I hear you about the heat. We're dealing with triple digits in Central TX, as well. So, I'm working out at the gym or in the pool through July and August.
David Kuehls wrote "4 Months to a 4-Hour Marathon" and I think it would be worth your reading. It's short (no pun intended); has good information on diet plans, gear and the usual stuff; and a well-broken down training schedule for 4 and 5 hour finishes. So, depending upon what your current pace is, under optimal conditions, and what you can train yourself for, you can certainly finish in a respectable time.
However, never go into your first marathon expecting anything more than to finish. You still need to build base miles, stamina and endurance.
3 days/week for runs, with one of those being your long run, is perfect. During the week, focus on minutes, your speed training/fartleks, hills and tempo runs. Also pay attention to your X-training. Over time, you'll find that all the work you do during the week will prepare you quite well for that long run on the weekend. Always allow recovery time the day after your long run. You don't need to do back-to-back long runs (say, Sat/Sun) unless you're training for an ultra marathon, lol!
Do get David Kuehls book, if even just checking it out of the library. When you get it, work backwards on the schedule from your event date to figure out your training start date so that you can determine where you are mileage-wise and make any adjustments.
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I hear you about the heat. We're dealing with triple digits in Central TX, as well. So, I'm working out at the gym or in the pool through July and August.
David Kuehls wrote "4 Months to a 4-Hour Marathon" and I think it would be worth your reading. It's short (no pun intended); has good information on diet plans, gear and the usual stuff; and a well-broken down training schedule for 4 and 5 hour finishes. So, depending upon what your current pace is, under optimal conditions, and what you can train yourself for, you can certainly finish in a respectable time.
However, never go into your first marathon expecting anything more than to finish. You still need to build base miles, stamina and endurance.
3 days/week for runs, with one of those being your long run, is perfect. During the week, focus on minutes, your speed training/fartleks, hills and tempo runs. Also pay attention to your X-training. Over time, you'll find that all the work you do during the week will prepare you quite well for that long run on the weekend. Always allow recovery time the day after your long run. You don't need to do back-to-back long runs (say, Sat/Sun) unless you're training for an ultra marathon, lol!
Do get David Kuehls book, if even just checking it out of the library. When you get it, work backwards on the schedule from your event date to figure out your training start date so that you can determine where you are mileage-wise and make any adjustments.
I'm sure you'll do just fine! Hope this helps.
July 28, 2009 - 4:45pmThis Comment
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