For those who went from Zero running background to Marathon or Iron man

Ran a full in January and prior to last year or two the farthest I had ever ran was 3 miles or so.
Started training for a half marathon using Hal higdon plan after running a couple 5ks last year and when I got to 13miles decided to skip and started the plan for the full.
Make your easy runs easy! Try to run on trails if you can. Don’t over stride. Learn how to fuel for your longer runs.

Started with Couch to 5K and did that until a 5K became comfortable. Then I started with a training plan for a 10K. When that got comfortable, I did the Hal Higdon training plan for a half, then a marathon, then an ultra.

This didn't happen overnight. I didn't start running until about 10 years ago and I just did my first ultra a few months ago.

The best advice I can give is keep it fun and lighthearted and you will enjoy it longer. Don't compare your pace to others - only yourself. You're going to have off days, you're going to have days you don't feel like running. That's okay. That's normal.

Just do what you can and it will be more than if you did nothing at all.

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How'd you do it?

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Fall of 2016: Couch to a 1/4 mile. I thought I was dying after one lap around a track.

Then I progressed to a trail that was 1/2 mile long. I would run halfway then run/walk back.

I have a distinct memory of the first time I ran all the way down the trail and all the way back. One full mile!

I then started pushing my distance a little bit but wasn't having much success. From couch to 1 mile probably took 4 weeks or so. I wasn't following a plan or anything. Just trying and listening to my body. I could have been better if I had a definitive plan to follow or something to trust.

Then we moved and there's a nice trail called Jemison in Mountain Brook, AL. It has a few segments. The Walton Trail is 1/2 mile long. Jemison Trail is 1 mile long. There's a nature trail that is about 1/2 mile long. You can also hang a left off of the Jemison Trail and do a 5 mile loop.

And that's where my real run training began. I progressively increased my mileage until I got over a 5k.

Then I followed the Hal Higdon half marathon training plan for beginners. I followed it to a T and ran my first half in early fall 2017.

I ran two more half marathons in spring 2018 and got interested in a full. I built up some base miles and then started the Hal Higdon Novice 2 training plan.

Ran a full marathon in December 2018 (Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville).

No cross training. Just running. I ran with groups occasionally but mostly on my own. Read up on fueling during runs and hydration. Keep your pace manageable and your heartrate lower than you think. Replace your shoes before necessary. Following runners on IG can be helpful.

Enjoy! I'd like to get back into again sometime soon.

My background as someone who went from 0 to Ironman:

Played baseball, football and track growing up, got to play football in college, but hated any kind of distance running. The longest distance I ever ran was 1 mile straight for basketball tryouts in 8th grade. In college the longest we ever ran in one go was 400 yards. So I had no distance background at all.

After I was done playing football in 2011 I got lazy and did jack shite for 5 years. In 2016 I was fat, overweight and out of shape so I returned to the gym. Lost 60 pounds going from 220 to 160. But I did it all via weight lifting. I never did cardio because I believed the bro science that it would melt my muscle.

That all changed in April 2021 when I went to jail in Las Vegas and sat in a holding cell all weekend angry because I could have outran the security guards who arrested me if I had more of a distance running background. Then when I got out in downtown Las Vegas with a dead cell phone to call an Uber and no wallet to buy a cab, I had to walk 6 miles back to Mandalay Bay where my car was parked. It was at that point I was like frick it I need to start running.

Did my first 10k "run" the next Saturday, it took 1 hour and 3 minutes, which was running time, not counting the breaks I took. Finally ran a 10k without stopping at some point in May. Started a 12 week half marathon plan in June and did my first half marathon in 1 hour 44 minutes on a hot August morning in Texas.

Took a month off or so from running (still ran on Saturday for about 6 miles) but started a full marathon training plan, 4 runs per week, in October 2021. Did my first full marathon in February 2022 in 3 hours 30 minutes.

After that I was looking for the next challenge and decided to sign up for an Ironman in October 2022. Did a high volume training plan through Trainer Road, with 4 swims/4 bikes/4 runs per week from April 2022 to October 2022. Did 100% of my bike training on a road bike outdoors since I figured it would be a one and done thing. Did no shorter races and then did my first Ironman in Waco, TX on October 15 2022. It was 95 degrees and very windy and set the all time record for highest % of non finishers. I did it in 12 hours 44 minutes on a road bike.

It ended up not being a one and done thing. Bought a real tri bike and indoor trainer after that first Ironman. Since then I've done 7 Ironmans and 2 70.3s, where I have a Ironman PR of 9:50 and 70.3 PR of 4:42, to go with 6 stand alone marathons including a 2:58 marathon in 2024 and a 3:02 marathon in fake Alphaflys in 2025.

My advice is to hit your target weight first since weight loss and high volume cardio does not go well together. Then start run training. All runs when you first start will be threshold runs so ignore the Zone 2 stuff out of the gate. It takes a while to get to the point where you can actually run in what is called Zone 2 because your endurance base isn't built up yet. Just keep building your weekly mileage and weekly long run distance safely and eventually you will get to a point where you can run easy. There are plenty of good free plans out there.

Do a half marathon, then a marathon, and if it goes well you are ready for an Ironman. The run is the hardest part to build up. Most people who do Ironmans treat the run as an afterthought and never make it a priority so you have an advantage if you can get running down. If you want to do an Ironman go cheap for your first one. That way you aren't out a lot of money if you don't end up liking it. Although if I could do it over again I would have bought a cheaper used tri bike instead of a new road bike and an indoor trainer from the start. Doing 100% of my bike rides outdoors in the hot summer 4 times a week got old after a while - being able to train indoors is safer, easier, and puts less wear & tear on your bike.

I started by doing the Crescent City Classic. After that I wanted to do the marathon. I followed the Galloway method. Ran 4 minutes and walked 1. Finished my first marathon in 5:15.

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How'd you do it?

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I have an obsessive personality. I'm removed from it now, but wish I wasn't for the general health/fitness benefits. I do it with every hobby (fishing, triathlon, woodworking, firearms, now looking like I have the golf bug). I can't stop obsessing over all the details. Trying to get better. Reading message boards and watching youtube.

When it was triathlon, I'd do that and realized if that person could do it, so could I and I just kept pushing. I was very consistent with training because I wanted to. It wasn't really a chore to get up and go. Ended up at a half ironman starting line that got cancelled due to lightening. Gave us an open spot at the next available race and a discount on a future race. After completing the half, I used the discount to get into a full. Now my problem is that once I reach a point where I achieve a goal I'm satisfied with, I'll start looking at other things.

After my IM, I was disappointed with my run and focused on getting a good stand alone marathon. Had to take a break due to some knee pain. The draw of the marathon goal just didn't have the same pull after completing the full ironman. Started woodworking during the months I had to take off and that now had my attention, and I could never keep the consistency again. Slowly that lead to it completely going away.

I think the obsessive/addictive personality types are common in distance events. You see quite a few former alcoholics/addicts who replace their addiction with training. I'm like that, but also with ADD, so constantly changing things up.

This story got my hyped and got my thinking about training to outrun security and police. Soon as I get off work I'm going to run.

When I tell my story one day I will reference GoldenNugget

I think it really depends on how your body responds to the training. It took me several years to develop a good running base. I went from never running to half marathon in less than 12 weeks, but I was beat up. I got a stress fracture in the first year from too much running. After about 5 years, my aches were much less after training. I know others that have had no issues ramping up from nothing to regular running.

Quit drinking 2 years ago after 10 years of being a bad alcoholic, used running as an escape. Started off running 3-4 with a buddy from work and as he would run further, I would too. Went from 6 miles a week to 16 mile trail runs within a few months, way too much too fast but that's the addict in me. Did my first trail marathon in April with a 50k and 50 miler on the docket for next year.