First marathon down. Now what? How to train over the next few months?

Question

Last week I ran my first marathon. I had trained for months, eaten and rested well, and read Haruki Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running the week before the race. Consequently, I was very pleased with my time of 3:46:23. In fact, I was even encouraged that I could become a good runner over the next few years.

I plan on running my next marathon in March, but I wonder how to train during the winter months. Are there any seasoned runners out there with some advice in this regard?

Also, I am considering participating in some shorter races over the remaining not-too-cold weeks of the season. Having never done this before, I would like to know how to approach the changes in regiment and mindset that (I predict) go along with the change in event. Again, I defer to the seasoned runners: what do you have to say?

Thanks so much!

Answer 1

Firstly, congratulations on your first marathon - that's a handy time to have.

Secondly, spend a week or two just doing what you please and recovering. It takes a fair bit of mental energy and time to train for a marathon and most people feel a little deflated afterwards. Take the time to recharge a little.

As to what to do: I would run what and when you please until about 4 months before the next marathon when you would start the training again. You won't need all 4 months to train to finish so you could start a little later if you wanted.

The what and when you please thing is crucial. You're now very fit and can run any distance up to 42.2km. If you care about entering a shorter race then do that. You could then do some short race specific training (i.e. fast, short intervals) for a few weeks and see what time you get.

Or you could just link up with friends and go running during the week.

I recommend trying to keep some form of weekly long run going. It keeps a nice base of fitness that you can work from without having to build up again.