Marathon

[marcus430]

Hi

I'm looking to run the London Marathon in 2008 just wondering if anyone who has done it could give me a bit of advice I can't seem to find on the official website

1) When should I start applying - when do they allow you to apply?
(I'm going to run for a charity)


2) I know someone who I frequently run with but is only 17 - would she be allowed to run in the full marathon with me?


Thanks

 

[Master_X]

I do some running in my spare time, nothing to serious but my dad does lots of endurance running.. he hasnt done a full marrathon but he has done 2 half marathon's and is running in the silverstone one this sunday (18th).

My best advice is to try ane run a half marathon...you dont want to end up like jade goody did

 

[platypus]

Marcus, firstly congrats on deciding to run a marathon

Secondly you should choose somewhere else as your first (although if you get a charity place, good on you)

The reason being it took me four years and a 2:51:33 marathon to gain entry to London, now I have a recurring spot, but its so over-subscribed that you need to have a good qualification time to enter.

You could try Paris '08. This will be the third time I've run Paris, its a great marathon and easy to get into. Nice flat, fast course with plenty of help around the way.

The main thing you need to realise is that marathon running requires a lot of training. As its your first, you should start training up to eight months before race day. As a benchmark, Im currently running 80-100 miles a week (if you look in my sig at the yellow races you'll see why!).

Make sure your diet has plenty of protein and carbs, and cut down on the beers, sweets and other stuff and things will be a lot easier.

http://www.runnersworld.ltd.uk/firsttime.htm is a decent starters guide.
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/ contains a wealth of resources.

Note Well
Whatever you do, get yourself fitted for shoes. I don't know where you live, but try finding a running shop. They will perform gait analysis, and fit you shoes that actually support the way you run. Do not skimp on trainers, even if you skimp on other kit, your trainers are the most important thing. If you get bad shoes, your feet will hurt, you'll injure yourself and you will probably want to stop running.