Are You Ready to Run a Marathon?

Get in touch with Coach Sher!

Hi Running Friends!

Could you be ready to conquer the iconic marathon distance of 26.2 miles? Discover the essential signs of readiness and explore whether you have what it takes to tackle this physical and mental challenge. I share insights into assessing your comfort with long distances, the importance of consistent weekly mileage, and maintaining a healthy body.

Resources from the Episode:
The Wrinkled Runner YouTube Channel:
Are You Ready to Run the Marathon?

The Wrinkled Runner Website:
Finish Line Fueling- Jackie Dikos
Hydration for the Runner

Other Sources:
First Time Marathon Guide to Fuel for a Marathon
Hal Higdon’s Novice Marathon Training
Can I Run a Marathon from Marathon Handbook

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from purchases:
Running Your First Marathon: The Complete 20 Week Training Plan

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If you have any running-related questions, please send an email to [e-mail]…I answer every one. 

Episode Transcript

Coach Sherry (00:00):
Hey there, runners , welcome back to the show.
Today we're diving into aquestion many of you have
probably asked yourselves if youhave been running for a while
and you've been running halfmarathons or 10Ks, and that is,
am I ready to run a marathon?
You've built up some enduranceand you're getting that itch to

(00:23):
tackle that 26.2 miles.
How do you know if you're trulyready to take on this beast?
So we're going to talk aboutthat today.
Yesterday was the ChicagoMarathon and I had a client
running it and I was followingsome other people running it and
it was an awesome day for women.
The person who won, RuthChepengedich.

(00:47):
She had a fantastic race andshe ran it in two hours nine
minutes and 56 seconds, which isa world record and is blazing
fast.
So if you happened to watch thatthe Chicago Marathon or
anyathon, or have heard ofanything about it, maybe you too

(01:09):
are thinking that you wouldlike to run the marathon.
Of course, getting to a halfmarathon if you've run one of
those is no small feat in and ofitself.
It's a huge accomplishment tohave run the 13.1 miles.
So if you've been runninghalves for a while, maybe you're
wondering what's next.
I was running a half marathonin Japan and the course was at

(01:31):
the base of Mount Fuji.
It was pretty brutal, it wasvery hot, it was hilly, duh and
mentally exhausting, and we hadto run the route twice.
So when I ran it the first time, it felt terrible, and then we
had to run it again, and so Iswore off running half marathons
actually ever again.

(01:51):
But then, if fast forward a fewyears and I decided to
celebrate turning 50 by runninga marathon, so I had plenty of
time to train because we wereliving in Shanghai at that point
.
There were no kids around, theywere all graduated from high
school and in college or married, and so I had a lot of free

(02:12):
time.
So basically, when I lived inChina, all I did was run, and it
made it a little easier todedicate myself to being able to
train to run a marathon.
So let's talk about some of thesigns that you might be ready to
start training for a marathon.

(02:32):
So if you're comfortablerunning longer distances, for
example, if you're hitting 10miles in long runs and it
doesn't leave you wiped out fordays, that is a good indicator.
So you're going to be logging alot more miles than the 10
miles.
So if 10 miles still feels likea major feat, maybe run a few

(02:54):
more halves, and if you haven'trun a half marathon, maybe run a
few of those before stepping upto the marathon.
Now, that's not to say it can'tbe done.
Plenty of people have justtrained for a marathon and have
never run anything else.
But if you are regularlyrunning the medium long runs and

(03:15):
that's kind of leaving youwiped out your body needs to
build up a little bit moreendurance before you start
jumping into, you know, 16, 17,18 milers.
Also, consistency is a hugething.
If you're going to be trainingfor a marathon, that means
regularly running, probably inthe neighborhood of 20 to 25
miles a week.
Of course, you know everythingthat we talk about when it comes

(03:40):
to running.
It depends on the individual.
It depends is like the bigthing for running.
But if you're regularly running20, 25 miles a week, then the
marathon is something that youcan think about.
And that means when I sayconsistently, I mean not just

(04:01):
once a month, twice a month, Imean you know basically every
week you're getting those milesin.
Because consistency really iskey when it comes to marathon
training, because you are goingto have to build on your mileage
from week to week.
Training for anything depends onwhat you have done before to

(04:24):
get you to where you need to be,and so you can't just run, you
know, 20 mile a week and thenthe next week don't do anything.
Or you know, maybe run six andthen the following week, you
know, run an 18 miler and thenthe following week run an 18
miler and then the followingweek you don't run so much.
It really depends on youbuilding that endurance week
after week after week.

(04:44):
Also, being injury-free isimportant.
So if you're dealing with anyniggles or aches that won't go
away, it's probably not the besttime to train for a marathon.
Check in with a doctor or aphysical therapist, especially
one that deals with sports andsports injuries, If you're
experiencing any pain.

(05:06):
It requires a healthy body totrain for that amount of
distance.
So make sure you're healed andyou have a strong base before
committing to that training.
So now we're going to talk aboutthe mental side of things.
Marathons are a huge mentalchallenge.
Training can be reallymonotonous because there's no

(05:27):
crowd to cheer you on.
So if you're running 16 mileson your own, you know no one's
handing you water.
Sometimes you finish miles awayfrom your house feeling
exhausted which I've done plentyof times because I'm good, I
can tell've still been, you know, five miles away from my house,

(05:50):
which is usually when I plopmyself down and call my husband
and say come get me.
You know, fueling is importanton long runs.

(06:13):
That can be tricky.
It's an experiment.
You know every time, until youdial in, what your nutrition is
going to be, which you don'tknow when you're training for
your first marathon, so youmight feel nauseous or need a
bathroom in the middle ofnowhere.
It really is this dance offiguring out what your nutrition
needs to be, and of coursethere are guidelines and
everything like that for howmuch to take in.

(06:36):
I'll put some fueling resourcesin the show notes, but it's not
like one size fits all.
It is definitely an experimentand one that cannot feel great
until you really dial that in.
Now I'm not trying to scare youoff at all, but it is important
to think about the tough partsbefore you commit.

(06:58):
Training is going to requiretime and energy and sacrifice.
It's not just about checkingthe physical boxes.
Your life needs to be ready forthis as well.
Let's consider a few otherthings too.
Marathon training is verytime-consuming.
Long runs can't be skipped orrushed and if you're not able to

(07:21):
fit them into your lifeconsistently, you might want to
wait until your schedule allowsfor it.
So even if you're physicallyready to run a marathon, your
life might not be ready for it.
If you work long hours, ifyou're having to get up at three
in the morning just to get arun in and you're having to do

(07:41):
that consistently, If you're notable to hit some of the medium
long runs and the shorter runsduring the week, you can't just
run one long run every week andbe ready for that marathon.
You need to have that time weekafter week after week.

(08:02):
So you know, look ahead, youhave vacations coming up that
it's going to be an issue to runa 20 miler.
Do you have like a hard workschedule that is going to get
worse in, you know, a month.
All those things have to betaken into consideration when
you're looking at the timecommitment needed for the

(08:24):
marathon.
Also, finances shoes wear out.
You need gear for carryinghydration and fuel.
Marathon registration fees canbe steep.
Plus, if you're traveling for arace, there are additional
costs for lodging transportation.
Marathon training is quite aninvestment in time and in money,

(08:44):
so all those things need to betaken into consideration In
addition to you know, can I getto the point where I can run
26.2 miles?
So if you've added it all up inyour head the physical
readiness, your mental toughness, your time and financial

(09:04):
situation and it still soundslike something you want to do
and it still sounds likesomething you want to do, then
welcome to the world of marathontraining.
And it's a wild ride, but it isincredibly rewarding.
I will definitely put someresources that you can look at
in the show notes, so checkthose out and you can really
dive into what it's going totake for the marathon training

(09:28):
and see if it's something thatmaybe you want to look into.