Training Zone
From Half to Full
Inever thought I would run a marathon. Don’t get me wrong, I love distance running – but of the saner, half-marathon variety. After all, what kind of person chooses to run 42.2k over 21.1? Oh, hubris. Always my downfall. After four half-marathons and dozens of 10ks, I’ve been bitten by the marathon bug. Completing 42.2k has become a major goal for 2018, but admittedly with some trepidation. How much extra time do I need to dedicate to training? What do I need to change in my diet? How do I wrap my head around racing double the distance? The list goes on. President and founder of the Running Room, John Stanton, has run more than 60 marathons – and has designed training programs that have helped nearly a million Canadians fulfill their marathon dreams. He seemed like a good person to speak to about my concerns. “For some people, a marathon can be daunting,” says Stanton. “They think, ‘My goodness, I can run a half-marathon, but a marathon is double that.’ And they find it intimidating.” Stanton recommends three key pieces of training advice: keep things gentle yet progressive, keep things fun, and incorporate strength, length, and speed into your workouts. “Keep things gentle enough that you stay injury free and highly motivated – but be progressive,” he explains, noting most of his marathon training programs last for 12 to 18 weeks, although people in prime halfmarathon shape likely need less time. “You don’t want it so gentle that it’s a wimpy program and you don’t see improvement. You want to challenge yourself at about a 10 per cent per week increase in either intensity or duration.”
The biggest difference in training for a full versus a halfmarathon is the extra time needed for your weekly long run, he explains – other than that, not much dramatically changes from a solid half-marathon training program (there go my excuses about not having enough time to increase my training for the full).
Hill repeats and speed work – both already in most half training programs – are also important, but should take a backseat to the long run. Running hills at around 80 per cent effort on the uphill and recovering on the downhill builds strength, while speedwork builds confidence because “you know you can push yourself into that uncomfortable zone.”
“When you run a marathon, it’s a lesson in life, and a ref lection on us as individuals,” Stanton stays. “If you have an intelligent goal and a group of people to share in the journey and the celebration, you can do anything in life.”
Two-time Canadian Olympic marathoner and coach Bruce Deacon says the perception of time is an interesting marathon dynamic first-timers may find surprising.
“Early on, the kilometres just click away, but then you get to 30k–40k, it feels like time is just standing still,” he notes. “Getting yourself ready for that sort of challenge is important, both through experiencing it on your long runs, and by anticipating that time may seem to slow down as the race progresses.”
Deacon recommends new marathoners not to run long training runs too fast – or going for too long.
“Some people say if you want to run a marathon you need to run one in training, but I think that’s overkill,” he says, suggesting first-timers cap their long runs at 32 to 34 kilometres or three hours, whatever comes first.
“As well, you should be running much slower than your marathon goal piece when you do your long runs, otherwise come race day you’re just tired and won’t get the best out of yourself. Keep your long run pace around 30 seconds slower per kilometre than race pace, and make sure you take a day or so afterwards to recover.”
Nutrition also plays a huge role in marathon training and recovery. Cristina Sutter, a sport dietitian who counts the Vancouver Canucks and Olympic athletes among her clients, stresses the importance of eating 50 g of carbs and 15 g of protein within a half-hour after every run that’s an hour or longer. Otherwise, “you’ll crash a lot sooner on your next run,” she says. “You might think you’re overtraining, but really you just didn’t fuel enough after your last run.”
Half-marathoners making the leap to full should also start carrying water on long runs, as well as taking some sort of fuel.
“You can usually get away without carrying water for the half-marathon distance, but once you get up to 90 minutes and longer, you absolutely must take water with you – and start drinking it before you’re dehydrated,” Sutter stresses.
Sutter recommends drinking about half a cup of water every 15 minutes on long runs, and consuming around 25 to 50 g of carbohydrates an hour, beginning at the 45-minute mark of your run. The exact combination can vary from person to person, so experiment ahead of race time until you find the right fit for you.