Two weeks ago, I kicked off my training for my first full marathon! I’m running Rock N Roll Savannah in November with my friend, Rachel, and my other friend, Stephanie, will be running the half with us (if it’s the same course as last year, you essentially run the first 11 or so miles together until it splits off for the full).
I’m a little nervous to run a full… especially since I swore I never would! But the running bug has bit me hard and after running about half a dozen half marathons at this point, I feel like the obvious next step is to attempt a full. So, I did bit of research and picked the Hal Higdon Novice 2 Marathon training program. As I haven’t done a full before, it seemed a little strange to look at the novice plans, but I also do a decent amount of mileage already during the week (my average short run is 4-6 miles), and my long runs are consistently between 8-10 miles every weekend.
I did modify the plan slightly with the mid-week run schedule that works better for me, and also, I already do a fair amount of cross training with Cycle and PiYo, so I’ve just adjusted and made sure to include some additional strength training classes in the meantime. The hardest part for me is really making sure I have adequate rest days as well as keeping up with runs as the summer starts to really heat up here in Raleigh. I’m not too worried about maintaining my runs but I know they’ll just be painful. I’m not really into early morning running but I know I need to get my butt out of bed to get it done before the humidity is unbearable.
I’m also using the Believe Training Journal by Lauren Fleshman and Roisin McGettigan-Dumas. I love that it’s specifically for runners or fitness goals and the various motivational prompts and workouts are great. It’s definitely helping me to keep track of my running goals for the year, even beyond the full marathon (almost immediately after I’m doing the RunDisney Goofy challenge). It also gives me a good overview of my times and the cross training that I do. I’m able to see my overall mileage at the end of the week and document my ‘moods’ for my workouts, as well as track how I would rate them and any additional notes I’d want to keep track of.
Here is a quick overview of the first two weeks of my training:
Week 1
Total miles 15.8
Long run 8 miles
Cross training included Cycle and PiYo
Week 2
Total miles 19.18
Long run 9 miles
Cross training included Cycle, PiYo, Barre, Zumba, and Water Aerobics
Do you have any tips for a first time marathon runner? What are some things that you wish you knew before you ran your first marathon?