How should I prepare for running a marathon?

I've recently started running (about two months ago),and my dream has always been to run in a marathon. I'm planning on entering a marathon that is held in July. Are there any tips for me that would better prepare me for this venture?





Thanks in advance!|||Both the runnersworld site and the halhigdon site have great plans for beginners.





You've been at it for 2 months, your conditioning should be good enough for you to start a marathon program, rely on those sites for a good, proven program. The tips I'm going to give will be of a more general nature:





-Keep a log of your running. Include total time, miles, and a brief description of anything you think is important (weather, how you were dressed for that particular weather, course, how you felt, anything unusual)





-Don't obsess about it. I'm an experienced runner, preparing for my first marathon, and I'll admit it, I'm obsessed. I spend way more time and energy than I should thinking about, researching, daydreaming, and obsessing about running. Set aside the time for these things each day, and outside of that time don't let yourself continually go on about it.





-Have fun. You've said that this was one of your dreams. I'm certain no part of that dream was to go out and make yourself miserable for an hour each day preparing for the race. Enjoy it. All of it, training included. Pick scenic routes to train on, daydream or listen to your favorite music while you run, make friends within the running community.





-Do your research. A race like a marathon requires this. Again, let me refer you to runnersworld, they've got a ton of information.





I hope your marathon is everything you've dreamed of! Just curious, what marathon do you have in mind?|||Find a beginners training plan and follow it. some good websites are :





www.runnersworld.com and coolrunning.com also


www.halhigdon.com has a plan that is easy too. find one that best suites your ability.


The long runs are the most important.|||Begin with working your easy runs to the point that you can run the distance of a marathon with little distress at an easy pace, that way you know confidently that you can do the distance. Next its very important that you can handle the terrain, hill workouts will make a huge difference with this. A good routine would be one long run a week, 2 medium runs, 1 hill run and an easy recovery run. Remember, its very easy to get injured by over training for a marathon, its not a sin to skip a workout day because your not feeling your hottest. Rest is critical! You wont improve if you don't give your body a chance to recover! Good for you and good luck!|||First, you should have at least a half year of regular running to even start thinking about training for a marathon. If you've only started, your body isn't really ready for the abuse you're about to undergo.





July is a ways away, but you need to go out and buy a book or go to the library and get educated quickly. Knowledge is the most important key to a successful marathon. The training programs, diet programs, and insight on gear and motivation will help you more then anyone on the internet can. Go to Barnes %26amp; Noble and buy some literature.





Good luck!





Detroit Marathon 2006 - 4:24:45


Cape Code Marathon 2007 - 4:17:35|||Hi, I am glad that you are interested in running a marathon. I ran the Marine Core Marathon in 2007 with a time of 3 hours and 30 min when I was 17, and that was my first marathon.





My advice to you is to research several different kinds of programs. Just google marathon training programs and check them out. I used several different programs and found out what was good for me. I used advice from one, and advice from others to make a custom program for myself.





You also need to give yourself at least 4 months to train. That would be the minimum I would recommend. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask me.