Anybody have tips for a first-time marathon runner?

walkunafraid

After years of saying I was going to do it, I finally signed up and paid for the Los Angeles Marathon, which will occur on March 1st of next year.

Just curious if anyone here has run a marathon and, if so, if you have any tips for someone running one for the first time.

I'm mostly wondering what kind of diet I should be on as I train and whether there are any "inside" tips that you have found that have made the experience more enjoyable, doable, etc.

So far I have joined a running group (we run once a week, on Saturdays), and I went to a specialty running store to find the "perfect" shoes for my feet. But that's about it.

Also I have done 5/10 k's in the past, plust one half-marathon.

YourDirtisMyfood

walkunafraid wrote:

After years of saying I was going to do it, I finally signed up and paid for the Los Angeles Marathon, which will occur on March 1st of next year.

Just curious if anyone here has run a marathon and, if so, if you have any tips for someone running one for the first time.

I'm mostly wondering what kind of diet I should be on as I train and whether there are any "inside" tips that you have found that have made the experience more enjoyable, doable, etc.

So far I have joined a running group (we run once a week, on Saturdays), and I went to a specialty running store to find the "perfect" shoes for my feet. But that's about it.

Also I have done 5/10 k's in the past, plust one half-marathon.

Break in your sneakers before the marathon. I'd wear them 2 months before the event, but not every week. You want them broken in for the event. Get your legs acclimated by doing several half-marathons before the event. Bananas and pasta will help your energy level. Wear knee braces if they bother you. Have fun.

tybird

1)Have a back-up pair of shoes...rotate them with the main pair during training.
2)Long runs are important...maintain a good schedule with a weekly long run.
3)Don't overtrain or undertrain...listen to your body on this one.
4)I prefer the 3 month marathon training to the six month one....peaked too early when I went the six mouth route.
5)Good socks are as important as your shoes...find what works for you.
6)Build a solid weekly mileage base now until January....25-30 miles a week.
7)Marathons are easily 90% mental...."I think can, I think can....the most important thing is finishing."
8)Work on taking water and Gatorade-type liquids during your run.
9)As you get into the meat of the training, eat, eat, eat, eat as normal as possible...you may have to change your helping size and your eating schedule...learn to graze during the day....lots of small meals instead of a few big meals.
10)Have fun....that's the most important thing.

you are

don't wear cotton socks (or cotton anything) - you may have to spend money on good socks for running, but it's sooo worth it

also, find out what they'll have at the marathon for refreshments and start buying those things to get your body used to them

during training, your days of rest are just as important as your days for training

and be absolutely sure that you have the right shoes to run in....it can cause major problems if you don't - i now have a permanent problem with my right foot because of that

tybird

you are wrote:

don't wear cotton socks (or cotton anything) - you may have to spend money on good socks for running, but it's sooo worth it

also, find out what they'll have at the marathon for refreshments and start buying those things to get your body used to them

during training, your days of rest are just as important as your days for training

and be absolutely sure that you have the right shoes to run in....it can cause major problems if you don't - i now have a permanent problem with my right foot because of that

Great advice....have everything that you wear on race broken in beforehand...no new shirt, jock, bra, shorts, socks or shoes.....or even hat. Yes, avoid cotton especially if rain is likely.

Spot In The Sky

great thread- im training for my first marathon- marine corp marathon Oct 26th in DC...i think I can do it, I can do 18 mile runs outside now and feel confident i could hit the 20-22 mile mark this week.
I have great shoes- Brooks Adrenaline GTS 8, best things that ever happened to me.
I recently got running socks, only by recommendation of a Pacer's employee because she said cotton socks may cause swelling, but i havent had that problem.
I started running in December to lose weight and i fell in love.
What works best for me is to really pace myself the first 6-8 miles at like 10 minutes per mile so that way my legs get warmed up and i am not using too much energy and can endure the rest of the run. What I like to do is run on a treadmill for distance goal, and then run it outside since its a little harder but at least i know my legs can handle it.
Stretching is also obviously huge- before an after. When I got a a tension band it really stepped up my game.
Good luck.
PS- When I run I also wear my Yield wristband from wishlist foundation.

redmosquito10

my girlfriend recently ran a marathon, so i cant give first hand advice, but after watching her, a few things seem pretty important. most of them have been mentioned, i.e. shoes, training regimen (she went the 3 month route), etc. One thing I would have to add is to try to simulate the conditions the marathon is in. You said you're doing the LA marathon, so I'd do a lot of street running, and if possible, try running portions of the actual route a few times to get used to it, then when doing your actual training run similar, but a bit more difficult routes. That's what my girlfriend did, and by the time the marathon came around she was able to finish without any major problems

FrankieJ

walkunafraid wrote:

Anybody have tips for a first-time marathon runner?

Pace yourself.

MrBrian

FrankieG wrote:

Pace yourself.

I don't run marathons. but I think that advice you gave is good, and it goes for many other sports also. That's what I know for sure. But perhaps takes practice to do, Running something like a marathon must take a long time to really understand how to pace yourself properly. Like an art.

Unless running is not progressive, which I think it is, you start strong and you finish much weaker. Unless you are from Kenya. Those guy? shit, they can run. I think Africans in general can run.

I lived in Africa for some time. My garden boy could run like the wind, umpoleko, really could pace himself that guy. Stupid unpoleko also stole from us. Then he turned into a sprinter, that guy.

MrBrian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcTNIAWetRI

That movie had some good tips. also a good movie.

you are

oh and i've heard really good things about this - http://www.bodyglide.com/

An Animal

Just drive it's easier !

walkunafraid

Thanks for all the great tips, everyone. There are a ton of useful things here that I'm going to use as I begin to train. I would have never thought of non-cotton socks, among other things!

Thanks again.