I'm giving myself 1 year to train. The farthest i have ever ran is the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia 10.2 miles. I did no training for that race. But I couldn't walk for 2 days afterwards. I don't think that will work with a marathon. Any programs or tips out there you can give to a Non-runner with all fast-twitch muscles? Thanks

www.halhigdon.com has some training plans for half & full marathon. Most of his are 12 week programs. Pretty good guide.

I'm married to a marathoner and a couple points I've heard from her:

1. Get in your long runs during training
2. Don't start your runs so fast that you crash & burn towards the end. Finishing strong will leave you feeling better about your next runs.

I second the advice about getting in your long runs during training, you will inevitably need to skip runs on some days and stuff like that, skip the 3 milers instead of the 10 milers.

if I could do my training over again, I would do two things differently:
1) monitor weight better, it's so much easier to run when you weigh less and it's very easy to just eat more when training for a marathon and not really lose weight.

2) take cross training more seriously and do some kind of strength training (i.e. squats). I recently ran a 1/2 marathon with my wife and I did the weekend long runs plus crossfit during the week and I felt great for the race.

Only couldn't walk for two days? You must be a natural.
On no training I ran 2.2 miles in 18 minutes. Couldn't walk right for two weeks.

With a year to train, there is no doubt you can get in marathon-finishing shape. The biggest obstacle will be staying motivated and committed. Pick up a Garmin Forerunner. Being able to track everything about your progress -- distance, heart rate, speed, calories -- will make the year a lot more intriguing and fun.

What kind of shape are you in now? Obviously you're not a runner, but other sports? Body composition? Is excess weight an issue? You've mentioned being all fast twitch, so I'm assuming you lift or do some sport that is more strength and power oriented.

Spend the next 6 months just becoming a runner. Start with 3 days a week, if you can handle it, maybe two 25 minute runs and one 45 minute run. Don't worry about pushing your limits or finish feeling exhausted, just allow your body to get used to the stresses of continuous running. If you lift weights or have some other routine, you probably won't need to change it much if at all. After a few weeks, as your condition improves, you'll just naturally pick up the pace and want to go longer. Build up slowly over the next 6 months to where you can comfortably run 5x a week for a total of 30+ miles and then you'll be in good shape to start a marathon training plan. At this point you'll probably have to signficantly cut back on any lifting to just a maintenance level program.

There are any number of training plans or even marathon training groups you can join, most very similar in nature. The key as you'll hear over and over will be being consistent with the long runs once a week. Follow the plan and be sure not to race your workouts. It's such a common problem especially for relatively young guys to want to push the pace in their long runs, and it does so much more harm than good. Don't worry if you're going 60-90 seconds slower per mile than you hope to race at. Good luck.

You can run six days a week. But start by running less than a mile. 6 to 8 minutes for the first week. Break a sweat. That's enough for the first week.

I agree with 1) strongly. Its easy to think you can eat like crazy while training for a marathon and then not lose any weight. Last time I trained for a marathon I lost maybe 5 pounds low 190s to high 180s. For me that was way to heavy to run a marathon and I ended up getting injured.

Not sure how necessary or even helpful lifting is to running events over 1500m. If you want to run fast, run often. Consistency is king in regards to running. Consistency in getting in your long runs and consistency in getting out there. This ties into above where someone says not to race workouts. Getting in steady week-in week-out milage with gradual increases is key to running fast.

Of course I never follow my own advice and I'm always injured. And now I'm lifting frequently. But I tell myself I'm training for 800m/1500m.

There's a world of difference between 1500m and a marathon. Can't think of a single world class 1500m man who ever became world class in the marathon.
Don't train for speed. Only gets you injured. Train for endurance. If you train diligently you will gain speed naturally.

I am a Spinning (indoor cycling ) instructor.

Many of my students use my classes to train for marathons.

I have students who have ran the Disney, the Las Vegas, the Chicago, and one did the Boston marathon last year.
Spinning is a very intense workout on a stationary bicycle that burns a minimum of 500 calories per class. Those students listed above have used Spinning classes to supplement their running training as it really gets the heart rate up there without pounding on their knees and ankles.

Also, if you are in a major metropolitan area you can see if there are any running clubs in your area to help keep you motivated. A major gym shoe store in my area has a running club.

I also suggest use of a heart rate monitor to keep you from overtraining and please get good gym shoes. I have bad knees and ankles, but have ran several 5k's. My last one was a nightmare because of a bad pair of gym shoes not made correctly for my feet ( I am a slight over-pronator and had shoes made for an under-pronator ).

good luck ---

got no boudaries and no limits - if there's excitement put me in it -- Madonna

First thing you should do is go to a running store (not a foot locker) and get fitted for shoes. Like Princess said, it makes running so much more comfortable and keeps you from getting injured.

But we're not world class. There are a number of 1500m guys who've moved up to 5k/10k. I think most people stay at the shortest distance they can be sucessful at. Webb is still racing 800m/1500m, yet his debut 10k was the fastest by an American ever.

But what I was getting at is for the marathon, there is no need to lift weights. Probably no need to run faster then 10k pace either. Speed doesn't kill excess kills.

My injuries have not been from speed. Last one was a weird ankle on brought on by walking in Vegas. The shoes I had were not so hot. The other one was brought on by running the Philly marathon. The road had a crown and it caused my knee to get a bit angry for a long time.

Running a marathon at 190lbs was a poor idea. I was fit, but that much pounding added up. I was on 3:15 pace until 23 miles and fell apart due to knee pain - going from 7:20-7:40 to 10:30s.

For a non-elite runner. Training for most running events is pretty similar. Its the last 12 weeks or so that may be different. The weeks leading up to that are pretty close.

I'm 5'7 165lbs. I play volleyball and basketball. I do a lot of lifting and plyometric exercises. Mesomorph body type.

Do you have any specific time goal in mind, or are you just looking to finish in one piece?

What was your time for the Broad Street Run?

Check out my offical marathon thread. I'm running a half tomorrow morning. Goodnight.