Okay, so you are in very good shape, and have always considered yourself an extremely athletic individual, but now just to prove yourself you want to run a marathon. Indeed you should, everyone should, but what would be a respectable time to complete it in, assuming you are 20-something and this is your first time out; and what sort of training will you need to do to complete the marathon in that time frame? Let’s discuss this for a moment.

Since you are young, I’d say a respectable time would be under 3-hours, that is to say for someone in good shape who is serious about it. This is what Lance Armstrong shot for and did on his first marathon, if you came in 3:15 no one could tell you that you were a loafer, but under 3-hours is very respectable, especially for a first time marathoner.

Under three hours means that you need to run 7:30 miles, which is quite doable. There is no better training than mileage for running a marathon, and that means hard work. You should be running or shooting for about 8-10 miles a day, this may take time to get up to that level depending on your current condition.

Then you need to do a long run on Saturday or Sunday of (at first 12 miles, then 15) 17-18 miles. This is about the “hit the wall” point for most people. After that it is all about mind control, perseverance, personal character and you, as you will be running on guts. No one else can help you do it at that point.

Now, I generally recommend running a couple of half-marathons prior to the actual marathon, it is a real confidence builder, and allows you to learn about pacing in race conditions. And it is good to run a half marathon, come home eat, shower and do a nice slow 5-7 miler. Once you can do that at 7:30 pace, you are ready.

If you are still unsure about it, I’d like to recommend that you go to the “Just Finish” social network on Ning.com; I think the URL is JustFinish.ning.com, as there are folks there at your level that can give you good advice on eating, training, running shoes, and help you stay motivated for your big marathon event. Please consider all this.

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