I am just now training to do a half marathon March 31st in Lexington, KY. My friend wants me to do the Derby with her but I a not sure if I want to do that one or the Flying Pig in Cincinnati May 6th. I found a great friend who has ran several marathons, like Philly and is trying again to get in the NYC marathon, but she is helping me get ready for my half and she suggest that I just slowly up my miles once a week. So I am going to have a short run, 3 miles, slower pace. Then a little longer run 4-5 miles and then one day where I do a long run. Right now I am up to 8 miles and I feel I can keep going further. She has helped me so much and I hope the information helps you in some way.

**I also started my journey in January, I have lost 83 lbs to date and I started running at the end of April. I would have never thought I would be a runner, but much to my surprise...I LOVE IT!!!!

I've only done one half so far and plan to do another in April, but next summer I will train for my first marathon. I'm hoping to find one in Sept/Oct to do somewhere nearby, because I'm not sure I can afford to really travel. There's one about 30 minutes from me in October, so that's most likely what I'll do.

I've been following training plans by Runner's World Smartcoach since this spring while I was training for my first 10k. They really detail how long/fast your runs should be based on what you can do now. Seriously, it told me what my half finish time would be... and was less than a minute off!!!!! I swear by that program!

I'm working towards my first full on March 4th. Right now I'm not really following a training problem, because I'm still a beginning runner, but all the novice runner programs I see want me to take my mileage way down. Today my long run was 15.5 miles, and I try to add 1-1.5 miles to that a week. I also like to run the whole distance at least once before a race, it gives me the confidence that I can finish. Most programs only take you to 20 or 22 miles.

Skemery, good luck in training for your first! That's really exciting.

As for taking your mileage down, the main thing you need to be aware of is not overtraining or doing anything that will cause too much strain on your body as it adjusts to a bigger and bigger work load each week. What's your total weekly mileage? You want your long run to be 35-40% of your weekly mileage; if it's more than 50%, then you may be at risk for injury. Doing more of your weekly mileage outside of the long run is really helpful in building up your strength and endurance.

There are some training programs that do have you run the full distance before the marathon (I think Team in Training does this, or maybe the AIDS marathon folks) but many of these are run/walk programs.If that's your goal, then there are some good resources out there for you. If you're just running, the farthest you need to go is 20 miles or so. Running more than 4 hours takes a big toll on the body!

You'll probably want to start your taper in mid-February for an early March marathon, so you've got a while to build up your mileage. Give yourself time so you can get to the start line without any injuries. Good luck!

I am doing my second Rock and Roll Marathon in Vegas Dec. 4th. I love the RnR series, so fun and well organized (I did Seattle in June). I love Smartcoach too

As for taking your mileage down, the main thing you need to be aware of is not overtraining or doing anything that will cause too much strain on your body as it adjusts to a bigger and bigger work load each week. What's your total weekly mileage? You want your long run to be 35-40% of your weekly mileage; if it's more than 50%, then you may be at risk for injury. Doing more of your weekly mileage outside of the long run is really helpful in building up your strength and endurance.

Agree with not doing too much! When I really started getting more and more miles in, I had to cut out all my other workouts because I was feeling aches where I didn't want to feel them. Helped tremendously! I only ran one 20 miler before the full (didn't have enough time to do more) and was able finish the marathon without walking!

Good luck on your training!!

i am training for my 13th marathon right now which will be the surf city marathon in huntington beach feb 5th.

there are many different schools of thought on training and everyone is different so there are very few absolute rules, best to experiment with different programs over time to find what works best and also to change it up so you do get bored and your body doesnt get comfortable.

a couple things i think are true for everyone.
1- you wont get fast in your long runs without interval training (BONUS: it burns fat in a short amount of time)
2- cross training is essential, without it you wont reach your potential and are begging for an injury
3- yoga might be the runner's best friend and is the key to proper recovery without being sore. Ice bathes and cold pools right after a tough workout are incredibly helpful too.

i am a huge proponent of the Furman FIRST program. they have a book that is available in most libraries or is cheap to buy off of amazon or for your kindle etc. http://www2.furman.edu/SITES/FIRST/Pages/FirstTrainingPrograms.aspx

pick up the book, it is a quick read but is very well thought out and makes a lot of sense. the basics are that most people run a lot of junk miles that do little if anything to help them get faster. that probably doesnt matter for your first race but after you have gotten in shape, you want to get faster. they advocate 3 runs (1 tempo, 1 intervals, 1 long run) and at least 2 cross trainings a week. but the paces they give you for those runs are tough so your legs need those days off from running to be able to recouperate

i got significantly faster when i started following their program, check it out.