sk The Experts is your chance to have your questions answered by our knowledgeable staff and associates. We will attempt to answer two to three questions per week with detailed responses for the site. We will also attempt to provide at least short answers to all email questions that we receive, but please note that we get alot of emails and, try as we might, can’t possibly answer all of them.

If you have a running, nutrition or health question that you’d like answered, then Ask The Experts!

Featured Question

Question:
I am REALLY out of shape. I eat junk food and don’t exercise much outside of work (I’m on my feet all day long). I am really interested in running a marathon and would like to know how long I should train before I run. I did a 40km walk two years ago and was exhausted by the end of it

Answer:
In 28 weeks, you could finish a marathon. Start by walking, slowly, for a
mile. Two days later, walk 1.5 miles. Every other day, increase the
distance by half a mile until you get to 3 miles. Rest your muscles on the
“off” day. Hold that distance on Tuesday and Thursday, while increasing by
one additional mile on your weekend session (either Sat or Sun).

There’s a “to finish” schedule in my book MARATHON YOU CAN DO IT. Once the
long run reaches 10 miles you can cut the distance in half every other
weekend, increasing the long one by 2 miles each time. When the long one
gets to 18 miles, you can do it every third weekend, covering 8-9 miles on
the “short” weekends.

After about the third week of training, insert a one min jog into your runs,
after 4 min of walking. If this feels fine after 2 weeks, drop to
3walk/1jog. After 3 more weeks, drop to 2-1. If all goes well after
another 3 weeks or so you could go to 1-1 during the week, and 2walk/1jog on
the long run.

Find the ratio that works best for you, that will leave you feeling strong
at the end, and recovering fast from these long ones. The pace for all of
these should be very, very slow.

 Prior Questions

What do you recommend as a training schedule to start running again after a prolonged injury? (answer by Jeff Galloway)

What foods are complex-carbohydrates? What is a good raceday breakfast? (answer by Jeff Galloway)

How close together can runners run marathons? (answer by Jeff Galloway)

How can you tell what you’re capable of running in a marathon? (answer by Jeff Galloway)

Is there a benefit to training more than once per day? (answer by Jeff Galloway)

Can I run more than one marathon in the same year? (answer by John Elliott)

Should I run the full marathon distance as a long run in training? (answer by Erin Kandel)

How can I prevent blisters during a race? (answer by Erin Kandel)

How much water should I drink before the race to stay hydrated without having to “run” to the bathroom? (answer by Erin Kandel)

Do you carry food and drink along with you during a run or do you stop somewhere? (answer by Erin Kandel)

Are there good ways to suppress the urge to defecate during a race or to empty my bowels beforehand? (answer by Beth Dyba)

What causes shin splints and how do I avoid getting them? (answer by Beth Dyba)

Is there a device I can buy that measures distance as I run? (answer by John Elliott)

Is there a good way to prevent my nipples from bleeding without running shirtless? (answer by John Elliott)

Nagging Achilles Tendon pains What should I do? (answer by Coach Mindy)

How can I adjust my training to have the last third of my marathon be as much fun as the first two-thirds? (answer by Coach Mindy)

I’m running a marathon in 9 weeks, but have barely begun to train. Is it too late? (answer by Coach Mindy)

I’m running my first marathon next weekend. What should I do this week? (answer by John Elliott)

Is it a good idea to walk through the water stations in the marathon? (answer by John Elliott)