Anyone training for their first marathon?

I actually just ran my first marathon in September!

Which one did you run? How long did you train for?

Guess that was a no... :embarassed:

I don't know how many first timers there are, but I think that there are a lot that have already run marathons and ultra-marathons.

feel free to join our marathon group

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/235-marathon-runners-past-present-future

I am! Training for Shamrock marathon in march. Good luck! :-)

Guess that was a no... :embarassed:

I don't know how many first timers there are, but I think that there are a lot that have already run marathons and ultra-marathons.

I just checked out your profile (ooh, that sounds creepier than intended! :laugh: ) and I see that you are one of said marathoners / ultramarathoners!

I've got a little under 7 weeks to go to my first one... any tips for the newbie?

Sure. Here are some things to keep in mind. In no particular order:
1. Don't kill yourself, it's only running. If you are worn out, stressed out, sick, injured or whatever then bag the run.
2. Be consistent. Rest days are OK, but as a rule I don't go two days in a row without running.
3. Praise be to the Long Run! You can cheat here or there on other parts of your training, but your weekend long run is paramount! Gradually increase your distance no more than 10% a week. That's what I've read anyway. I tend to do more. Impatient I guess! As far as distance, I'm not sure. I've never trained for a half. I would say build up to 10 mile long runs for a half marathon. Google-Fu some training plans and see what they recommend for distance.
4. Understand your goals. Is your goal to merely finish or to be as speedy as possible? There is a risk with the speedy approach. Especially for someone who is new. Go out to hard and fast and you may crash and burn. If it's to finish only, I wouldn't worry too much about speed work, hill work, cross training, weights, etc. Not necessary for finishing. I think it's important for speed though.
5. Have fun!

There's a lot more to say, but I hope this gets you going in the right direction. Good luck!

Thanks, cyprian. I'm actually training for a full, not a half, so my long run is up to 16 miles now and I'm definitely following my training plan religiously. As for bagging the run if I get injured or sick, I don't really have that option, since I'm running the marathon in memory of my best friend and have several thousand dollars worth of donor money riding on the race! I'll complete it one way or another.

My high level goal is to finish it with a smile on my face, but I've definitely become more time focused as my training has progressed. So I know I need to monitor my pace and really hold back on the start (an art at which I do not always excel) - hoping to use my remaining long runs (18 and 20, respectively) to practice that.

Fingers crossed (and many miles invested), it all goes well!

I'm sorry I misunderstood! OK, for a full marathon you should shoot for at least one 20 mile training run. 2 or more would be better. Race day mojo will get you through the final 6.2 miles. That and a good taper. It sounds like you have a good plan and should do great! Oh, here's another kind of obvious tip, but many people strangely enough don't follow: don't try anything new on race day. Race day is not the day to try that new pair of shorts, shoes, energy gel, whatever. You want tried and true. Psychologically just tell yourself you will not quite. Perpetual forward motion. Always keep going. I said that I would only quit if I was injured or got pulled from a race (in an ultra, you can get pulled by docs at aid stations or for getting to a particular aid station past a set cut off time). So, worst case you end up doing the zombie death march across the finish line, but you still finish! The more long runs you put in, the greater the odds that you will just cruise the whole distance. One other tip: don't go out too fast! It is sooo easy to go out too fast. You will be surrounded by other runners who are excited and you will naturally try to keep up. Avoid this. In fact, line up with the group that is slower than you intend to run. You can then pick off slower runners later. Slow and steady is the way to go. If you still have gas at the end, kick in the intensity at the end of your race. Good luck!

Awesome. Please give a detailed race report when you do this thing! I can't wait.

I am slowly building up my mileage with the hope of running the 2013 Disney Marathon, but my current goal is the Livestrong Austin half-marathon in February.

I'm also doing the Austin half marathon in november, I did it last year and had a great time