S/O 1st marathon plan

[mjl6907]

I am planning my first marathon as well.  For those who have used Hal Higdon, the Novice 1 program does not seem to have any speedwork.  Do you feel speedwork (tempo runs or speedwork) are important if my only goal is to finish?   I have a nagging hamstring tendonitis condition and I worry that speedwork of any kind may cause a recurrence. TIA!

[mrshandy]

Not an expert, I don't think that speedwork is really necessary to finish a marathon.

I did my first marathon doing some very loose speedwork. I didn't really know what I was doing pace wise for all my runs. I just did the miles at whatever speed I felt like.

If you don't want to do it, I don't see why it's necessary. It can be a nice change of pace to try something different besides running. But you can also achieve that through cross training.

[Wines Not Whines]

I didn't do speed work for my first 2 marathons, and I was fine. If you're jumping up from the half marathon distance, I think the added weekly mileage is hard enough, especially if you're coming back from injury.

[theoriginalbean]

I don't think it's necessary if you just want to cross the finish line.

[jordylee]

Agreed, not necessary. For me, I had to focus just on distance for my first few marathons, then I was able to handle adding in some speedwork. Going up in mileage and adding speedwork at the same time sets me up for burnout.