Marathon

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I've just signed up to do a marathon in April and I'm terrified! Anyone done one before? It's a quiet one (only about 400 runners and no crowds) but I'm really, really nervous...

Do you run regularly? If not, 3 months is a bit ambitious. If you have bee running every day, then you should be fine.

I run about 6 miles every day and have done three half marathons before; have two halfs planned before the full. Really scared about the distance though, and have had problems with tendonitus in my foot (running is my special interest atm so I ran every day even if it's hurting which made it worse for a while, but now I'm alternating running days with an hour on the elliptical). Also have no idea about running nutrition- I eat porridge, baked beans and bananas every day but don't know how to work that in to midrun...

Oh then you'll be fine. I ran a marathon about 3 years ago, but now I opt for triathlons. I've never really thought much about nutrition. I usually take GU packs on longer runs, and then protein immediately after I finish. Good luck! You have absolutely no reason to be nervous, especially with your prior experience.

Thank you for the confidence, really not feeling it atm but hoping it'll come with training... Am going to experiment with sports drinks etc and see what works!

I've done one and a couple triathlons. People tell me it's boring but it's a great way to just get lost in your thoughts and be alone for a while. The key is weekly mileage. Follow the 10% rule: increase your weekly mileage by no more than 10% to avoid over-training and stress fractures. Build up to about 40-50 miles a week. Incorporate speed work (200, 400, 800m sprints), tempo runs (4-10 miles somewhere around your 10K pace), and LSD training (long slow distance). Remember to cross-train and weight train too. Don't do too much weights. I'm looking at my calendar now and selecting my big races for the year. Looking like a half-Iron triathlon in Sept and the Dallas Marathon in Dec. Good luck out there and stay safe.

Thanks for the advice. The gym scares me so I usually only go on the cross trainer (elliptical) but am going to try to work in some weights work... Totally agree with what you said about getting lost in your thoughts and being alone for a while- I need my runs to get away from people for a while. Have you read Haruki Murakami's 'What I Talk About When I Talk About Running'? Amazing book!