Just signed up for my first marathon...I am so out of shape

[crow01]

Too high of a goal but I have been slacking so bad and abusing my body with lots of beer and greasy food.

I used to be fit...3 years ago. Now my 6-pack became a Keg.

I decided to take drastic changes. Maybe a little bit too drastic.

Inspired by the show the biggest looser...

I signed up for a marathon!

Yikes, very yikes. I have never been in one and I was never such a good runner.

I got 8 months to train.

I am not hoping to run as fast as Forrest Gump, but at least not to be the last one. Also...why not loose my keg and don't run out of air after 10 minutes.

Any tips besides the usual:
- Give up
- Get a gym membership

Has anybody been in a marathon and would you be so kind to share that experience.

[smitcat]

I'm shooting low and am going for some 5k's to test the waters, so to speak. I've done the same thing to myself, and realize I need a change. I'm hoping that if I like it and stick with it, I'll move to a sprint triathalon next year. I don't have any advice, other than get a really good pair of running shoes. I was amazed at how much better my stride and endurance was when I spent a little more money. Best of luck with everything!

[tplyons]

I'll be doing a 5k this summer. I too am extremely out of shape for about three years.

[iamlowsound]

I can run 5k in 25 minutes, and there is no way that I would want to run a full 42k with only 8 months to train.

lowsound

[Philbiker]

My brother-in-law likes to say that he ran two marathons in one day. His first and his last. I can't imagine why anybody would want to do that. My aunt Kathy is part of the club of people who have run marathons in every state. She likes to "ultra-marathon", she starts at the end, runs to the beginning of the race in time for the official start, then runs to the end again. She's in her late 70s.

[ugly_bassplayer]

IMO you bit off way more than you can chew.
Especially if you aren't a runner to begin with.
Your gonna die in that 42km if you are way out of shape now.

[Kosko]

Sports Enhancers.

Seriously though, this sounds like work for a professional trainer. That said, there is legitimate plans for marathon training. But, the basics probably boil down to eat perfectly, drink tons of water, start running a 5k everyday, in about 3 months run 10 miles a day, the last week run 15 a day until the marathon; take one maaaaaaaybe two days off a week. Get plenty of sleep and protein.

[spade2you]

Originally Posted by ugly_bassplayer

IMO you bit off way more than you can chew.
Especially if you aren't a runner to begin with.
Your gonna die in that 42km if you are way out of shape now.

+1. You're dreaming, not setting goals.

[MakiSupaStar]

Why run? If you walk you'll get there? Why's everyone gotta be such a dang hurry all the time?

[billjr]

For inspiration, I suggest you watch "Run, Fat Boy, Run," with Simon Pegg. It's hillarious.

Seriously, though, I would have started out shooting for a 10K and then moved up train for a half marathon before going for the full marathon.

I do hope you succeed. Good luck.

[Kosko]

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

Why run? If you walk you'll get there? Why's everyone gotta be such a dang hurry all the time?

"The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry."
- Brooks

[CapnSev]

I think you can do it. I don't know how out of shape you are or anything, but I think 8 months of training could get you pretty close if you really bust your ***.

I ran a half-marathon with my wife a couple years ago with zero running training. I do keep myself in pretty decent shape, but I never run and I still did it just fine.

That being said, good luck. I absolutely hate running, and I think I'd rather have a root canal and hang drywall at the same time than run a marathon.

[ehque]

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

I can run 5k in 25 minutes, and there is no way that I would want to run a full 42k with only 8 months to train.

lowsound

8 months is more than enough time to train for a marathon.

If my dad could do it, so can you. He's 51, did it recently.

The idea is to gradually up the distance you are running, while cutting down the number of times you run each week (increasing the rest time).

My dad started out working up his way to 5km a day (not that easy in itself). Then slowly up to 10km every 2 days. Near the date itself he was doing 30+km runs every week.

Supposedly, don't run 42km until the day itself. 30+ will prepare you enough, and you want the first time you complete 42 to be memorable (friends, crowds, other runners) rather than boring (by yourself). That's all i can help. I have never done it before, but i know its possible, especially with 8 months of training (dad did it in around 6months, and he took less than 7 hours to complete 42km)

[Woodchuck]

You are going to die. It takes more than what you listed to run a marathon, like the right body type. RIP.

[bassman03]

Good luck on all this. Only suggestion I have besides running, running, and maybe a little more running is make sure you're eating the proper foods over the next couple months.

[crockpot2001]

I think you can do it. I used to do marathons and duathlons but have always been more of a bike racer. When I was racing at my peak, I did Chicago with 8 WEEKS and survived just fine. I was also 30# lighter (maybe too light) and super fit in the motor.

Do some research and set a goal for a finish time. 4 hours is reasonable for a newby. If you gotta walk some, do it adn to heck with what everyone else is doing.

There are some things to respect. If you are generally heavy, use a bit more caution in choosing your running suface, softer is better gradually adding in a bit more hard stuff.

Not to encourage bad eating or exercise bulemia, but try to get your weight down as safely as possible. 1-2#/week depending on how much you are over your ideal body weight now. Less excess weight is better. Running really used a surprisingly little number of kcals for how beat up you can get. Another option is to add in cycling to releive joints, work cardiom and flush out the legs. Regardless, diet is key.

Use good shoes. Don't go cheap or improperly fit. Go to a real running store for an evaluation.

Check out some of the online running magazines for running programs. They can help with loading and peaking.

Definatly build in a taper period before the race. This is prime recovery time and helps prevent going into the event injured.

From my experience, I never worked on speed enough. When I did it more than made up for the fact that I never ran the actual distance in training. I run a few 10ks now and never train more than about 8-9k. I like to run my 10ks at about 50 minutes, so I do 1/2 intervals at a 40 minute pace followed by slower running. This may or may not work for ya. It keeps me from getting bored.

As usually, this is internet advice, garbage for many, gold for just a few.

[MIJ-VI]

Guys! Please see your doctor for a complete physical before pushing yourselves too hard too fast. Everyone's innards are different.

[Ívar Þórólfsson]

There is a lot of good information en teh intarwebs related to running and preparing for a marathon.

A couple of years ago I was dared into running a half marathon with only 5 days notice. Bad idea.
I ran, I completed it, but my body hurt like hell for about two weeks after the race. Especially my feet.

There are lots of good resources:
http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-train-f...e-out-of-shape

http://www.therunnersguide.com/starttraining/

http://www.marathonrookie.com/

Just look and you can find some good plan that suites you.

[Ívar Þórólfsson]

Originally Posted by crockpot2001

Do some research and set a goal for a finish time. 4 hours is reasonable for a newby. If you gotta walk some, do it adn to heck with what everyone else is doing.

For a first timer, 4 hours is pretty steep. That means he will have to run the kilometer in 05:41 minutes, non stop for the whole 42km.
For a complete beginner, a 6:20-6:40 pace is more realistic. That means he will complete the marathon in 4:30-4:45 hours.