Really? My uncle told me this over Thanksgiving. He said you'd be amazed at how hard it is to build up to two miles but after that there's no difference between 2 and 26.

Really? I personally think he's crazy. I can run 2 miles with relative ease at this point but I have yet to run more than 4 and can't imagine running 5. LOL!

My 2 friends, who were overweight, started couch to 5K last January. He is running a marathon in Feb, and she's regularly running 10Ks and 1/2 marathons.

So, your uncle might be right.

I wouldn't say 2 miles, but there is a point at which you don't gain much improvement in cardiovascular endurance. I think it is more like "if you can run 10 miles you can run 26". At that point, the longer runs are mostly for building muscle endurance in your legs and getting used to the grind of actually running for that amount of time (you already have the endurance needed).

Running is still a heavy cardio endurance exercise for me. I can spin the heck out of a bike, but running really works the lungs! I don't adapt to running nearly as fast as I adapt to other forms of exercise. That's actually good, I think. I have at least one activity to pull out of my pocket when the exercise becomes too routine. Need a shake up? Run! LOL!

Well, I look at it like:

If you can run 2 miles consistently, then you can probably run 3 miles. And when you can run 3 miles consistently you can probably run 5. And when you can run 5 consistently, you can run 7. Etc.

It's sorta a rule of thumb to increase weekly mileage by about 10% a week. So it wouldn't be great to try to go from 2 miles as your long run to 26.2 miles. Our bodies need to get used to the pounding that occurs with running.

So, he's kinda right, but only if you take a long term view of it. Keep in mind I've only run half marathons myself, maybe our experienced marathon runners will check in and give their 2 cents.

I wouldn't say if you can run 2 you can run 26, but I have heard people say that if you can run 10 you can run 13 and that makes more sense to me.

And what midwife said above me.

Nope, not for me. I ran my first 1/2 marathon in November and while it went fantastic and I felt like I could have run further, there is no way I could have gone 26 without some further training. Could I do it eventually, I hope to, but at this point I just don't know. My legs would probably give out at some point quite short of 26. After my 1/2 I wad quite sore for several days and I usually don't get sore after runs, so I can only image what I would feel like after 26!

Just do it, slow but sure.

Well, you may not be able to run 26 RIGHT NOW, but I think the point is that if you can run 2 you can train for 26. I believe 2 miles was the starting distance for my sister's marathon training.

The best way I've found to build up my running mileage is the run/walk method. Jeff Galloway (and some other running coaches) swears by this method. I've completed 5 marathons so far and the most enjoyable were the ones that I did it this way - like run 2 minutes, walk 2 minutes (and so on). Actually I usually do it by the music I listen to on the road - running song, walking song.

People get hung up on "running only", but really you will actually finish faster if you run/walk. Seriously. If you want to finish a marathon, it's the "finishing" that counts, especially the first time.

You have to train to increase your mileage in any way.... When I add even a mile to a longer run, I can definitely feel the new challenge towards the end of the run. That's the whole point of training. This statement at face value is absolute horsesh*t.

In theory, I'd say it's true...

I don't think the OP's uncle meant it to be "literal" though. Basically...you have to be able to run a certain mileage in order to train for a marathon.

I remember how hard it was for me to reach the "1 mile" mark. Once I could run 1 mile, 1 could run 2 within a couple of weeks...once I could run 2, then 3 came a week later...so pretty soon it'll be time for 4!!!

My point is before I could run 1 mile, progress was slow. It took 6-7 weeks of training to get up to running 1 mile...and only a few more weeks to get up to 3. Not sure if this is making sense...but somehow..I get the OP!

Joyfulloser, that makes a lot of sense to me. I was the same way between 1 mile and 2. Building up to one mile was torture but within just a few weeks I was running faster and longer. I supposed if I WANTED to run more than four miles I could. LOL! I guess I don't! I prefer to stick with four miles and play within it. Sometimes I run intervals with fast running and walking, sometimes I play with hills, sometimes I run straight. I change it up, but all within four miles. I'm just not much of a distance runner, I guess.

LOL...don't feel bad...I've already promised myself that I'll NEVER run more than 5 miles. Reason being...you WILL beat up your cartilage over time and HELLO arthritis. I know most people attribute bad joints to the obese/overweight or the elderly, but it can also come from OVERUSE!

I just discovered intervals (by accident) on my treadmill today..haha...I'm gonna try running 3 1/2 miles on thursday. I think my joints are ready to go up the next 1/2 mile. My heart/lungs have been ready for the past week or so, but I was just waiting on my joints to catch up!

Joyful,

I've done intervals as in the program on the machine and am not a big fan. I like to control them myself. I did "rolling hills" today and was frustrated by the timing and the incline. I overrode the thing the entire time. It was just silly. I like to increase the incline every two minutes by a full percent and the decline every one minute, then I start the whole thing over. That's a "rolling hill" to me. Not five minutes at 1.0 and then another five minutes at 2.0. For intervals I like to jog for two minutes, run for two minutes and walk for 1-2 minutes. Actually that's what I used to do. Now I like to jog for 8 minutes, run for 4 minutes increasing the speed every minute and then walk for two minutes. I mess around with it a lot. It keeps my mind active and makes the time go faster.

I just realized another reason I like this. It feels a lot like "sets" I do when lifting and I love lifting. I do maybe five "sets" of intervals and I'm done. Even though that may take an hour, it just feels like five sets. I can do anything five times.