How I’m Training for My First Marathon
Eight weeks from now, I’ll be running my very first full marathon.
If you had told me six months ago that I’d be prepping to run a marathon before the end of the year, I certainly would have laughed. Six months ago, I was running my second-ever half marathon and feeling like that was a really good distance for me. I had zero plans of doing anything else for a long time.
Sure, I always knew I’d love to run a marathon someday, but someday felt far off. Like when my kids were older and more independent, when I had been running races a little longer, and when I felt a little more like a real grown up who can do grown up things like run a marathon.
But, Corey began encouraging me to go for it after I ran my second half marathon. He kept telling me he knew I could do it, even when I told him he was out of his mind. I decided to sign up for a race in December in College Station (because I always love an excuse to go visit Texas A&M!). I was planning to sign up for the half, but on a whim when I was registering I clicked the button for the full marathon.
And just like that, I decided to run a marathon.
I was nervous. Terrified, actually. But, I dove right into training and planning and now, eight weeks out, I feel like I’m going to be ready.
I always get questions when I share pieces of my training over on Instagram, so I thought it could be helpful to write up a quick post with how I’m planning for and training for my first full marathon.
my training plan
I put together my own training plan based on a combo of lots of training plans I looked into. I feel like training plans are pretty personal and what works best for each person really varies. For example, I don’t like to focus on pace or intervals too much in my training – I find that I can become obsessed with that portion of it and it stops being fun. Instead, I worry about the distance and don’t think much about pace. In fact, I don’t even set a goal pace for races, because I know I’ll focus too much on it and will feel really disappointed if I don’t hit it. For this race, my goal is simply to run the entire thing. I don’t want to talk walking breaks. That’s it – that’s the goal!
I don’t totally ignore pace, though. I’m well aware of what my average pacing is, and what a good pace for me is. in the back of my mind, I do have a pace I’d love to hit for the race, but I don’t think about it when I’m running or train with it in mind. I simply try to run one of my runs each week at a faster pace than my average, and the rest I focus more on keeping my heart rate in Zone 2.
Most training plans – including mine – are about 16 weeks long. But, I knew I was going to be running this race long before I was 16 weeks out. So, for the six weeks leading up to the beginning of my training I decided to make an effort to incorporate one 10-mile run into my routine each week. My goal was to get to a point where 10 miles wasn’t intimidating by the time my training started. This was hugely helpful for me and I think it made all the difference when it came to my preparedness for training to start.
I’m going to share my 16-week training plan that I created below. I would say this plan is for someone who is consistently running 20-25 miles per week and is comfortable with longer runs. Many training plans start out a little slower than mine, so be sure to do some research if you’re a beginner!
A quick (obvious) note: I’m no pro, this is just what I personally have found to be the best plan for me, so far. It’s based on a combo of training plans I found online, but every person is different! So, stick to what you know is best for you.
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Rest | 10 miles | 3 miles | 5 miles | Rest | 5 miles | 5 miles |
| Rest | 10 miles | 3 miles | 5 miles | Rest | 5 miles | 5 miles |
| Rest | 11 miles | 3 miles | 5 miles | Rest | 6 miles | 5 miles |
| Rest | 13 miles | 3 miles | 6 miles | Rest | 7 miles | 5 miles |
| Rest | 15 miles | 3 miles | 6 miles | Rest | 8 miles | 4 miles |
| Rest | 13 miles | 3 miles | 6 miles | Rest | 9 miles | 5 miles |
| Rest | 17 miles | 3 miles | 6 miles | Rest | 7 miles | 4 miles |
| Rest | 20 miles | 3 miles | 6 miles | Rest | 7 miles | 4 miles |
| Rest | 13 miles | 3 miles | 7 miles | Rest | 8 miles | 4 miles |
| Rest | 20 miles | 3 miles | 7 miles | Rest | 9 miles | 4 miles |
| Rest | 15 miles | 3 miles | 7 miles | Rest | 10 miles | 4 miles |
| Rest | 20 miles | 3 miles | 7 miles | Rest | 9 miles | 4 miles |
| Rest | 17 miles | 3 miles | 6 miles | Rest | 8 miles | 4 miles |
| Rest | 21 miles | 3 miles | 6 miles | Rest | 7 miles | 4 miles |
| Rest | 15 miles | 3 miles | 6 miles | Rest | 5 miles | 4 miles |
| Rest | 10 miles | 3 miles | 4 miles | Rest | REST | 2 miles |
Before I ran that first 20-miler, I was so dang scared. But, I did it! It wasn’t nearly as scary as I thought it would be and it was only the last two miles or so that really felt hard. I’ve got three more 20+ mile runs before race day, so I think I’ll feel pretty prepared when the time comes.
when I run
One of the most-asked questions I get when I share my runs on Instagram is “what time do you run? And how do you get the motivation to get up and do it?”
I wake up between 5:00 and 5:30 for my runs. On longer running days (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) I’m out the door by 5:30 to get started. On Tuesdays, I have a group in my neighborhood that I run with at 6:00.
My weekend runs are a little more flexible – they happen whenever I have time. Now that the weather is cooling off a bit, there’s nothing I love more than a Saturday afternoon run!
As far as finding the motivation to get up and go, I wish I had a good answer for you. For me, I’ve just learned that consistency is key and if I miss a day I’m liable to miss a week. Having a routine and sticking to it is honestly the only way I stay motivated, and it’s just a commitment I’ve made to myself.
Some days it’s hard to pull myself out of bed, but I just remind myself that I never ever ever regret a run – but I do regret skipping runs. That’s typically enough to get myself up and moving!
what I listen to
I typically listen to podcasts when I’m running. I like to listen to music on race days, but I find that if I listen to music on all of my training runs I get bored. I like to have something a little more engaging to listen to and it really makes the run go by faster!
Most days when I’m running I’m listening to Armchair Expert, or one of their offshoot podcasts. They put something out almost every day of the week, so that alone keeps my podcast queue almost completely full. When I’m all caught up on that, I turn to The Office Ladies or My Favorite Murder.
what I eat + drink
I’ll admit that I am not great about keeping myself well-fueled on my runs. I get nauseous if I eat or drink much of anything while I’m running, so I tend to do the bare minimum on my runs and keep myself really well-hydrated for the rest of the day.
When I’m doing my 10+ mile runs, I will leave my favorite water cup outside on the driveway along with a Costco protein bar and circle back at regular intervals for water and a couple of bites of the protein bar. The bars are not the tastiest thing ever, but they’re packed with protein and low on sugar, and I always feel great when I have one after a long run.
I’ve tried gummies and gels and all of the other running fuel people recommend, and generally they just make me feel sick. So, has been a good alternative plan for me so far!
running gear
I’ve shared my favorite running gear before, so I won’t go into too much detail, but here’s a quick recap of my must-haves:
- These are my favorite running shoes and what I plan to wear for race day.
- I wear these biker shorts for every run. When it’s cold, I switch to these.
- This is my go-to top for days when it’s 65-degrees or higher. As it cools off, I plan to switch over to these.
- Good running socks are key (I lost a few toenails learning that lesson). These are what I wear every day.
- Now that the sun is coming up a little later, I started wearing this running light. I don’t like wearing anything around my waist when I run, so this is the perfect fit for me!
And that’s about it! All the details on how I’m training for my first marathon. I’m still a newbie to this whole distance running thing, but I’m honestly having fun training and am really excited for race day. Eight weeks to go!