I wish someone had a crystal ball....

7 watchers

Little Nemo Feb 2014 4:46pm, 8 Feb 2014 3,830 posts	0 Little Nemo Which marathon are you doing RevBG? If it's one of the big ones you could possibly walk the whole way as an option as they seem to have other entrants who do this. I once did a marathon on just one 18 mile training run and it wasn't pretty. I did finish but I had to walk the last 6-7 miles which I found a bit demoralising. But I know I would have felt worse if I hadn't given it a go. This probably isn't the most helpful answer, sorry! Good luck whatever you decide to do
.B. Feb 2014 5:00pm, 8 Feb 2014 9,738 posts	0 .B. there are still 9 weeks to go and as long as your build up as advised by the physio over the next few weeks goes ok I don't see why with your sensible attitude you can't complete it. If you are run/walking then r/w all your training, get an extra walk in place of a run if that helps, no speed work, stick with your strength/core routine, focus on gradually building up time on feet and don't worry too much about how many miles that equates to. Wishing you lost of luck
RevBarbaraG Feb 2014 5:02pm, 8 Feb 2014 1,500 posts	0 RevBarbaraG It's London, LN. I can't see any need to walk the whole way - I couldn't have run for the first week or so after hurting my calf, as it was too painful (and would have damaged it further). I can run now, but the sage advice is to mix it up with walking, do it slow, and not try to go straight back to the distances I was running before (longest of 13.25, mid-week runs typically 5-6 miles) I'm a convert to Jeff Galloway's method. He reckons that by taking walk breaks early and often, you reduce fatigue (and therefore maintain pace much better than most people do in the marathon) and also risk of injury. But having had my injury recur (it happened first just before Christmas), I am nervous of building back up too quickly and having it go again. The difference this time is a) I have had physio treatment - which hurt both my body and my pocket; b) I am doing more strengthening and stretching, per the physio's advice; c) I am going to stick with run-walk-run, rather than trying to go back to continuous running as I did the first time. Hopefully these measures will stop me getting injured again. I am nothing if not stubborn.
Little Nemo Feb 2014 5:29pm, 8 Feb 2014 3,833 posts	0 Little Nemo The good thing about London is that there are loads of people at 5, 6, 7 hours plus so no matter what speed you run/walk at you will have company. I took 5.5 hours and the crowds lining the streets were still big as well. That can be important when you're getting to the end as you need all the encouragement you can get. If you're doing run/walk then taking your walk breaks from the start is the best way so that's good advice to follow. All my marathons have been run/walk but my least successful one was when I tried to run the whole way and the wheels came off at 17 miles. Stubbornness is a good thing to have when doing marathons
swittle Feb 2014 5:42pm, 8 Feb 2014 27,752 posts	0 swittle No-one can be in any doubt about your commitment and appetite for bagging your first Marathon. At the same time, the main threat seems to be tweaking that pesky calf again, be it running, walking or cross training. From painful experience over many years, I fear that calf injuries can creep up and bite, setting the unfortunate runner further back: it's simply not a 'run through the pain' situation. And anxiety about doing this won't help either. Rest, and taking modest exercise should have you on course for pain-free running. In your present situation, longer mileage may not aid the mending process.
DerbyTup Feb 2014 6:00pm, 8 Feb 2014 9,338 posts	0 DerbyTup I agree with swittle. Could you walk the whole thing and if so, what sort of time would it take?
Bazoaxe Feb 2014 6:23pm, 8 Feb 2014 6,341 posts	0 Bazoaxe Rev, no need for a taper if get round is aim....just a lighter week leading up, if you are back running before then That said I suspect your injuries may be due to stepping up frequency and distance too quickly, so waiting 12 months, or even 24 would be most sensible. I was running 7 years before my first marathon.... I agree with Switle in that calves are a nightmare over marathon distance ,I always get niggles late on in my calf, usually right and if there is a weakness the marathon will expose it and make it tough
FenlandRunner Feb 2014 6:28pm, 8 Feb 2014 555 posts	0 FenlandRunner Being a heel striker, never any issues with calves, however don't even mention tight hamstrings
swittle Feb 2014 6:36pm, 8 Feb 2014 27,753 posts	0 swittle I'm a martyr to them.
Chromey Feb 2014 6:55pm, 8 Feb 2014 12,986 posts	0 Chromey Hippy