Running a Marathon in late 60's?

by David Field
(England)

I am 69 and a regular runner. I have run 3 Half Marathon this year (PB 2:13:07) plus a number of 10K, 5miles etc. I am really thinking of stepping up to a marathon. My last was over 30 years ago!. I can run a HM fairly comfortably.

My question is what sort of minimum mileage should I be able to do in one run to consider a Full marathon worth training for. I don't need a marathon running plan yet as I will look at that after I have decided to go for it. Any thoughts?
Sep 14, 2017

ANSWER:

Hi David
The fact that you are a regular runner and that you can do a half marathon comfortably means that you can definitely do a marathon with the right training. If you are already running at least 2-3 times a week and you can run an hour and you don't struggle with injuries, then you are already in a strong position.

During marathon training you will most likely never do a run longer than 2.5-3.0 hours as past that time, it becomes counterproductive. The main thing to be aware of, is that as we get older we need more rest and recovery time and it is very important to listen to your body.

Whatever training plan you choose, make sure it fits in with what your goals are and also don’t be afraid to adjust the plan. I learnt my lesson with my first marathon in that I picked a plan that was perhaps better suited to a 'younger me', I didn’t listen to my body when it was fatigued and I ended up being injured and not able to do the marathon.
I hope that helps and do let me know how it goes!