Is it possible?

Hi Everyone,

I am currently about 13 pounds heavier than I'd like to be.  I'm 5'6" and I weigh 164.  About 10 pounds ago (154), I was able to run 10 miles and I felt great.  I think I got burned out and stopped working out.  Now I'm ready to get back into it and I need to set a goal for myself.  I know I'm capable of alot, but is it possible to train for my first marathon with only 4.5 months?  Right now I can run 5 miles pretty easily so I won't be starting from 0. 

Has anyone out there planned for a marathon before?  Where should I start?  Should I run everyday? 

Thanks for "listening"

I've just finished my first half Ironman, have done several half marathons and am begining training for a full marathon next week ....

If you're already running 3 times a week then you're good to go to train for a marathon. If you haven't been running for a while though you might want to build your base for a few months before starting a marathon training program (they are usually 16 - 18 weeks long) or you'll be risking injury. 

If you google marathon training programs you'll come up with a lot, or check out the Runners World website, they also have free training programs.

I wouldn't recommend running every day, maybe every other day and if you want to exercise more than that cross train. Listen to your body and find a good physiotherapist (one who does ART preferrably) and go for a tune up at the first signs of overuse problems.

Happy running!

If I was you, I would focus on a half marathon first.  If you decide that you enjoyed the experience of running a half marathon, then you should train for your first full marathon.  In general, you should not run a marathon without having at least a year or two of "base" running.  There are plenty of free half marathon and marathon plans on the internet you can use for training.  I highly encourage you to do a 5K, then a 10K, then a half marathon first.  It really is a LONG way!

Good luck!!!

I agree with the other posters - try a half marathon first.  Not only is jumping from 5 miles to 26 miles a BIG deal but in order to do that in 4 1/2 months you'd be risking injury from over training.

I am also 5'6" and need to lose 10-15 lbs.  I used to run a lot when I was closer to 150 but I can't really do it anymore.  Once the next 10 lbs. comes off I'll start back in again.

Thanks for the replies! I think a half marathon is a great idea.  I am already running at least 3 times a week and my milage ranges from 3 - 5 miles.  13 miles sounds like a great goal.  I just started back at the gym as well so I can lift on my non-running days.