When can I realistically set a goal to run a marathon?

I am 250+ pounds and as motivation for losing weight I would like to run a marathon. If I start walking and jogging and slowly increase in distance and speed, when can I realistically run a marathon? There is a marathon near by in October. Would October 2010 be too soon?|||It's usually recommended to have a running routine in place for at least a year before you begin training for a full marathon. The marathon-specific training is then usually another 12-16 weeks. Your body does need an extended period to adapt to the basic pounding of running, and people often do have things with weight, shoes, diet, etc. to get somewhat sorted out, too.





October 2010 would be slightly on the early side compared to what's often recommended, and you may or may not have your weight down as much as you'd like by then. There are pretty good odds you'd likely be able to at least complete it as a run-walk by then though.





Anyway, targeting a marathon can certainly be a good motivational goal, but you might want to consider things a little later (like the many that happen in January/February/March) too.





You don't have to actually start registering for most until closer to the event. Four months or so out usually means the start of your training, and spaces are usually still open then with prices still down.





I'd personally try to just get started in your routine, and know that you'd like to do a full marathon around a year from now, but maybe get at least a few months into things before you start picking out a particular one. In the meantime, you might want to try and find a 5k or two to target, and/or maybe a half marathon several months from now.





Breaking your bigger goal down into smaller ones that you can achieve sooner can help a lot, and the event experience will certainly help when you get to a full marathon, too. And frankly, there's certainly a big mileage difference from the 3.1 miles of a 5k to the 26.2 of a marathon, but some of the most difficult training can actually be getting from zero to 5k (or 10k). Once you get to that, it's relatively downhill, and you start getting your bearings to know what you need to do for a full marathon.





It's often said that the first 20 miles of a marathon is only the first half of the race, since the final 10k can be of equivalent difficulty. And somewhat similarly, going from where you are to that first 5 mile run or so can be of equivalent difficulty when it comes to your marathon training. Don't let the rough stuff that can come up early on discourage you or keep you from just getting out there on a regular basis. :)|||big people do not run. in shaped big people do run. you need 6 months to train the human body for what is about to hit it. rest and rest is your friend. 5 meals a day, train slowly. after the first month, you will reap the benefits. you will lose the fat first. you will run lighter and further. 6 days of training. one day rest. water and juice. never let the stomach grow empty.|||I think that would be a great goal. Start slowly so as to avoid injury, and have a great run. Check runnersworld.com for some good running plans.