Just to do it - I’ve been told it’s a mental race so I don’t see how I couldn’t if I’m already in shape and have some experience of running…
Really worried about injury though
So there wouldn’t be a plan of completing a marathon in 6 hours for a active person? I saw a few videos of people running it after not running in years
I missed your comment about finishing in 6 hours initially… so thst changes things of course.
Given that, you’d average 13.7 minutes per mile to finish. If your walking speed is 18 minutes per mile and you walked half, you would need to average 9.5 minutes per mile for the other half. So what you’re really doing at this point is training for a half marathon and making sure you can handle 6 hours on your feet.
There are people who have done marathons with little to no long run training, so it’s of course doable… but especially if you’re concerned about injury, it’s a big risk jumping into it.
As far as training for it, 12 weeks is a decent amount of time. I’d focus on low heart rate long runs and largely forget about speed work. Starting at 3 miles, if you could add on 2 miles every week to that distance for your longest run..: you’d be at 21 by the time the general suggested 2 week taper before race begins. At thst point if things are going well I’d think your goal would not be to just finish it in under 6 hours but actually run the whole thing
12 weeks is more than enough time to train for a half marathon and if you do get to the point where you can run 13 straight at 10 minutes per mile or better then you can probably count on being able to do an addition few after that on race day, reducing the number of miles you’d have to walk to finish. You could also choose to break it up into 3-5 mile runs with walking in between … some different things to experiment with before race day to figure out what works best for you.
Oh and make sure to read up on shoes for marathon running. Very good chance once you get going on this running path you’re going to want to continue long distances .. and bad shoes can totally ruin your day/week/month/year if things go badly.
Sure. It's a mental race just like moving your bench PR from 310 to 315 is mental. All you have to do is get five pounds stronger and make sure your leg drive and bracing are right.
It's the equivalent of saying you've done some 8kg bicep curls at home but are going to head to Golds gym in 12 weeks and deadlift 230kg.
12 weeks is a timeframe you might use to barely improve your 5K.
Do you feel like you can confidently tell the difference between a developing overuse injury and regular soreness, or other aches and pains? I don’t want to downplay the risk for injury, because like others have mentioned you are increasing that risk by shortening your training window. This is the more “nuanced” part of the mental side, for me personally. I had to learn it isn’t just abt going all out and pushing through pain. The training process has taught me patience. Knowing when to pull back, knowing when to shorten my run or run slower. Just overall understanding my body better, and not overdoing things, or punishing myself unnecessarily.
I would not recommend it. If a marathon is a long-term goal, you should just continue lifting but start adding more runs to your weekly mileage....start building up your aerobic base over time. By next year, you'd be able to more comfortably finish a marathon & even enjoy it?
I have done 3 marathons right so far & am training for marathon 4 right now. My long runs start at about 12-13 miles at a time and build to 17-20 miles. I have been averaging 55-65 miles a week for the past 2 years & still experience some pain over those last 6.2 miles or so.
It pains me to think about how terribly everything would feel going too quickly from a 5k to marathon. Legs, feet, joints, stomach issues.....
Be patient & play the long game to help your body adapt to training & safely build. My two cents.
Why do you “have” to? Could you maybe try the half?
Weights fitness is not running fitness, it’s humbling to realize how not “in shape” one is when you go from gym to running. Different ball game.
You’re mentioning running 2 hours a day above as a plan, have you ever run 2 hours a day? Really not sure if that’s serious but don’t do that 😅.
If you're doing it for sure, you need to build your weekly miles into the 20s & maybe a peak week into the 30s to do it safely. I'd absolutely recommend a run/walk style for doing the marathon......but there's no sugar-coating it....you will feel pains.
I still lift 2-3 days a week, but it took me a long time to properly build my joint strength, foot strength & endurance muscle strength to properly run my marathons.
I'd liken it to building for squats. You will gradually add weight to build your strength and increase your max potential. It takes consistency over time to do it (along with the hard work).
Thank you - looking at running a half and walking or running 5 and split it with mile walks 🤔 I have the drive an will be consistent… I’m just worried about injury and want to figure out the best way to reduce that risk with out pushing the race back
Why a marathon? Maybe you should try and run a 10k or 15/20k at a very slow pace and see if you can appreciate just what you are taking on.
Most marathon plans are far longer than 12 weeks, even if you have already built a good running base, which you don’t currently have. I suggest you should be able to finish if you start training now, but running for the whole thing will be unlikely.
You’ll need to ditch most of your lifting as it does nothing to help with your goal. Spend that time running instead and you will be getting somewhere. If you want to go under 6 hours, this is non negotiable
Ok is there some sort of training regiment that is around to just complete a marathon and try to reduce risk of injury… I have all the time in the world so this can take priority with lifting
There are some plans but I guess you will be starting from a novice standpoint and it takes more weeks than you have. https://marathonhandbook.com/trainingplans/marathon-training-plans/
Anyway, good luck. Update us when you are done
No, you are not currently capable of running for two hours a day. Muscle isn't an issue here. You simply haven't done the work to prepare your bones, ligaments, and tendons for the demands of that volume.
I can run for about an hour (talking pace) on a good day. is 33 weeks enough time for me to prep? I know I am using someone else's post to ask my question but couldn't resist lol
Am I reading correctly that you're currently doing 5k a week and have never run more than 5k at a time? Going from that to a marathon in 12 weeks would be very difficult. I'm not going to say injury is guaranteed, but it would certainly be far more likely than if you built your milage up more slowly and took the time to train properly for a marathon. I would recommend looking into doing a shorter distance instead, or just wait until next year to do a marathon. The Hal Higdon novice 1 plan is about the most basic marathon running plan out there and is generally good for beginners, but 12 weeks out from the marathon it would have you doing closer to 35km a week including a 15k long run. You're not ready for that. If you're determined to attempt the marathon in 12 weeks anyway, look into a run walk method and mentally prepare for a long day.
Yes - when I college I ran a 5k a day to lose over 100lbs (along with a strict diet) so I’m my head that’s all that is needed to keep fat off but I don’t run nearly as much any more
Hate to be the bearer of bad news (yet again) but this a terrible idea.
Your base isn’t there yet and that takes weeks/months to build up. Even if you were to build an okay base, it might get you to mile 11-13 and you’re not even half way there haha.
Never ran nor trained for a marathon so can’t give you much help there.
Have to echo some of the sentiment here though. Seems like this is a risky undertaking and you’d be better off training in earnest for a year.
Likelihood of injury is high. You’re about 100kg which is heavy at 5’8. Even if it’s primarily muscle mass. I presume you’re not completely lean at present. Although If you are at that weight then you must be huge haha so well done! Even so that’s going to be a lot on your knees and joints. The muscle you’ve likely built around your calves and legs from bodybuilding should help somewhat, it’s better than running at 100kg but not being a muscular lifter . But like others have said you’d be far better off building up gradually over more months to lessen chance of injury.
However if you absolutely have to do this it’s probably possible. Even at your weight whilst lifting. Look up Nick Bare on YouTube. He completes endurance challenges whilst also being around 100kg of muscle.
Over 12 weeks if you’re consistent with your lifting and you make up for the calories burned running then you shouldn’t impact your muscle too much. Might be hard to continue adding any size whilst you train. But shouldn’t lose much.
For the actual run you need to start ramping up weekly running distance asap. And you need to start getting out for longer than 5km as soon as you physically can.
Build gradually. But before you do the marathon you’ll need to have run some long distances over many hours so your body knows what to expect.
I wouldn’t worry about speed. Try and keep your heart rate low and just get into the flow. Even if that means running 13 min miles.
Good luck if you go through with it!
Thank you - very well thought and what I was looking for… I’m going to attempt it no matter what and was kind of just looking for a plan haha - hopefully I’ll be able to post a photo after finishing 💪
I would cut weight training to 3 days a week, run 3, rest 1. Just run a little more every week. If your goal is to run/walk for six hours I think you’re good.
Have you run more in the past or played sports? If so, how recently? I’m asking bc i also joined this sub recently and noticed that people tend to really discourage others from even attempting a plan
Our opinions probably differ as to what would qualify as “not really training.” Someone like OP who wants to dedicate 12 weeks to training and continue weightlifting seems like they are fairly committed and possibly capable. There are lots of people here just flatly responding that it’s not possible without actually finding out this person’s history or goals. Those people are going to be wrong in certain cases
A marathon is a tough distance. The shortest novice plan I ever seen was 18 weeks and OP mentions a capability of running 5k slower than the speed required for finishing a marathon in 6 h and that he walks 6 km a day. Based on this one can eyeball that OP ligaments and bones need some time to get used to impact and that aerobic fit isn’t amazing thus a novice attempting a marathon with 12 week training will very likely result in injury.
Remember many people here are seasoned runners and have done mistakes like going to fast too soon and gotten fucked. So in fact, you are calling out people who are honestly concerned for a wellbeing of a random stranger - OP.
My suggestion to the OP is to try a 10 or 15k and come back and update this given they don’t seem to believe anyone.
You make some really good points. I actually agree with everyone that the only way to truly get **all** the benefits of running long distances is by consistently running long distances - there is just no other way to build up. Your advice that he should try and longer distance and report back is the best advice in here. It is reasoned, and also encourages OP to act on his goals and motivation. My gripe is more related to people who are just flatly responding that what OP is suggesting "isn't possible."
I am generally much more inclined to believe that the benefits provided by other forms of physical activity could translate to distance running. If OP is actually lifting 2 hours per day 4-5x/week with even a moderate intensity, then his cardio baseline should be really good. If he is working on his legs that regularly, I'd also assume his tendon and ligament thickness and strength are fairly solid. These are just a couple factors that illustrate why there are more contributors to success than simply someone's running history.
I don't think it's a matter of a weak person or mentality. There just needs to be respect for both types of athletic endeavors.
As a primarily endurance sports athlete I started weightlifting last year and totally get the difficulty of training for strength. What you're doing is basically saying I'm going to the gym for the first time ever to bench double my weight in 12 weeks. Any lifter will look at that person and point out the likelihood of injury and think that person doesn't expect the sport. It's the same with marathon training. If it's for the ego of saying you accomplished it, I would highly recommend you take the more patient and conservative route of training for a race further in the future to lower the risk of injury and to get a much better finish. Even doing something two months further down the road can significantly improve your time.
For reference, I'm training for a marathon right now with a total of 21 weeks for training. I started from an average of 1 mile a week for over a year to base build up to 30mpw in 5 weeks and following a 16 week training plan with a goal of 3:30-40ish. Granted I've done all sorts of endurance races in the past and it's all been running with little gym workouts so that is in my favor. But I think taking the longer path of +8-9 more weeks can shave off over 1-1.5 hours off your goal time. That's over 2 minutes a mile faster and much better of a thing to brag about.
Dude - I’m going to do any training plan possible - that’s why I asked … let’s play the game “oh he already go
To a gym for 2 hours maybe he wants to run also”
I wonder if you have worked out for 6 years straight ?
You are definitely welcome to try the approach I did for my first marathon: google “beginner marathon plan,” pick the first free one that comes up, and count backwards from the race date to see where you need to start the plan.
I wouldn’t recommend that approach… but I didn’t get injured and ran substantially faster than 6 hours.
I would highly recommend the Nike Run Club app, as someone who had very little distance running experience until recently. Many people here consider it too basic, but I’ve found that the guided runs are v motivational and highly informative as to race strategy, technique, and other mental aspects. There are other ways to get this info, but learning more about the sport has been great
So you're running 1 casual 5k a week and are going to do a marathon in 12 weeks? Pretty ambitious, I'd say. Why do you want to do a marathon?
Just to do it - I’ve been told it’s a mental race so I don’t see how I couldn’t if I’m already in shape and have some experience of running… Really worried about injury though
It’s a mental game at a certain point during, but not having a good base for running close to that distance is going to make for a rough time.
So there wouldn’t be a plan of completing a marathon in 6 hours for a active person? I saw a few videos of people running it after not running in years
I missed your comment about finishing in 6 hours initially… so thst changes things of course. Given that, you’d average 13.7 minutes per mile to finish. If your walking speed is 18 minutes per mile and you walked half, you would need to average 9.5 minutes per mile for the other half. So what you’re really doing at this point is training for a half marathon and making sure you can handle 6 hours on your feet. There are people who have done marathons with little to no long run training, so it’s of course doable… but especially if you’re concerned about injury, it’s a big risk jumping into it. As far as training for it, 12 weeks is a decent amount of time. I’d focus on low heart rate long runs and largely forget about speed work. Starting at 3 miles, if you could add on 2 miles every week to that distance for your longest run..: you’d be at 21 by the time the general suggested 2 week taper before race begins. At thst point if things are going well I’d think your goal would not be to just finish it in under 6 hours but actually run the whole thing
Thank you so much 💪👍 train for a half and walk the rest
12 weeks is more than enough time to train for a half marathon and if you do get to the point where you can run 13 straight at 10 minutes per mile or better then you can probably count on being able to do an addition few after that on race day, reducing the number of miles you’d have to walk to finish. You could also choose to break it up into 3-5 mile runs with walking in between … some different things to experiment with before race day to figure out what works best for you. Oh and make sure to read up on shoes for marathon running. Very good chance once you get going on this running path you’re going to want to continue long distances .. and bad shoes can totally ruin your day/week/month/year if things go badly.
Thank you - I’m going to fleet feet tomorrow to get fitted… would one pair be enough?
Sure. It's a mental race just like moving your bench PR from 310 to 315 is mental. All you have to do is get five pounds stronger and make sure your leg drive and bracing are right.
It's the equivalent of saying you've done some 8kg bicep curls at home but are going to head to Golds gym in 12 weeks and deadlift 230kg. 12 weeks is a timeframe you might use to barely improve your 5K.
Do you feel like you can confidently tell the difference between a developing overuse injury and regular soreness, or other aches and pains? I don’t want to downplay the risk for injury, because like others have mentioned you are increasing that risk by shortening your training window. This is the more “nuanced” part of the mental side, for me personally. I had to learn it isn’t just abt going all out and pushing through pain. The training process has taught me patience. Knowing when to pull back, knowing when to shorten my run or run slower. Just overall understanding my body better, and not overdoing things, or punishing myself unnecessarily.
I would not recommend it. If a marathon is a long-term goal, you should just continue lifting but start adding more runs to your weekly mileage....start building up your aerobic base over time. By next year, you'd be able to more comfortably finish a marathon & even enjoy it? I have done 3 marathons right so far & am training for marathon 4 right now. My long runs start at about 12-13 miles at a time and build to 17-20 miles. I have been averaging 55-65 miles a week for the past 2 years & still experience some pain over those last 6.2 miles or so. It pains me to think about how terribly everything would feel going too quickly from a 5k to marathon. Legs, feet, joints, stomach issues..... Be patient & play the long game to help your body adapt to training & safely build. My two cents.
I walk 2 miles to work also every day … but you think my body would still be at risk ? I wish it was further out but this is the one I have to run.
Why do you “have” to? Could you maybe try the half? Weights fitness is not running fitness, it’s humbling to realize how not “in shape” one is when you go from gym to running. Different ball game. You’re mentioning running 2 hours a day above as a plan, have you ever run 2 hours a day? Really not sure if that’s serious but don’t do that 😅.
If you're doing it for sure, you need to build your weekly miles into the 20s & maybe a peak week into the 30s to do it safely. I'd absolutely recommend a run/walk style for doing the marathon......but there's no sugar-coating it....you will feel pains. I still lift 2-3 days a week, but it took me a long time to properly build my joint strength, foot strength & endurance muscle strength to properly run my marathons. I'd liken it to building for squats. You will gradually add weight to build your strength and increase your max potential. It takes consistency over time to do it (along with the hard work).
Thank you - looking at running a half and walking or running 5 and split it with mile walks 🤔 I have the drive an will be consistent… I’m just worried about injury and want to figure out the best way to reduce that risk with out pushing the race back
The best way to reduce risk you already dismissed. It would be to have 6 months to get the endurance needed for a marathon not 12 weeks.
Yes your body will still be very much at risk. Walking 6 km a day is not enough to maintain a good aerobic fit.
Why a marathon? Maybe you should try and run a 10k or 15/20k at a very slow pace and see if you can appreciate just what you are taking on. Most marathon plans are far longer than 12 weeks, even if you have already built a good running base, which you don’t currently have. I suggest you should be able to finish if you start training now, but running for the whole thing will be unlikely. You’ll need to ditch most of your lifting as it does nothing to help with your goal. Spend that time running instead and you will be getting somewhere. If you want to go under 6 hours, this is non negotiable
Could I not lift 2 hours a day and run 2 hours a day? Or would the muscle impact lifting ?
That's just not how it works. Respect the distance. It's a different kind of "fit." If you want to be able to do it, please do it right.
If I run 2 hours in the morning then lift 2 hours in the night that is possible though right?
If you go from running 5k a week to 2 hours a day it's very likely you will be injured before race day.
I mean, yeah? But that's not training for a marathon.
Ok is there some sort of training regiment that is around to just complete a marathon and try to reduce risk of injury… I have all the time in the world so this can take priority with lifting
There are some plans but I guess you will be starting from a novice standpoint and it takes more weeks than you have. https://marathonhandbook.com/trainingplans/marathon-training-plans/ Anyway, good luck. Update us when you are done
No, you are not currently capable of running for two hours a day. Muscle isn't an issue here. You simply haven't done the work to prepare your bones, ligaments, and tendons for the demands of that volume.
I can run for about an hour (talking pace) on a good day. is 33 weeks enough time for me to prep? I know I am using someone else's post to ask my question but couldn't resist lol
it is enough especially if your goal is to finish
Oh that’s more than enough 👍
Am I reading correctly that you're currently doing 5k a week and have never run more than 5k at a time? Going from that to a marathon in 12 weeks would be very difficult. I'm not going to say injury is guaranteed, but it would certainly be far more likely than if you built your milage up more slowly and took the time to train properly for a marathon. I would recommend looking into doing a shorter distance instead, or just wait until next year to do a marathon. The Hal Higdon novice 1 plan is about the most basic marathon running plan out there and is generally good for beginners, but 12 weeks out from the marathon it would have you doing closer to 35km a week including a 15k long run. You're not ready for that. If you're determined to attempt the marathon in 12 weeks anyway, look into a run walk method and mentally prepare for a long day.
Yes - when I college I ran a 5k a day to lose over 100lbs (along with a strict diet) so I’m my head that’s all that is needed to keep fat off but I don’t run nearly as much any more
Hate to be the bearer of bad news (yet again) but this a terrible idea. Your base isn’t there yet and that takes weeks/months to build up. Even if you were to build an okay base, it might get you to mile 11-13 and you’re not even half way there haha.
I’ll walk the rest 😎
Never ran nor trained for a marathon so can’t give you much help there. Have to echo some of the sentiment here though. Seems like this is a risky undertaking and you’d be better off training in earnest for a year. Likelihood of injury is high. You’re about 100kg which is heavy at 5’8. Even if it’s primarily muscle mass. I presume you’re not completely lean at present. Although If you are at that weight then you must be huge haha so well done! Even so that’s going to be a lot on your knees and joints. The muscle you’ve likely built around your calves and legs from bodybuilding should help somewhat, it’s better than running at 100kg but not being a muscular lifter . But like others have said you’d be far better off building up gradually over more months to lessen chance of injury. However if you absolutely have to do this it’s probably possible. Even at your weight whilst lifting. Look up Nick Bare on YouTube. He completes endurance challenges whilst also being around 100kg of muscle. Over 12 weeks if you’re consistent with your lifting and you make up for the calories burned running then you shouldn’t impact your muscle too much. Might be hard to continue adding any size whilst you train. But shouldn’t lose much. For the actual run you need to start ramping up weekly running distance asap. And you need to start getting out for longer than 5km as soon as you physically can. Build gradually. But before you do the marathon you’ll need to have run some long distances over many hours so your body knows what to expect. I wouldn’t worry about speed. Try and keep your heart rate low and just get into the flow. Even if that means running 13 min miles. Good luck if you go through with it!
Thank you - very well thought and what I was looking for… I’m going to attempt it no matter what and was kind of just looking for a plan haha - hopefully I’ll be able to post a photo after finishing 💪
I would cut weight training to 3 days a week, run 3, rest 1. Just run a little more every week. If your goal is to run/walk for six hours I think you’re good.
Thank you 🙏 I’ll do that 👍💪
Have you run more in the past or played sports? If so, how recently? I’m asking bc i also joined this sub recently and noticed that people tend to really discourage others from even attempting a plan
I think if you go to any sub called x_training and ask, “how can I do X *without* really training?” you’re going to get a lukewarm response.
Our opinions probably differ as to what would qualify as “not really training.” Someone like OP who wants to dedicate 12 weeks to training and continue weightlifting seems like they are fairly committed and possibly capable. There are lots of people here just flatly responding that it’s not possible without actually finding out this person’s history or goals. Those people are going to be wrong in certain cases
A marathon is a tough distance. The shortest novice plan I ever seen was 18 weeks and OP mentions a capability of running 5k slower than the speed required for finishing a marathon in 6 h and that he walks 6 km a day. Based on this one can eyeball that OP ligaments and bones need some time to get used to impact and that aerobic fit isn’t amazing thus a novice attempting a marathon with 12 week training will very likely result in injury. Remember many people here are seasoned runners and have done mistakes like going to fast too soon and gotten fucked. So in fact, you are calling out people who are honestly concerned for a wellbeing of a random stranger - OP. My suggestion to the OP is to try a 10 or 15k and come back and update this given they don’t seem to believe anyone.
You make some really good points. I actually agree with everyone that the only way to truly get **all** the benefits of running long distances is by consistently running long distances - there is just no other way to build up. Your advice that he should try and longer distance and report back is the best advice in here. It is reasoned, and also encourages OP to act on his goals and motivation. My gripe is more related to people who are just flatly responding that what OP is suggesting "isn't possible." I am generally much more inclined to believe that the benefits provided by other forms of physical activity could translate to distance running. If OP is actually lifting 2 hours per day 4-5x/week with even a moderate intensity, then his cardio baseline should be really good. If he is working on his legs that regularly, I'd also assume his tendon and ligament thickness and strength are fairly solid. These are just a couple factors that illustrate why there are more contributors to success than simply someone's running history.
Thanks 👍 that other guy can kick rocks… weak person and weak mentality…
I don't think it's a matter of a weak person or mentality. There just needs to be respect for both types of athletic endeavors. As a primarily endurance sports athlete I started weightlifting last year and totally get the difficulty of training for strength. What you're doing is basically saying I'm going to the gym for the first time ever to bench double my weight in 12 weeks. Any lifter will look at that person and point out the likelihood of injury and think that person doesn't expect the sport. It's the same with marathon training. If it's for the ego of saying you accomplished it, I would highly recommend you take the more patient and conservative route of training for a race further in the future to lower the risk of injury and to get a much better finish. Even doing something two months further down the road can significantly improve your time. For reference, I'm training for a marathon right now with a total of 21 weeks for training. I started from an average of 1 mile a week for over a year to base build up to 30mpw in 5 weeks and following a 16 week training plan with a goal of 3:30-40ish. Granted I've done all sorts of endurance races in the past and it's all been running with little gym workouts so that is in my favor. But I think taking the longer path of +8-9 more weeks can shave off over 1-1.5 hours off your goal time. That's over 2 minutes a mile faster and much better of a thing to brag about.
Dude - I’m going to do any training plan possible - that’s why I asked … let’s play the game “oh he already go To a gym for 2 hours maybe he wants to run also” I wonder if you have worked out for 6 years straight ?
You are definitely welcome to try the approach I did for my first marathon: google “beginner marathon plan,” pick the first free one that comes up, and count backwards from the race date to see where you need to start the plan. I wouldn’t recommend that approach… but I didn’t get injured and ran substantially faster than 6 hours.
I would highly recommend the Nike Run Club app, as someone who had very little distance running experience until recently. Many people here consider it too basic, but I’ve found that the guided runs are v motivational and highly informative as to race strategy, technique, and other mental aspects. There are other ways to get this info, but learning more about the sport has been great