Any-one training for a marathon or who can advise?

[40thisisit]

I did my first half marathon last week and loved it, thought I'd never want to push the boat out and try a full one BUT I'm tempted.
Please be honest, I just don't know if I have spare hours in the week to be able to train properly. I'm a full time teacher and have 3 dd's (15, 12 and 9).
Does any-one have any experience of just how full on the training is?

Well done on your half marathon

To a certain degree it's up to you how full on it is.

I did a marathon on a maximum of 45 ish miles a week, some people do double that and more! I'm doing another one next year and planning to go,up to 50 miles a week next time.

The most important run is the long run which I guess you'd do at the weekend. Then your other runs you have to squeeze in in the week. My other runs were a mid week medium length run of up to 11 miles, a speed work run and a recovery run the day after my long run.

I only work part time so it's not so hard fitting in the runs. My brother has just done one and he works very long hours. He did find it tough fitting in the training and says he won't do another. I think he enjoyed it to a degree but he's kind of ticked that box iyswim

Plenty of people train for marathons and work full time. I guess if you enjoy the training that's half the battle. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Thanks Doyou and well done with your running!! x
I think I probably will go for it as if I don't I'll be forever wondering.......

What was your HM time? How many times a week do you normally run?
I am a regular runner and I have trained for 3 marathons. In each case, my normal running ( not marathon training ) was 3-4 times a week, around 30 miles a week. A marathon training block would be 12 weeks of running 5 days a week ( though 4 should be fine ) , with marathon training taking priority over lots of things in my life like socialising - for example I wouldn't go out late or drink at all really. Mostly because the long run was on a Sunday and couldn't be compromised.
The priority is 3 key sessions a week, a very long run, a track session and a tempo run ( or parkrun ) . Adding in some easy paced jogging if possible.

If you are the sort of person who can print out a plan and stick to it, run even if it's raining or if you don't feel like it, then do it !
I always felt great on the regime - healthy, fit, slept and ate well. I was over 40 when I started running and was aiming for around the 3:45-4 hour mark for each marathon.
I also think it's great to do races of lots of distances to get used to the whole thing- parkrun, 10k, half marathons.
Also recommend something like Pilates/yoga as injury prevention, to stretch out.
Lastly - your partner needs to be quite supportive !!! -always remembering it's only for a few months.

Thanks Claybury some great info!
My HM was 2 hours and I was running on average 4 times a week. I did 2 long runs, the park run and went to a running club where did a mixed bag of hills, fartleks and long runs. So I guess I was totalling about 30 miles a week.
I am in my 40's and haven't been running that long either. My DH is also a keen runner and he's definitely up for a full one. I guess that's a good idea as we can train together and support each other but a bad one from the point of having less time to spend with our dd's and get things dine in the house!

Ok , you have a running club and parkrun so you have the set up for marathon training ! Go for it ! Yes, household chores get put on hold but that's a price worth paying IMO.

I am a marathon runner, and I'd say you definitely have a good base from which to start. your basic pattern of 4 times a week is solid enough unless you are ambitious about your marathon time. You could keep that pattern, but significantly up the distance of your long run, the intensity of your sessions, and the length of your "other run". So, if your "long run" is usually 10 miles, build that up slowly until you are doing 22 miles around 3 weeks before your marathon. If your "other run" is around 4 or 5 miles, make that a bit longer and add some sections in it where you vary the pace. If you are already doing parkrun, maybe run to parkrun, race the 5k, then run home. There are lots of ways of extending your training while keeping the quality high.

The long runs really are key. They should be done slower than your target marathon pace, but not that much slower, say around 15 seconds per mile slower than marathon pace. Build up the mileage slowly, aiming to peak in time to taper down slowly to the marathon, this is why I do my longest three weeks out. These build your endurance base which is vital for the distance.
I swear by track sessions for marathon training, but I'm lucky to have the use of a running track. I do a weekly session of 800m repeats at a set pace, with 200m recoveries, again building up the reps; at the most I'll do 12 of these. That is a session you'll know about!!! A good way to work out the speed you should be doing your reps is to take your predicted marathon time in hours and convert that to minutes. So if you are hoping to do a 4.15 marathon, your 800m reps should be done in 4 minutes 15 seconds.

Good luck! Marathons are great! The training can be grueling, but listen to your body and learn to differentiate between actual tiredness that means you are at risk of illness or injury, and "tiredness" which means your body is building strength and pushing through will extend your base fitness.