Runners!!

I have a goal of running a marathon in the remotely near future and I was wondering.  What's the best way to start?  I work out 3-5 days per week but I'm really just not sure where to start and what pace to maintain or to increase to or anything.  Help??? Thank you for all guidance.

http://www.amazon.com/Non-Runners-Marathon-Trainer-David-Whi tsett/dp/1570281823/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=120437924 2&sr=8-1 This was the first book on running that I bought.  It is called the Non Runners Marathon Trainer.  It teaches you how to finish a marathon. Here is the real basic premise.  Run 3 or 4 days a week and do a long run on the weekend.  Start at a 3 or 4 mile long run and increase it a mile or two until you are at 20 miles.  Then relax for a few weeks and run your marathon. Again, that is the real baisc breakdown.

Scott pretty much said it the way the training basically works.   I used John Bingham's "Marathoning for Mortals" book as a loose guide to run my marathon.  

Best of luck man.   It's a great experience!

I starting running a little bit and wanted to run a marathon.  Looking online I saw a group that was training for a marathon.  It was for anyone that wanted to run a marathon or half marathon regardless of experience.  I joined it last May and ran the marathon in October.  There were people of all ages, weight and experience running.  Here is a link to the website they have groups all over the country  http://www.usafit.com/.   

There are lots of plans out there.  I used one from active.com and was able to do my marathon in 5 months.  Even the beginner plans suggest that you are able to run 10-15 miles a week before you get into serious training for a marathon.  When I started training I was still nursing a hamstring injury and was only able to run on the treadmill at 5.5 mph. Do look for a training plan specific for running a marathon in the time frame you're looking at.  Also look for shorter races to run in the mean time and work your way up.  Sign up for a 5 or 10k race in a few months and see what it's like.  As your endurance improves you'll be able to increase your distance and speed. When I first began running, I used a walk to jog program and just started increasing my miles and speed slowly once I was able to run 3 miles without stopping. Best of luck to you!  Finishing a marathon is an amazing experience! Linn