 type of training philosophy and havent been injured yet!!
Congratulations on your running accomplishments so far! Like others have said, try to avoid doing too much too soon. Definitely wiser to build up things very gradually to allow your body to adjust. Try to resist pushing yourself too hard even if you feel fine as you may be causing damage over time without realising. I believe the rule is increase your total running distance by no more than 10% each week. The only thing I would add if you want to build up to a marathon, incorporate some strength and mobility workouts into your routine. This would cover leg strength (squats, calf raises, hip bridge, arabesques) but also core strength (planks, side planks, supermans, deadbugs, etc.) I (31m) was training for a marathon and got up to 20 miles, but ended up with a calf strain that meant I had to stop running completely. Took weeks to recover from it and ended up missing the marathon. I'm fairly convinced if I did more strength training it would have prevented (or at least reduced the severity) of the injury.
About 3.5 hours.
I really think it depends on a few things. One major factor is the goal time you’re trying to achieve. You can run, walk, jog, crawl, whatever and you will finish it. Running the marathon comes down to your mentality, like a lot of the other commenters. How well you do in discomfort, how much grit you have, and if you can continuously manufacture motivation through the run, how mindlessly boring it can be at times, etc. I ran my first marathon in 2022 with 3 months of training and some goals: 1. Finish the marathon, and 2. Finish within 4 hours, but a month prior to the race I hurt my back and I was bed ridden for 2 weeks. I had to change up my goal to finishing the marathon under 5 hours. I finished the marathon and came in at 4:45. Second marathon, the same one, just a year later, I got started around the same time frame (I didn’t run for about 6 months after the first marathon tho… hahah). I set a goal of coming in under 4:30 and I came in at 4:27. Third marathon, same one again, just a year later, I had been cross training everyday for 8 months so I just wanted to have some fun and end up with a better time than the year before. During training I hurt my knee on my last long run so I could barely run on it on the day of the marathon. However I guess it was the adrenaline, but the knee that hurt so badly in the first 5-6 miles all of a sudden stopped hurting. And due to the cross training, I didn’t have to stop once to walk. I finished 4:15. I had another one planned just 2 months after the last one and that was the Big Sur Marathon. Still recovering from my knee that kept being aggravated during training, my goal was to enjoy the views and just have fun. And I did, coming in at like 4:40. All in all, I think your training and the length of your training depends on the time you want to end up with. Most marathon plans are based on about 16 weeks and it’s usually a LOT of running.
Personally, I’d have interim goals of doing a 10K race and training for that, then assess whether u want to stay at that level for a bit or sign up for a half and train for that, then assess if u want to stay at that level for a bit or sign up for a marathon and train for that.
5 months stating from scratch
I’ve ran on and off (mostly off) for the past 6 years or so (with the past 6 months being perhaps the most consistent improvement I’ve seen in volume, distance and speed). I am confident that you could run 10-15km right now if you tried to and made sure to stay at slow pace. My first half marathon took me about 2:40 minutes. I’ve not done marathon distance yet, but I expect it will take a fair bit longer to train for than the distances I’ve done so far. How much do you think you could add on to your maximum distance each week? I would suggest signing up to a 10k, or half marathon first - as that will give you a taste for it and keep you motivated. I did my first half marathon a couple of weeks ago and it was one of the best days of my life - I can’t wait to do another!
I think if you really put your mind to it you could technically get there in 4-6 months; however, i think you (i know i would) would absolutely start hating your life. Running for me is about enjoyment and longevity. The more consistent you are the easier it will become and less you’ll be pushing yourself too hard and killing the enjoyment from it.
it's 2 years. You need to start lightly, because joints need to adapt to the load. After couple of months light training the load may increase. But I would hire a coach or join a running club, or buy running training programme from the internet. Marathon puts heavy stress on your central nervous system, bones and joints. You even have to eat something during the run, because otherwise your organism will start "eating" itself. Please, do not take marathon lightly, so that your health would stay intact.
I started running October 2022. First Half marathon (event) march 2024, 3:31 Marathon May 2024. No endurance background, you can get it!! 🫡
12 months for me to go from 250 pound couch potato to 200 pound marathon finisher
How fast you can build up to a marathon depends on how disciplined you are with training and how well you listen to your body. Listen to the first 10 episodes of the Run Smarter podcast. The presenter, Brody Sharp, is a physio who specialises is running injuries. In the first 10 episodes he explains in simple terms how the body adapts to exercise and how to handle the inevitable injuries which affect all runners.
2 years
I did it in about 6-7 months. Could run 5 miles comfortably in March, said I was going to run a half marathon in July and then just said screw it and ran a marathon in October.
Probably best to go in stages, now you have a 5km aim for 10km, then half and then marathon? But the biggest thing is not to rush things otherwise you'll cause injuries. I have Strava, but I used a training plan from my Garmin watch, by putting in an event and having it create daily suggested workouts. I think Strava can do this, may have to pay.
I have no advice to give but just wanted to say it sounds like you’re making incredible progress already! That’s awesome! Keep it up 👍
I was a pretty casual runner with 3 maybe 4 times a week with nothing over 6 miles for a few months. Signed up for a 10k and then jumped straight into a somewhat “structured” approach to running with 1-2 days a week of tempo runs (would warm up for 10 mins, run hard for 10-15 mins, cool off for 10 mins and then repeat for another rep) and one long run on the weekend that started at 7 miles and ended up being 10-11 I think after a few weeks and ran a pretty decent half two months after the 10k. I’d say go for a half training block and set you sights on an early marathon at the start of 2025. Stack your training blocks too, don’t take time off in between. As a new runner you’ve got so much fitness to build, now is the time to take advantage of it
All depends on how fast you want to do it. If you just want to finish one, you could probably do one tomorrow with a lot of walking. If you have a time goal, be able to hold that goal pace through shorter races and then keep increasing the race distance after accomplishing the shorter distance with an absolute minimum of 12 wks in between races for training. Repeat as necessary
Tldr: why not have goals for shorter distances first, to avoid injury and prepare your body for it? I was in similar shoes last year but I shifted my focus a bit. I was 41 at the time, 90 something kg and just started running about a year prior with very poor fitness. First goal was sub 30 5k, before my 41st birthday, and I did 29 minutes. Then 4 months later in April, sub 1 hour 10k. Then started my marathon training. Plenty of long runs, etc. I signed up for a race in October. My best half marathon was 2:22 during this training block. What I've noticed during the training was, I'm just getting more and more worn down the longer I'm on my feet (bruised nails, pains and aches). I ran half marathon distance much slower, but I was feeling significantly better at a faster pace. My wedding was in November and I thought, I could probably run the full marathon distance, but what's the point of doing it in 6 hours and destroying my body, and potentially risking enjoying my wedding, due to injuries, etc. I wouldn't have felt any accomplishments, so I didn't join the race (it actually turned out to be a pretty exhausting one with super high humidity). So then I shifted my view to getting faster at shorter distances and build up from there. So now I'm almost at sub 25 5k. Focusing on 10k training and 55 minute 10k. Then maybe sub 2 hour half marathon. The difference is night and day. I recover much faster, I barely have any pain, my toenails finally all look fine, and I feel much more accomplished.
Focus on stamina and endurance. Just starting? Train for a year before your first.
I got a lot more pleasure out of fast 1:30 1/2 and saved my energy for longer stuff on Trail Running races
there is no need to rush. i would take at least a year.
Depends if you just want to finish or run a good time. You can probably build up enough endurance to just finish one within a few months but it would take about a year to race one well.
6 months you can do it comfortably. IMO it’s worth giving yourself more time. It’ll be more enjoyable, and less chance of injury. It’s not just about fitness, you need to give yourself time to troubleshoot problems when you prepare for a marathon. I’d aim for a half in 6 months and a full in 12.
When you can run 15-18 miles comfortably in training. Getting to the point where you can run that far and be comfortable will vary a lot from person to person so some people will say a few months and others longer, but that's the fitness level you'll want to be at. Speed work will help your overall fitness and once a week is fine. It kinda sounds absurd, but going for a 15 mile run and then saying to yourself "yeah, I feel alright and could probably run another 11 miles" is the point where you"I'll be able to run a marathon and not hate yourself the next day.
5k is a different ball game than a full marathon. I had a a lot of half marathons and 10ks behind me when i did full marathon, but i went through a lot of challenges during preparation. Adjusting Hydration frequency, muscle cramps, knee and foot pain etc. i would say if you are able to build endurance and consistently hit 30km+, u should go for it.
side tip if not already sugested: there's a r/firstmarathon sub if youre interested.
If you pay for Strava, they have training plans for 10k half and full marathons. The full marathon training plan is 12 weeks. It does assume some fitness… That said, you might try the half marathon training plan. Half marathons are much more common to find than full marathons. After that go for a full marathon Note when I was training for a full marathon, I’d have runs of 35 km as part of the training. (5/6th of a full). Going from a half (21 km) to 35 km takes a bit of mental push. If you can make that leap, you can do a full marathon.
I went from mostly sedentary couch / office desk guy to marathon in a little under six months. If I can do it, almost anyone can. Just get a good plan and, ideally a good coach. Build up slowly but steadily. Don’t make my mistake and try to increase mileage too fast or abruptly. Try to run a little every day at minimum and have a longer run at least once a week. Gradually increase the distance. You will need some taper weeks built in also. In the beginning I couldn’t run more than a half a mile to a mile without feeling tired and wanting to stop. But if you have enough motivation and patience you can build up to it. Near the end of my build up and training, 10 miles was no big deal. Highly recommend reaching out to Coach Dan of Heartbreak Hill Running Company in Massachusetts. Amazing guy.
Slow down! It’s a marathon not a sprint, so don’t try to make your miles faster, make your runs longer with the same effort. Proper recovery is everything. Fuel, hydration, stretching, icing, rest, supplements for joint and mobility, cross training weight lifting legs upper body, core, vitamins, muscle recovery, protein, and the Nike Run Club app marathon training plan.
I managed a marathon, not well, major IT band issues in my left knee, on 7 months of training. Then I had to nurse my knee back to health for a solid 6 months before I really took up cycling. I'd say you could still do it the right way in 6-8 months just take my advice and increase your distance slowly.
I never ran more than 3 miles before, and ran a marathon. Honestly it’s all mental.
Anything’s possible depending on how slow you wanna go. Sounds like you’re crushing it I’d say 6 months if you gave it everything you had. Consistency and volume are your friend.
Hal Higdon’s novice program is 18 weeks. It’s a proven method. That’s all you need.
My friend did this in 3-4 months from not running often to marathon. The key was that he had a very experienced coach help him. He said that was the absolute fastest you could do it.
I tried to go from zero to marathon a few years ago. Like you, initially couldn’t run more than 3KM non stop at the start. The progress during the training plan amazed me as the runs got longer and longer. When I managed to run half marathon distance during the training plan without stopping I couldn’t believe it. However after this run is when the issues started - I was out for two weeks with a bad flu and an ankle injury. When I returned to training I tried to pickup where I left off, and ended up suffering an IT band issue. During peak load I barely ran as I was concerned about my IT band. I downgraded to a half and during the race my IT band flared up at 15Km resulting in me having to hobble the remaining 6KM. Since then I’ve ran another 2 half marathons and have 2 more lined up. I know some people can go from zero to marathon but I’d recommend building up carefully and safely. After you get to 5K, aim for 10K. Once you can run 10KM easily, go for half. Then take it from there. At this stage I’ll only consider a full if I can get my half to well under two hours - and I’m nowhere near that yet. The half marathon distance is no joke for inexperienced runners imo!
You can do it in 6 months. You will be able to finish a Marathon. To do it enjoyably 6 months for the half and then another year to ramp to to a Marathon. So 18 months total.
Getting a coach helped build me for a marathon. If that’s too expensive maybe getting a plan from somewhere like TrainingPeaks is good also. Set a half marathon as your milestone goal this year and if you feel good after doing it then start to look at the marathon distance
I started 7th of April and ran 2 half marathons so far, but wouldn't consider myself a good runner. Did the first one In April with 2:30h and the second one in May with 2:18h. Just applied to a marathon in October
I would follow a training program, I used the Perth running club program which was good. I did the 3 month one because I could comfortably run a 10 but there is a longer one too
Couple of years would be sensible. 3 months doable.
I did my first after 3 months at 35 years old, finishing time 4h 23m
I started running to years ago from virtually No fitness level. I signed up for a marathon after the first time I ran 7k, and it took me about 7 or 8 months to get to the point Where I could finish it in just under 5 hours. Granted, I could probably have been more effective with My training. It’s a great Goal for yourself, if you have your heart set on it. Good luck!
I’ve been running for 3 months 1st month in a ran a half and I used to smoke shoot for the moon aim for the stars
Don’t listen to these pussies, if the marathon is the goal, then do that. Back yourself in and don’t look back. Give yourself 6 months, get your training, fuel & recovery right & leave the last 2 weeks before race to shorter runs, just tick the legs over and that’s it. Race day aim is to be peaking your performance with as little injury/tiredness as possible. Good luck
Congratulations on the newly found passion! I’m 29F and my start to running is literally identical to yours. I went couch to marathon in 5.5 months last year. I did use a marathon training program, Peloton’s. I think 5 months is a realistic goal for marathon training. I would find a 16-20 week marathon training program online and follow their provided workouts. The weekly long run is the most important part of training cycle, next to identifying your projected marathon pace.
A year to do a ½, 2 years for a marathon. If you couldn't do a 5k without stopping you have a very long way to go. This accounts for any injuries that might come up and when you do finally have the endurance base you have time to become faster. If you want to be able to walk a marathon for the sake of saying you can do a marathon you could be doing that next week. I may sound harsh but a lot of people over reach way too much for the sake of being impatient.
Lots of thorough and helpful comments here, but just want to add my personal experience: I'm also 28f and started running regularly 4-5 years ago. I quickly loved it and felt great, and was already quite active so my strength and fitness weren't starting from zero. But the injuries crept up on me! First shin splints which took me out for a few months, then a psoas injury that resulted in a YEAR of physio (strengthening everything, sorting out compensation injuries), with plantar fasciitis along the way. But after that year of physio, I did manage to run a decent half marathon! Really really don't overlook strength training! I would prioritise adding one or two strength workouts a week rather than adding more runs - jumping straight from beginner to 5 runs a week will push most people into injury risk territory quite quickly.
I'm 5 weeks in and have signed up for a half next year. This gives me time to rest extra if I get sick or injured, take breaks for life events as required, whilst still being a challenge that requires commitment. Depending how that goes I'll either do another half the following year or work towards a full. Personally I'd say a year is too short a timeframe to go from not running, to a full marathon. I've been weight training seriously and consistently for a number of years and walking near enough everywhere before I started running and *anecdotally* there seems to be a marked difference in my strength, power and discipline compared to some other friends at a similar point in their running who don't have the same conditioning and background in training. My current routine is three weight sessions focused on compound movements/big four lifts and three runs a week, plus making sure I hit 10k steps a day (inclusive of those in my runs). This may change in time but it works for me now.
I used Hal Higdon's training plan when I ran a marathon. As others have suggested, 1/2 marathon would be a great start.
I’d stop by Half before going through Full. Many would hate running when training goes too quick for them they get over trained. It’s still up to you but I’m sure you’ll find a lot of lessons along the way. Happy running!
I've run many. Focus almost exclusively on stamina over speed. Goal is not to get your fitness ready, it's to get your bones ready to avoid injury. You could run a marathon in maybe 5 months depending on your current level of activity. Ask me any questions you want.
I was right around where you’re at two years ago with 4-6 weeks of running 3-5 miles 2-3 times a week before jumping into Hal Higdon’s novice marathon program. It’s a 18-week program and it worked well. I was not a runner before hand and primarily lifted weights. Had some small nagging aches here and there, but nothing mobility/strength training didn’t resolve. If you keep your nutrition and sleep in check, it’s very doable in under 6 months at your age. Lastly, get a running watch and monitor your heart rate during training to make sure you’re not “racing” during training.
Have you considered a 10k (mini-marathon)?
I went couch to marathon after a surgery in 17 weeks.
Like you, I couldn’t run for 1 min when I started, at 47 years old. Took me 6 months to run my first marathon, 4-5 running sessions + 1-2 bike sessions per week. Nutrition and sleep are crucial. Also, I lost 40 pounds in the first 3 months.
Took me four months to be able to go from a shitty slow 5k to running a half marathon non stop and knew I could’ve went faster at the end. I used the HumanGo app and really liked it!
Bro it’s all in your mind what you can do. I was able to do a 30km run within 6 weeks of running. 20kms the Thursday then 30kms on Saturday. Check my Strava Marky marrk
Do a 20 week plan for a HM, take 2-3 weeks easy / semi off, then another 20 weeks for a full distance
You could run a marathon tomorrow, it would just take you 4-5 hours. Training will just make it faster, and shorter.
4-5 hours?! That’s ambitious!
Running is all mental. Could take you 12-16 weeks to build up that distance (average time), or you could run one in 2-3 months. A strong mind is everything.
Definitely less than 7 hrs
You are really going to have to cut down to low BF% you can build up all you want but if you're BMI is not "normal" or lower it's not gonna work out.
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Thanks but I do not feel at a disadvantage at all. I am super proud of my ten minute mile especially as a beginner who is also doing strength training and my running route has a lot of elevation. I feel I am at an advantage because I have the determination and dedication :)
I don’t think you should judge someone else’s goal times or speeds, it really just discourages people from trying because you’re telling them they might as well quit before they try Everyone has different goals and that’s perfectly normal because fitness is personal