Question about training

[R5Jedi]

So, I'm pretty determined to do the marathon at next year's marathon weekend. I am a beginner runner but my job is very active and I was a pretty decent distance runner on my high school track team. I am currently a server at a dine in cinema and basically am operating at a quick jog with stops and starts for 7-10 hours a day (the building is HUGE)

Every beginner training plan I see says to start with a couple 30 minute jogs a week and I just feel like with how active I am at work I don't need to build up as much. Does anyone else work an active service job and found you could get a quicker start on a marathon training plan? Thanks!

 

[ScooterScott44]

The specific training is still different than what you are doing. You will find there are some major benefits from your past history and current work as you work in marathon training. You likely can even cut out or reduce some of the overall volume if necessary to accommodate work/life during your marathon training. You are still trying to add 26.2 miles to what you are doing everyday (your current baseline). The training program is designed to build your body above the current baseline toward your marathon goals. Pick a plan and start working through that to see how you feel.

Happy to answer any specific questions and good luck!

 

[fatmanatee]

I can’t answer specifically about service employees, but if I understand this correctly you’re asking if you can skip ahead to more strenuous training, right? If that’s the case it’s worth a shot, if you feel like it’s too much early on you can always scale back.

 

[flav]

There are about 48 weeks before the Marathon. That should give you enough time to progressively increase your running volume. You could do 5k (8 weeks) + 10k (12 weeks) + HM (12 weeks) + M (16 weeks) training plans or a bit less on the 5k and a bit more on the M plan. That would allow you to reevaluate your training paces as you progress, by doing trials or races. It would also help you make room in your schedule (how many days are you going to train) and practice your nutrition.

 

[Kerry1957]

@fatmanatee and @flav both make good points with slightly different conclusions. 48 weeks is a long time for a training plan so you can afford to either start out slow or be a bit aggressive and scale back if needed. The dangers in being too aggressive is developing a nagging minor injury or getting burned out, or peaking way too early. One danger in starting too easy is to get a bit bored and start to skip runs.

Listen to your body...it will tell you whether to ease up on training or to push it a bit more. @DopeyBadger has discussed on these boards the desirability to have training cycles start and end at appropriate lengths. He can describe it much better, but a training cycle has a build up and peak. The next cycle starts lower than the peak and builds up to a new higher peak. Rinse and repeat. 48 weeks gives you plenty of time for multiple cycles.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Pretty much what everyone else said. There are differences in your service job and running outside or on a treadmill. The key difference will be the response to the training and the building of strength in your bones. The impact forces of running built in a slow methodical training plan will allow you to progress over time while minimizing injury risk. You could skip the early training, but it probably will increase your risk of an injury. You have a decent amount of time before signing up for MW, and before MW actually occurs. So consider training for a 5k/10k in the next few months and see how you handle the training commitment alongside your lifestyle. Given how much time you have before MW, it would be unnecessary to rush too much too soon.

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