I was 19 and fully immersed in the college lifestyle, working out was not a priority but I still fancied myself an athlete. My mom called one day and told me that she had signed up for her first half marathon with her running partner; I immediately replied back with "I'll do it". I didn't even know how long a half marathon was but I figured if my mother could do it then I should be able to do it too, and I should probably be able to do it faster.
Lucky for me, I could and did, however, it wasn't pretty, I was totally shot by the finish line and struggled the whole way. I hated every second of it and thought I would never do it again. I stayed away for a while, but I couldn't stay away forever, my racing history now includes a little bit of everything, sprint triathlons, half Ironman, half marathon, century bike ride etc. I have a little experience in a lot of different events and have come to enjoy the hours of discomfort that they bring.
That being said, my list didn't include a full marathon yet, and I was getting antsy to try something new. My intention was to sign up for a full in the fall and train for it throughout the summer until my roommate told me last Wednesday April 8 , that he was running a half marathon on Sunday April 12 that started right outside our door. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to run a half and get serious for marathon training, but then the thought of trying the full quickly crept into my head.
The fact is, anyone can run a marathon, literally anyone, if they follow a proper training program and even more, most people can probably predict their finish time within 10 minutes if they train diligently.
I couldn't resist the opportunity to try something different, to really push myself and see if I could finish the full marathon on 3 days notice. Doing a half again really didn't interest me, the next goal had already been set and it was a full, I couldn't stand the thought of running a half again and realizing I could have gone further at the finish line.
I mean I had no intention of running a marathon within the next 3 months and had not been running much at all. I ran the 6 mile loop at Forest Park about 3 times within the past 2 months and thats it as far as running goes, otherwise I went to the local YMCA a couple times a week to lift weights, shoot 3 pointers, or play racquetball.
That's it, that is the extent of the athletic activity I have had within the past few months, no marathon training schedule, no build up, no taper, nothing. I find that registering for these events always gives me an immediate 2 hour high followed by a short period of buyer's remorse wondering "What the hell did I just do"?
I can say with certainty that though I had been unprepared for events in the past, this was certainly the most ambitious timeline I had ever put myself on and the most aggressive case of buyer's remorse I'd ever had. Signing up for a Sprint Tri or 10K without training was one thing, but this was a full marathon, I immediately started to google "Marathon Training".
Every internet expert in the world indicated that running a marathon without training was not only impossible but dangerous, reckless, irresponsible, and a disgrace to the sport. I don't disagree with those assessments but like I said above, nobody knows your body and your mind like you do so I was excited to give it a try and I have no dependents so I figured I'm the perfect guinea pig.
After googling training programs, my first instinct was to go for a run, it's like after reading all that negativity I had to prove to myself that my legs still worked. I didn't tell anyone that I was doing the race because I didn't really want anyone to try and talk me out of it and I wasn't interested in opinions or tips.
The reason I wasn't interested is because I knew they would all be negative, literally no one was going to tell me this was a good idea or that they thought I could do it; that being the case I decided it was best not to solicit opinions at all. The only person I told was Mike because I had to put him down as the emergency contact in case they had to scrape me off of the road.
The alarm went off at AM and I was feeling rough, I obviously couldn't sleep the night before, it was like my body refusing to give in to the night because of what awaited me in the morning, like a dog that won't get in the car for a vet trip.
I woke up and took a cold shower to wake up and then started eating; granola bars, bananas, apples, anything I could find in our apartment that wasn't pizza. I am usually not a planner but today I had a plan and it was simple:. That was it, that was the plan; as they say, the separation is in the preparation and I was ready. I headed off to the start line and got in my corral, I looked around at all the different people and again thought to myself, if they can all do it, then so can I.
I saw the 3 hour 45 minute pacer and figured he might be the perfect person to follow around, the lack of training didn't help, but in general I am a terrible pacer as it is so I thought today would be the perfect day to try out a pace group. This became a last minute addition to my race plan. The race began and with that we were off, no more time to overthink it though I suspect I was the last person at risk of overthinking this race today. The group immediately turned to a chaotic stampede of people and I didn't even make it 3 blocks before I had lost the pacer.
And yet those limbering up for the London Marathon on 22 April can be forgiven for feeling galled by Irish pop singers Jedward - aka John and Edward Grimes - who claim to have completed the Los Angeles marathon on a whim, straight off a flight and with no training. Such an accomplishment flies in the face of all the advice offered by the medical world and the running community alike. With the body under considerable stresses and the race consuming an entire day's worth of calories, conventional wisdom says completing a marathon is a physical ordeal for which you have to prepare.
Add cramps, chafing, dizziness and dehydration into the mix, and the mile mission can push the human body to its limits. People can even die running both marathons and half-marathons. In the first 30 years of the London Marathon, 10 competitors died, with eight of those cardiac cases. Sports cardiologists recommend screening for many runners.
Jedward are not the only figures said to have completed a marathon without preparation. Former athlete David Bedford, now race director for the London Marathon, apparently only chose to enter the race in the early hours of race day, while in a nightclub. He had been challenged by none other than Grandstand commentator David Coleman. After stopping on the way home for a curry, according to his own account, Bedford duly completed the course - although he was filmed throwing up midway through the route.
Andrew Gertig caused consternation in running circles when he announced he had finished the San Francisco marathon in four hours 28 minutes without any training. And when Eddie Izzard ran 43 marathons in 51 days, the comedian admitted he only began preparing five weeks before. Not all have been so successful, however. The reality television star Jade Goody was hospitalised after attempting the London marathon without meaningful training.
So how difficult is it to run a marathon without putting in the leg work? However, if you ever find yourself or someone you know with limited training as race day approaches, here are a few strategies to make it to the finish as safely as possible. Related: 35 Running Mantras for Strength and Motivation.
The goal is to keep your body full of the fast-acting sugars it needs to run further than it ever has before. Hydrate before, during and after the race to help minimize the damage to your muscles and maximize recovery. Be aware of how you are feeling as you run and if you feel isolated pain or pain that continue to get worse — stop. Do not let your ego get in the way, and humbly accept that there might come a point when finishing will do more harm than good.
Create a new goal of simply finishing the race — no matter what this might involve on race day. Take breaks when you need, alternate with walking , and anticipate a few bathroom emergencies. Running a marathon without training is definitely not the best idea.
However, if you are determined to get out there and check that goal off your bucket list — or maybe you are just addicted to endurance challenges — be sure to do so safely. Remember that your number one priority is to end race day without injury or illness. You will undoubtedly feel sore and rundown, which is normal for any marathon finisher. Expect the soreness to increase during the 48 hours following the race, and treat your body with the respect it deserves afterwards.
Provide plenty of time to recover , rest and recuperate after finishing the marathon. If life got busy, the unexpected occurred, or you are just finding yourself with limited training before your marathon, adjust your expectations, prepare your mental strategy, and do what you can to finish safely. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Although you state, this is not the preferred method for running a marathon, however as a marathon runner and runner for over 2 decades, I can't fathom why someone would want to run something so challenging like the marathon, without proper training.
Even with training, weeks of recommended running, cross training, stretching, proper nutrition, things can still go wrong and you can have a miserable run and possible injury. IMO, if you are not properly trained, because of life, illness, pandemics, children, work, injury, then perhaps you need to postpone or defer your race until the next one. I have had to do this in my running life. Things happen. Life does get in the way, most of us are not professional runners.
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