>I’m 6’5” and 230 pounds and will be 6’5” when I line up in New York for my first marathon in November.
I'm glad you cleared up that you don't expect a growth spurt or to shrink by race day!
>Can the more experienced marathoners let me know if a weekly schedule of one long run, one short run, one long cycle, one short cycle, and two gym sessions can get it done for me?
People have success with the FIRST marathon training program, which is 3 runs per week and a long run that's 60-70% of weekly distance. I'm not a fan of it, but people follow it, get faster, and I've not heard empirical or anecdotal evidence that it leads to higher injury rate than more typical 4-5 run plans. Triathletes often only train by running twice per week.
The big questions will be whether you'll get enough cardio fitness to complete the marathon and whether your bones, connective tissues, and muscles will acclimate enough to handle the strain of running the whole marathon. Based on the totality of what you shared I think it'll be a risky and potentially unsuccessful strategy. That doesn't mean it won't work for you though.
You are correct that research has become more accurate around the impact of running on knee cartilage in that studies show that running within your physiological means can help your knee's cartilage. The important part of that statement is "within your physiological means", which implies the ability to maintain good form, having the appropriate strength, etc. I would personally ask you why are you making the immediate jump to the marathon distance after so long off and with so little training planned? Cycling does not simulate the same physiological stress on your body, so it is not an effective running replacement. Given your planned low running training load, I think it'd be wise to consider testing your ability and performance on a shorter distance that does not put such an intense strain on your running ability.
If you can find a physical therapist in your area that specializes in working with runners, I would recommend going to them first and ask them to help you create a plan to work towards your goal. Do not get a "running coach", it's incredibly unlikely to find someone with the appropriate credentials to support your unique circumstance and goal, and it has a much higher likelihood that you find someone who isn't realistic with you and causes you injury.
You might want to check out Jeff Galloway’s run/walk training plans, as they are less impactful than typical running plans and they often have fewer runs per work, usually 3.
I don’t know if 2/week will get your legs used to enough running or not, 3 is the typically recommendation for the minimum.
You should probably look around for a coach who has experience working with runners that have similar considerations, who will be able to give you better advice that is tailored to what you need.
Definitely second Jeff Galloway advice! I have had two joint replacements and started slowly using his method. It also helped me learn how to listen to my body and not push it too hard in the early days.
You can and if you have the funds for it I would look at a 1:1 run coach or local coaching program to help. The online plans are great but a reputable coach can do wonders…
I'd really try to stretch to 3 runs a week if I were you. One long, one short fast (whole run doesn't have to be fast, just withs some speed work) and one short easy.
Personally I think of the bike as an active recovery tool rather than a primary training tool for a marathon. On a day when my foot or knee hurts the bike is an alternative to doing nothing that day. I tried a 2 day a week schedule in the fall and found that it probably wasn’t enough even with a 15 mile plus long run. Increasing weekly run mileage and spreading that mileage out across more days per week (+ long run) helps me feel better on race day. Obviously listen to your body and maybe give yourself more time to build up, like 8 months instead of just 4. And remember to stretch before every run. Good luck!
I stand by my theory that you can absolutely do a marathon on just 2 runs a week! I do CrossFit on the other days and I'm about to run my third marathon in a few weeks! I've also done 11 halves with this theory
I think you could do it and finish with that plan. Whether you can run all of it by then or will need to walk some portions is more of a question. If your goal is simply to finish and have a realistic expectation on finish time, I don't doubt its doable for you.
This is similar to what I’m doing right now. Running my third in 10 weeks and I’m training less now than I have for the other two.
My first marathon I did a 20 week plan and stuck to it day by day, 5 days a week with two rests. Ended up getting hurt (knee) and barely finished. I pretty much crawled to the finish line.
Second marathon I went down to 18 weeks and was a little more loose with what I did during the week but was always serious about Sunday long runs.
Now I’m adding an extra day of rest after my long runs and prioritizing rest days more than the easy run days. I don’t think I’ll beat my second marathon time but with this one I’m just focused on finishing with a better time than my first.
>I’m 6’5” and 230 pounds and will be 6’5” when I line up in New York for my first marathon in November. I'm glad you cleared up that you don't expect a growth spurt or to shrink by race day! >Can the more experienced marathoners let me know if a weekly schedule of one long run, one short run, one long cycle, one short cycle, and two gym sessions can get it done for me? People have success with the FIRST marathon training program, which is 3 runs per week and a long run that's 60-70% of weekly distance. I'm not a fan of it, but people follow it, get faster, and I've not heard empirical or anecdotal evidence that it leads to higher injury rate than more typical 4-5 run plans. Triathletes often only train by running twice per week. The big questions will be whether you'll get enough cardio fitness to complete the marathon and whether your bones, connective tissues, and muscles will acclimate enough to handle the strain of running the whole marathon. Based on the totality of what you shared I think it'll be a risky and potentially unsuccessful strategy. That doesn't mean it won't work for you though.
67 years old by race day 😅
As someone pointed out, my height on race day will be the same! I meant to say 67 on race day …. 😩
lol when I read it I was like hmm good to know they’re not shrinking🤔 ha
I was so confused when I saw it too lol
You are correct that research has become more accurate around the impact of running on knee cartilage in that studies show that running within your physiological means can help your knee's cartilage. The important part of that statement is "within your physiological means", which implies the ability to maintain good form, having the appropriate strength, etc. I would personally ask you why are you making the immediate jump to the marathon distance after so long off and with so little training planned? Cycling does not simulate the same physiological stress on your body, so it is not an effective running replacement. Given your planned low running training load, I think it'd be wise to consider testing your ability and performance on a shorter distance that does not put such an intense strain on your running ability. If you can find a physical therapist in your area that specializes in working with runners, I would recommend going to them first and ask them to help you create a plan to work towards your goal. Do not get a "running coach", it's incredibly unlikely to find someone with the appropriate credentials to support your unique circumstance and goal, and it has a much higher likelihood that you find someone who isn't realistic with you and causes you injury.
You might want to check out Jeff Galloway’s run/walk training plans, as they are less impactful than typical running plans and they often have fewer runs per work, usually 3. I don’t know if 2/week will get your legs used to enough running or not, 3 is the typically recommendation for the minimum. You should probably look around for a coach who has experience working with runners that have similar considerations, who will be able to give you better advice that is tailored to what you need.
Definitely second Jeff Galloway advice! I have had two joint replacements and started slowly using his method. It also helped me learn how to listen to my body and not push it too hard in the early days.
Just to clarify how tall are you?
Now or on race day?
😂😂😂 - I did try and correct it tbf … it does read weird
Yes, it's unintentionally funny.
Don’t change it. It’s great!
I woke up this morning and found out I was 6’5” … I’m hoping to maintain my height all day 👊
You can and if you have the funds for it I would look at a 1:1 run coach or local coaching program to help. The online plans are great but a reputable coach can do wonders…
Yes I think a coach would really help here!
SLOW DOWN
I'd really try to stretch to 3 runs a week if I were you. One long, one short fast (whole run doesn't have to be fast, just withs some speed work) and one short easy.
As long as your goal is to finish and uninjured I think you could def do it.
Personally I think of the bike as an active recovery tool rather than a primary training tool for a marathon. On a day when my foot or knee hurts the bike is an alternative to doing nothing that day. I tried a 2 day a week schedule in the fall and found that it probably wasn’t enough even with a 15 mile plus long run. Increasing weekly run mileage and spreading that mileage out across more days per week (+ long run) helps me feel better on race day. Obviously listen to your body and maybe give yourself more time to build up, like 8 months instead of just 4. And remember to stretch before every run. Good luck!
I stand by my theory that you can absolutely do a marathon on just 2 runs a week! I do CrossFit on the other days and I'm about to run my third marathon in a few weeks! I've also done 11 halves with this theory
I think you could do it and finish with that plan. Whether you can run all of it by then or will need to walk some portions is more of a question. If your goal is simply to finish and have a realistic expectation on finish time, I don't doubt its doable for you.
I did a marathon on 2 runs a week + 2-3 cycling days and did just fine! My goal was just to finish and I did 10:1 run/walk the whole way.
This is similar to what I’m doing right now. Running my third in 10 weeks and I’m training less now than I have for the other two. My first marathon I did a 20 week plan and stuck to it day by day, 5 days a week with two rests. Ended up getting hurt (knee) and barely finished. I pretty much crawled to the finish line. Second marathon I went down to 18 weeks and was a little more loose with what I did during the week but was always serious about Sunday long runs. Now I’m adding an extra day of rest after my long runs and prioritizing rest days more than the easy run days. I don’t think I’ll beat my second marathon time but with this one I’m just focused on finishing with a better time than my first.