How Much Weekly Mileage Do You Need to Run a Marathon?

Well that depends on a few things:

• What is your marathon goal?  To finish or to do it as fast as you can?  Or something in between.
• Are you already a runner and if so, what is your "base" mileage (i.e. typical weekly mileage).
• How far off is the marathon?  Typically it is good to give yourself at a bare bones minimum 6 months to train for your first marathon, though 9 to 12 months would be preferable.
• Do you have injuries or are you prone to certain injuries?

I've known people that can get away with as little as 30 miles per week for their marathon and I know competitive types that feel they need to peak at 80 to 100 miles per week to get a fast marathon time (that used to be me when I was young...I'm way too old for that now).

We are talking here about "peak" mileage.  If you are a marathon novice that currently does maybe 15 miles per week, I think you should target gradually increasing that mileage to a peak of at least 30 miles per week.  Your peak mileage generally should occur 4 weeks to 6 weeks prior to the marathon.

But you know what...everyone is different.  There are no hard and fast rules.  Everyone is looking for one, but when it comes down to it, you've gotta ramp up your mileage and training over time, try not to get injured, work within your personal time constraints (e.g. work, relationships, family, kids, hobbies, reading Conejo Valley Guide, you know important stuff) and do your best.

That said, I've always told people to try to peak at a minimum of 30 to 35 miles per week and to run at least 4 days per week to get that mileage in.  And most importantly, your "long run" (that I will no doubt comment on much more at a later date) is the most important component of your mileage increase.  I tell people that to feel "comfortable" at the marathon your longest run(s) should be at least 20 miles.  But we'll get into that more in a separate post.

Your Goals Can Be Re-Set.  I remember it well.  Barack (not his real name...but I do know of one Barack) started his marathon training at probably 240 lbs at a height of 6'.  Most of that weight was in Barack's belly.  Barack was a busy executive who didn't have a lot of time to train, but he took it seriously.  However, 2 months before the 1996 Los Angeles Marathon, he confided to me that his longest run was only 10 miles.

Barack was determined to run his first marathon.  I told him that if he could ramp up his long run to at least 13 miles (half the marathon distance), I think he could slog through the whole marathon.  I could have taken a harder stance and told him to do at least 16 miles, but I knew that wasn't possible for him at that point.  He would probably injure himself.  He needed the mental encouragement more than anything.  He could finish the marathon indeed...but he may have to walk/jog a good portion of it.

Sure enough, 2 months later Barack was ecstatic.  He finished his first marathon.  He was thrilled to earn that medal on his neck.  It took him 6 hours or so to finish the race, but he did it.  I don't think his peak mileage was more than 25 miles.

The key thing is...get on out there, take that first step, and start doing it!  Don't belabor the details.  Just get on out there and start running!

Putting Mileage in the Bank

There are many things to concern yourself with when training for a marathon, but if I had to pick one single thing that is most critical to your performance, that would be your training.  Training = putting in your mileage.  Running a 26.2 mile marathon is not a natural thing to the human body.  Our bodies weren't really hammering our joint over 26.2 miles of concrete for 3 to 6 hours or more.  That ain't exactly the best thing to do to your body.

So the best thing you can do is gradually get out there and start training.  Not too much, too soon.  Start out slowly.  Start out walking/jogging if you need to.  You don't want to get injured right away.

In April 1993 I had never run a 5K race, let alone a marathon.  I decided I wanted to do the 1994 Los Angeles Marathon.  It was baby steps at first.  I remember running one block and my knee or ankle would start hurting.  So I stopped and walked the rest of the way.  Tried it again the next day and lasted 2 blocks.  Before I knew it I was able to run without stopping as my body adapted to the pounding.

As I train for the Santa Barbara International Marathon these coming 7 months, I will continue elaborating on the importance of putting mileage in the bank!

There are hundred of books on training for a marathon out there.  Years ago this Hal Higdon book was the one that I enjoyed the most, found most easy and enjoyable to read and was most helpful to me.

Making the Commitment to Run a Marathon

Today I committed to run the Santa Barbara Marathon in 7 months.  I had been procrastinating the decision for a few months but something finally clicked when I looked the course.  Not too hilly, finishes at the ocean, in December (cool temps no doubt) and in Santa Barbara, one of my favorite places. 

Making a commitment is pretty much the first step one needs to take in running a marathon (other than perhaps getting a physical exam to make sure your doctor is cool with it...not that I've ever done that :>).

Even as an experienced runner with over 15 years of regular running under my belt, the commitment to training for and running a marathon is not to be taken lightly.  It takes a lot of focus, perseverence, determination and consistency to train for a marathon...or at least to train for it the right way.

The fact that I already have weekly base mileage of 30 to 35 miles per week under my belt makes it easier for me to start ramping up the training.  Some of you may be complete beginners at running and are looking to run your first marathon.  After you commit, your main goal should be to get out there and start gradually building up some mileage.  We will get into that later.

Make sure to commit or you may just quit!