realisitic goal?

hey,

was hoping for some advise..

i really want to run a marathon. ideally the nottingham one in september this year.

only thing is i am not much of a runner..

i started last year and managed the liverpool half in 2.30 in 2009, loved it, but havent really run properly since.

i'm the sort of runner who needs to enter something and have a goal to aim for, otherwise i just give up. so was thinking of entering. but am not sure if it is too much to aim for in such a short time. i went out for a run yesterday to see if i could still do it, managed bout 40 mins and felt ok..

is 5 months long enough to go from nothing to marathon? i'm pretty determined and willing to put in the work. but is it a realisitc goal?

any advise would be much appreciated,

thanks, gj x

There's plenty of 16 week plans out there, so if you're determined give it a go, just don't expect record times!

SJ

As SJ says, you can go for it but it would be best not to expect a time out of your first one.  From zero to 26.2 miles is a big ask.  If you get an injury from over training that could put paid to it.  So be careful and train wisely.

You are realistically looking at about 5.30-6 hours to finish I would imagine, unless you are very lucky and have speedy genes.  Going from your 2009 half time you would be looking at around 5:20ish