1/2 marathon to full

My husband and I did our first 1/2 marathon Sunday - the Chicago Rock'n'Roll half.  We finished in 2:43:43 (including a potty break and several photo ops) which thrilled me.  I am not a runner.  I power walk with interval jogging.  Usually my goal is just to survive, so being slow doesn't bother me.

Anyway, it occurred me that if we can do a 1/2 marathon in just over 2.5 hourse surely we can finish a full marathon within the 7 hour time limit.  So, how hard would it be to go from a 1/2 to a full?  Am I kidding myself?  How difficult is the training if you simply want to survive the marathon.

Thanks for your input!

Ashley

A Marathon is a big challenge! IT takes a lot of training and preperation and is not something to take lightly. With that being said, I have completed 2 marathons within 13 months of being post-op. The first in 4:52:-- and the second in 4:23:01. Prior to that the longest race I had ever done was a 10k. So, if you have completed a half marathon, you could certainly work up to a full marathon within a reasonable amount of time. Increase your long run mileage each week by no more than 1 - 1.5 miles each week to help avoid injury. Within 3 months you should be ready. Best of luck!!!

Hey Ashley

Congrats on your first 1/2 finish.  Escalating to a full marathon can be quite a task, so I would give yourself a good 5 months to train for it.  The big difference is that your long runs will be LONG.  I had a stretch where I was running 7 or 8 straight weeks of 1/2 marathon distances or longer.  When you get those 20-23 mile runs in, those can be super taxing, but as long as you gradually work up to it, then you'll be fine

Good luck

Brian
~350

Thanks so much for your thoughts.  Right now we are planning on 1/2 marathons Sept. 19th, Oct 18th and possibly Nov. 7th.  Maybe I will get one or two of those under my belt before deciding on the full.  Of course, participating in all those 1/2 marathons is what a lot of people do in preparation for a full.  Hmmm.  Lots to think about.

Ashley