If you don't mind taking advice from this "almost" 60 year old lady who is currently training to run-walk her first marathon in January 2015...if you have the time, health and inclination to do a full marathon--do it.

I've completed three 1/2 marathons in the last year (with a 4th coming up tomorrow) using a run-walk program with a 2:22 PR. I train only 3 days a week (because my old body needs more time to heal and rest) and I do one long run a week and 2 45-minute short runs mid-week. So far my longest run has been 20 miles (last Monday). I've been trying to keep a blog on it here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/boatsie77?month=201401

To answer your questions:
1) I started training for my January 2015 marathon (Walt Disney World) in July using a 28-week training program. It really depends on which training program you select and the date of the marathon. Keep in mind that a lot of the "canned" marathon training programs out there, even through they are broken down into "beginner, intermediate & advanced" don't take into consideration one's age and lifestyle, so most need to be tweeked to work within your own time constraints and abilities. It's better to add a few extra weeks to account for vacation time off or an injury setback.

2) for a 1st marathon you only need to cross the line before they haul away the Finish banner. Disney has an 8 hour limit, but that's pretty generous. The 1/2 marathon I'm doing tomorrow has a 6-hour limit (which includes the full marathon). I think 6 hours is pretty much the norm, so 5 hours will do nicely.

3) As I said before, I'm only training 3x a week for my full marathon; since I haven't really done it yet, I won't know how it will come out, but with Disney's 8 hour limit I'm pretty sure I'll be OK. Considering that I'm going to be 60 years old and have been run/walking races for only a year--and you're a couple decades younger than I--I think you've got a pretty good chance of success.

Picking a marathon a bit further out will give you more time to research and plan your training strategy and give you more wiggle room should you experience any setbacks due to personal plans or injury. You can also work in some longer races ( 10K, 15K & 1/2s) into your training. But if you seriously want to do a marathon, I would recommend you put your money on the line as soon as the marathon signup opens--that will get your mind and body working toward a concrete goal and not just a "dream."

Go for it!

KWKY wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I think I will aim for the July one but will probably end up doing September. I'm very excited as there is no time pressure on the first one... it's the subsequent ones you want to beat your own time.

Whichever you choose, if you REALLY want to do a marathon, I recommend you sign up & put your cash on the line as soon as possible--nothing adds motivation to a training plan like the thought of wasting cash. Until I hit the 'order' button on the registration sign-up page, and the entrance fee was now officially 'nonrefundable,' my marathon was merely a 'desire. . After hitting 'order'...it was a commitment I made to myself.