Advice for 1st time marathon (at 50)

[Newtosavage]

As I mentioned in the personal goals thread, I am hoping to scratch a "bucket list" item off next year - completing a marathon. For those who are not regular runners but decided to take on this challenge, what advice do you have?

Background on me: I'll be 50 in February. 6'4" and 205-210 depending on the day. Been fit and active my whole life but never enjoyed running even though I played soccer for 13 years and high school tennis. People tell me I have more determination than anyone they know, so I suppose I have that going for me, but that could also be a negative if I overdo it I suppose.

I downloaded the Hal Higdon training plan, and have been following it as closely as I can for the past 2 months, while trying to cope with 100 degree days. My first hurdle was knee pain, but I managed to run through that and they haven't bothered me in a while now. I had back surgery 2 years ago, and that's always off and on but I can usually run slowly even if my back is a bit sore.

The first time I ran 5 miles without stopping, it was a real breakthrough. 2 weeks ago I ran 12 miles, stopping every 3 to rehydrate and cool off at the house (I have a 1, 2 and 3-mile loop I can run from the house). That took me about 2.5 hours to complete, to give you an idea of my pace. It's slow. I average between 11-13 min/mile and I'm fine with that. My goal is to complete the marathon, not set any records. I figure whatever my time is when I complete it, will be my personal best marathon time anyway. LOL

What I've learned so far is how important hydration is in this heat. I know running 6-8 miles in 100 degree heat isn't ideal but it's what I have to work with right now. I have tried to run more in the mornings, but the humidity is at 100% in the mornings and that is worse than the heat IMO.

I worked up to a 22-mile week after week 9 (that included the 12-mile run) and have been tapering down the past 2 weeks due to the heat and a stomach virus this past week. Going to switch to bleachers through Sept. to get ready for my CO mule deer hunt in October, then I plan to get back on the road through the winter to train for a marathon sometime in Feb. or March.

One question I have is how long they give you to finish the marathon. I saw where some of the bigger marathons pull up the course after 6 hours. I'm not sure if I can get one done in 6. It won't matter to me if I end up walking 1/3 of it, so long as I finish.

Another question is food. When I run more than 8 miles or so, I can really tell if I haven't had enough to eat. Lately I've been throwing down a chocolate chip granola bar every 3 miles along with 1/2 L of sports drink. That has helped quite a bit with the longer runs. My sports training knowledge is very limited and dates from the 70's and 80's. I know there has been a lot of progress made in this area but I haven't kept up.

Sorry for the long post, but I appreciate whatever advice you can offer this old guy Thanks!

 

[Desk Jockey]

I ran one a while back. I am a big guy and I was a shade over 4 hours. No stopping to walk. I would expect your marathon to have a 6-6.5 time limit but that is measured from the last starter. Get in an earlier start and that can mean the course is open for 9+ hours depending on the race.

Depending on the course, there may be some pace groups you can tuck in with. Somebody holding a big sign that says 10, 11, 12 minute mile, etc. in increments up to 15 min miles.

- Food - don’t over do it. Energy gel. Sports drinks. Easy on the stomach.
- Hydration - I down 1-2 cups of whatever they had on the tables each time I passed one. This was a big issue for me and I was way dehydrated toward the end and cramping badly.
- Heat & sun - it was hot the day I ran mine. Think about sunglasses, hat and sunscreen plan.
- Chaffing - no one talks much about this. My nipples got so chapped around mile 15 that I took my shirt off. Under my arms and between my legs too. Body glide is your friend. They may also have vasoline boards, big sheets of cardboard smeared with body glide or vasoline. That were a god send for me. Grab a glob of grease and rub it in where the sun don’t shine.
- after race prep - in you car have a pair of slides or loose shoes. A change of clothes. A small cooler of cold, cold drinks and some food. I didn’t and when I got home I drank a gallon of Gatorade, ordered a pizza and passed out on the living room floor.
- consider treating yourself to a massage a day or two after

Last point. Train what gear you plan to race in. Food, hydration, shoes, clothes, hat, etc. make sure you run it enough to know it works for you. 15 miles into the course was a terrible place to find out my nipples didn’t like the running shirt I bought the day before race day.

 

[brsnow]

Hi,
On most courses gel packs are available at numerous stations along the way. I ran a marathon in June and used Hal higdon. I think it was an 18 week to race program.

Don’t over train, if you are hurting slow down. I ran into issues from all of sudden feeling good and then overdoing it. You can find races with longer time cut offs.

If your goal is to run a marathon, pick a race and enter, then start the novice 1 higdon program and get er done once you have the race date, the training is more impactful.

You will feel much better physically overall but don’t plan on dropping a bunch of weight, you need to eat a lot to fuel training. Your body does change.

It is also okay to walk. I chose to walk during water station breaks, I can’t run and drink sounds like you have the right resolve. The rock n roll series are really friendly for novice runners and tend to have longer cut offs. Good luck.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Good luck, have fun, check marathon off your list.

 

[Newtosavage]

You will feel much better physically overall but don’t plan on dropping a bunch of weight, you need to eat a lot to fuel training. Your body does change.

It is also okay to walk. I chose to walk during water station breaks, I can’t run and drink sounds like you have the right resolve. The rock n roll series are really friendly for novice runners and tend to have longer cut offs. Good luck.

So far, I've run 110 miles and I haven't lost any weight at all. LOL I think the 12 mile day, I burned over 2K calories or something. Weird.

I read someone who said run between the water breaks and walk the breaks. Sounds like a great approach so long as I can get going again after walking. LOL

Welp, off to hit the road. It's only 92 right now with a NE wind so I'm going to take advantage of that!

 

[Grumman]

With your determination you’ll be fine. Just listen to your body while training. When I was training my longest run was up to 14 miles when one of the kids on my baseball team hit me hard in the shin with a thrown bat at practice. I didn’t run again until race day but finished because I said I would. I’d recommend a Camelbak to have a good water supply and to be able to take energy gel packs, bandaids, etc. Stop at some point in the race and loosen your shoelaces, I didn’t know how much my feet swelled during the race and that contributed to a couple toenails coming off. And put bandaids on your nipples to keep your shirt from rubbing them raw.


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[mtwarden]

if you're going to be out on a course 4+ hours, you'll definitely need to add a few calories- gels are easy if you can tolerate them- I don't care for them at all; I tried liquid calories- they didn't work so well for me either

I'm now using either fig bars or these
https://www.chunksofenergy.com/shop/cacao-goji/

as pointed out above, insure that you've tried everything out thoroughly (clothing/shoes/socks/food/etc) before race day

I use Leukotape over my nipples on any long distance- chaffed nipples = no fun and BodyGlide for everything else

run/walk strategy is a good one for a first time marathon, check out

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/marathon-training/

 

[brsnow]

One more thing, don’t overthink it. Also enjoy it, the race will be over pretty quick after weeks of training. Make sure to enjoy the race.

 

[Newtosavage]

7 miles today. friggin' nipples hurt bc I wore a cotton shirt that got soaked with sweat. You'd think I'd know by now.

10 miles in a week I spent 4 days fighting a stomach virus is a win in my book.

Thanks for all the tips and encouragement guys.

 

[jorgensen.travis]

I think you’re on the right path. A part of me is waiting for the strength guys on here to tell you to squat, deadlift, and bench to prepare.


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[TripleJ]

It was a bucket list thing for me too. I did my one and only one a couple years back. I had done a lot of running in the past, but nothing over 7-8 miles up to that point. Be thorough in your training. I was busy coaching my sons basketball team at the time so I didn't get to the level of training beforehand that I planned. I decided I was close enough and went for it. I finished it within 10 minutes of my goal, but the last few miles were hell, my body gave up on me. I had heard about the nipple thing so I was prepared for that and had zero issues. I had not been warned about undercarriage chafing...wow that sucked! Bodyglide is your friend. You might try entering a 10K or 1/2 marathon somewhere on your way towards the full, just to experience running with other people. I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised at your pace when you're out there with other runners. No matter what, have fun! It's cool to be able to luck back on such a great accomplishment and say "Yeah, I did that."!!!

 

[Newtosavage]

I ran 1/2 marathon (not official, but that's the distance I covered) 3 weekends ago. But I am sure you're right that running with other people will be very different. That's great advice.

I'm not doing this so much for myself as I am for my kids and their kids. I want them to be able to say their dad (or granddad) ran a marathon at 50. I hope that gives them some inspiration to stay active as adults. I feel we need to lead by example. I never saw either of my parents do anything athletic, that I can remember. My dad talked about his high school football but of course those were just stories to me. My kids have told me before how my wife and I staying active has made an impression on them. Seeing my wife and daughter both win their divisions in a local 5K a few years ago was pretty neat. We're not at all a family of runners but we do like to stay active.

 

[P Carter]

I'm not 50...but the advice is likely the same.

-Consistency trumps perfection. In your training, I'd suggest following the Higdon schedule. But if you're falling off the schedule, don't worry too much, so long as you're consistently running intermediate mileage. Consistently, like 5-6 days a week. If you're consistently running 20-30 miles a week, and manage say 2 or 3 long runs of close to 20 miles, you'll make it.

-Agree with the chaffing, through on some leukotape. Keep it on until it falls off. Marks you as a runner.

-If something's bothering you, do the stretching or the strengthening and keep mileage the same until it goes away. A lot of it will go away, but not if you keep upping your mileage. Half the battle is making it to the starting line without injury. And if you are feeling like superman, and think you can do something like double your mileage or something else equally silly, DO NOT DO IT.

-Don't worry about the weight. I would anticipate gaining a few pounds early on in the training. I have no idea why this happens. Retaining water weight? Eating more to compensate? In my experience, I'll gain a few pounds, stay steady at that weight for a month or month and a half, and then it will start coming off pretty quickly so long as I'm consistent.

-Have fun! Try to run some trails if you can. It's amazing to me how something that seemed terrible or unobtainable at the outset of training, like an 8 or 10 or 12 or 20 mile run, will seem routine at the end. Pretty amazing what the human body can do.

 

[Extrapale]

Build some extra injury/rest weeks into your training program once you pick your race.

New socks on race day. Same brand as your training socks, but less likely to blow out on race day.

Cool down, stretch, massage, recovery run are all important to do afterwards.





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[Newtosavage]

Thanks guys! That's very helpful.

I'm going to level off at 10 mi./week until I get back from my hunt in late October. Between now and then it will be 10 mi/week of running mixed with a 30 lb. pack and bleachers. I'll pick up the Higdon schedule where I left off in November with the goal of running the marathon in late Feb. or March.

I started in late June just to see if it was even a realistic goal, and whether my body was going to allow me to do this. I had concerns about my knees, which have largely gone away now, and my back is always a concern for me. So far so good. Back could feel better but it's not keeping me from running for now.

I really appreciate all the advice.

 

[Newtosavage]

Old body is fighting me. LOL Left heel bruise when I decided to ruck 3 mi. on the treadmill at full incline with a weighted pack. Another week off from running but I got in 3 mi. today.

I'll get there if I can hold off the injuries. My body is like, why you wait so long to do this bro? LOL

 

[bozeman]

Stay consistent...…..just some encouragement.

 

[Newtosavage]

Well the 10 mi./week goal hasn't happened. LOL Heel bruise is almost gone but a stomach flu followed by 4 days at a church retreat have interfered with the schedule. 2 weeks to go until I leave for CO on my hunt, so the plan is bleachers with a 30# pack until then. I'll get back on the road in earnest when I return the last week of October. I plan to start the whole training schedule over from scratch at that point. Should be a "little" easier now that I know what to expect and now that the temps are cooling off.

Planning for a March marathon...

 

[brsnow]

It is pretty straight forward, pick a race and then pick one of the many programs set up for novice runners. Follow program and run race.

 

[Newtosavage]

Thought I'd come back and update this thread. I honestly expected to be able to say I had accomplished my goal by now. But I haven't. I also wish it was as straight forward as it seems. It's not.

In October, I started having the early signs of Plantar Fasciitis, but I didn't know it. Then in late October, I thought I pulled a hamstring while running a few blocks from a restaurant to the hotel where I was staying. Turns out it wasn't a hamstring, but rather Sciatica. And the Plantar Fasciitis got worse, until I had to stop running completely about two months ago. I've been resting my feet and doing therapy, but every time I think it's gotten better, I'll go run a couple miles and I'm in pain for days after that.

I've had a lot of injuries in the past 4-5 years, including a ruptured disk that led to nerve damage and back surgery. But I wouldn't wish Plantar Fasciitis on anyone. Worst injury I've ever had. Can't really walk more than a mile or so, and can't run without setting myself back. Between the PF and the Covid, I've managed to put on 10 lbs. since I had to stop training.

So the idea that I'll get a marathon in while I'm 50 is starting to slip away. But I don't give up easy, and I'll complete one sooner or later. It's just tough to set a goal like that and not be able to achieve it on my time frame. I'm not used to that. But then, I've never been 50 before either.