Transitioning from the Half to Full Marathon: 7 Critical Factors for Success

Should you run a full marathon?

Many people are completely satisfied with sticking to the half marathon distance, and they should be! The half marathon is an incredible challenge both physically and mentally. For many, getting out there, being active, and having fun is all that matters (and half marathons are more fun than a full anyway!). If this is you, then don’t feel like you’re under any pressure to run a full marathon. You don’t need to jump from the half to a full marathon to be a ‘real’ runner. You ALREADY are a REAL RUNNER.

Related: 6 Reasons to Call Yourself a Runner

On the other hand, if you feel like you want a tougher challenge, you want to see what 26.2 miles is all about, and you want to test your body’s ability to endure some serious pain, then the full marathon might be for you.

7 Factors to consider when you go from the half marathon to a full marathon

Before you jump into a marathon training plan and hit that register button, take a moment to think through your decision logically and see if you have the fitness, time, and energy to commit to a full marathon. Thinking through these factors now will help you plan for the challenges of training. Consider which trade offs you will make now, before you overwhelm yourself with training AND life responsibilities.

Do You Have Enough Time to Train?

There are 2 different elements to time:

• Do you have enough weeks before your race to gradually and adequately prepare your body to handle the stress of running 26.2 miles without breaking down or seriously risking injury?
• Do you have enough hours in your week to devote to running, strength training, stretching/foam rolling, preparing healthy food, and sleeping, in addition to your regular commitments such as work, family, keeping the house running, etc?

The Number of Weeks Before Your Race

First, we’ll address the weeks before your race issue of time. If you have a really solid running base and are regularly running 20-30 miles per week, then 12 weeks is considered the minimum length of time you need to prepare for a full marathon. Less than 12 weeks is a bad idea and typically results in injury from trying to increase miles too much, too fast. You can also find many programs in the range of 16, 18, 20, or 24 weeks prior to your race. Most of Hal Higdon’s Marathon Training Plans are 18 weeks, but his “Personal Best” Training Plan is 30 weeks long.

The longer the plan, the more time you have to allow your body to make gradual improvements. However, some people can lose interest and motivation over such a long plan. Know yourself and if this is you, you might need to do a base training plan first, then jump into a marathon-specific plan after your body is already “in shape”. A longer plan also helps you prevent injury by making more gradual increases in mileage rather than aggressive ones. With a short plan, you have less time, so the mileage increases more quickly and allows your body less time to adapt to the stress. Thus, a rush to get into marathon shape often results in injury for runners.

              Related: 4 Injury Prevention Fundamentals for Runners to Live By

How Many Hours in a Week You Can Devote to Training

Second, we’ll address the hours in a week you can dedicate to training for a marathon. First, you need to make sure you have time to sleep 7-8 hours per night. If you get up earlier in the morning to run, this means you need to go to sleep earlier. I recently read the book Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. It was a real eye-opener to how much sleep does and what happens when we consistently get less than 7 hours per night.

Related: How to Improve Sleep Quality for Runners

Next, do you have enough hours to actually complete all of the miles prescribed by your training plan? In the beginning, many of your runs will only take an hour or less. As the plan progresses, your midweek runs can take up an hour or more. Some even up to 2 hours depending on your pace. One day per week, plan to commit a several-hour block to complete the long run, perhaps on a weekend morning. Do you have the time to do this, or are there other commitments that you may need to rearrange? If you have kiddos to care for, is your spouse or someone else in your support system able to watch them while you run? Personally, I had to scale back time spent writing and promoting this blog to make room for my marathon training.

Beyond time spend ‘on the run’

When considering the hours in your week you will need to commit to, also account for strength training, stretching, and foam rolling. Too many people underestimate the need for these aspects. Many runners make the mistake of pushing these off their schedule when they don’t have enough time or when they need an extra rest day. Strength training, foam rolling, and stretching are keys to a solid injury prevention plan.

Lastly, do you have enough time to plan your meals, go grocery shopping (or order your groceries), and prepare meals so you have good nutrition to fuel your runs. As your miles increase, your hunger will as well. It’s important to make sure you’re fueling your body with good nutrition so you can recover after each and every workout. I’ve also found that when I fail to plan healthy food ahead of time and have it ready to go, I’m more likely to rely on junk food to fill my “RUNGER”, which unavoidably leads to weight gain. Fuel up on the good stuff and minimize the junk.

Related: Nutrition for Runners: 5 Core Eating Habits to Follow

Is Your Body Ready to Handle the Mileage?

Before you start training for a full marathon, you should be comfortable running 20-30 miles per week. This way, your body will be used to a certain level of basic mileage, which will make it easier on you as you push upwards into 30 and 40 miles per week. In addition, make sure you’ve addressed any weak areas such as strength training or flexibility prior to starting your marathon training plan, and have a way to incorporate those two key injury prevention strategies into your training schedule.

Related: What is Base Training and How to Build It