If you've been running a couple of half marathons, and you want to challenge yourself and increase your distance to a full marathon, this post is for you! For those who have only been running 10km so far, you can use the tips from this post to get you to the half marathon distance (: If you're just starting out your fitness journey, read my post here for other tips!
Doubling your distance from a half to a full marathon seems daunting, but with consistent training, you'll eventually be able to get there, and survive the full marathon distance well! It took me a few months to train up my body to endure the distance, so here's my training plan, for those of you who feel that you don't know what to do.
Up till 3 months prior to race day:
Have a mix of different types of runs -
I always do at least one of each type every week (which means I run at least 3 times a week) - sprint intervals, tempo run, long distance run.
For sprint intervals, I usually do 6 x 400m, with 100% rest time in between. This means that if you take 2 min to run 400m, you will rest 2 min before running the next lap. You can always modify this and lengthen/shorten the distance of each lap, or increase/decrease the number of laps. Sprints are the best way to increase your speed.
Tempo runs are slightly longer than sprints. They're meant to increase your functional threshold and train you to run longer at a faster pace. This should be about 30s per km faster than your normal race pace, but slower than sprints. I started out with 2 x 2km, then progressed on to 2 x 2.5km and then 2 x 3km, with a 100% rest in between as well. Once you're able to do that, you can also do the full 6km at the faster pace.
Long distance runs are great for recovery. I usually do them in between my sprint intervals and tempo run because the other two types of training will give you aches, so you need to do the long run to recover. My long runs started out being only 10km, then I slowly increased my distance by 2km. Once I'm comfortable with the increased distance, I will then increase by another 2km. You should run these at your normal race pace and it should be fully aerobic.
For me, I get sick of running quite easily, so I need to vary my exercises. On the other days when I'm not running, I will do other forms of strength training - core, legs, arms. All these muscle groups are essential for running as well, because they help to maintain your posture and prevent injuries from occurring due to bad posture while running. I also cycle and swim.
Less than 3 months to race day:
This is when I start to cut the strength and speed portions of my training and focus on the distance. I sprained my ankle ligament last year due to a sudden increase in my running distance, causing a huge strain on my ankle. Hence, I was very cautious this year so that I wouldn't injure myself before or during the full marathon.
Once a week, I would elongate my distance to train my endurance. 3 months = 12 weeks. This was what my plan looked like:
2-8 September - 12km
9-15 September - 15km
16-22 September - 18km
23-29 September - 21km
30 Sept - 6 October - 15km (in Japan)
7-13 October - 17km (in Japan)
14-20 October - 21km
21-27 October - 25km
28 Oct - 3 November - 21km (Great Eastern Women's Run)
4-10 November - 30km
11-17 November - 35km
18-24 November - 27km
25-29 November - 10km
30 November - Full Marathon race day
I didn't stick to this strictly though, because you really need to see how your body recovers. For example, when I came back from my trip in Japan, my body was tired and couldn't do a 21km that week, so instead of 25km the following week, I cut it down to 21km instead. Also, my feet didn't recover sufficiently and we had bad nutrition planning before the 35km run, so it ended up being only 33.5km. That was the longest run I did before the actual full marathon.
You need not follow my plan. I had some ups and downs due to a holiday and another half marathon race on 3 November. The most important thing is to increase the distance gradually and listen to your body. Also, about 3 weeks to the race day, remember to train at the timing of the race. Mine was an evening race, so I had to get used to running at that timing.
What did I do for the other runs in the week other than the one long run? I stuck to 10-12km runs. My total mileage per week was about 50km. My feet really started to hurt over time and that was something I couldn't get rid of, until the full marathon was over. I just massaged them and let them recover just enough so that they wouldn't hurt when I ran. That's why it's extremely important to increase the distance gradually, otherwise your body would be in shock from the distance and it might cause more injuries.
Another tip: your shoe is VERY important. Choose the correct shoe. I decided to try a new brand of shoes because my previous pair was wearing out. The first few runs were okay, but after awhile when I started to run longer distances continuously, I found that the same area on the base of my feet started to hurt very badly. That's when I decided that the shoe wasn't suitable for me and I had to change my shoe. I ended up buying the same model of shoe, but the newer version (Asics Gel Kayano 26) and the pain went away. Once you've found a pair that works for you, just stick to it!
There you go! I hope this post helps you as you train for your full marathon (: It's really not that bad! Just train consistently and you will get there.
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