.My goal was to finish in around four hours. I hoped to just get under but didn't succeed, recording 4.09.29 - still pretty pleased.I'll definitely be doing another marathon and would increase and vary my training more. I did the long runs required but only

bit of a diet, joined a gym and cut back on the booze. 6 months later I had lost  over 5 stone. The hard bit is apparently keeping the weight off so I thought in a moment of madness 'why not enter the London Marathon' as that goal would invariably help

different goal at the opposite end of the spectrum – a 5K perhaps. The stamina is there, so you just need to work on the speed.If you’re not training for a marathon, you don’t need any more three-hour Sunday runs – especially if you want to improve your

the foundation of your basic endurance and muscle strength. You won’t regret it: it will minimise your risk of injury or overtraining as you follow the schedules.Rule 2: Set a specific but realistic goalEvery plan needs a goal; the marathon is no exception

certain difficult task, like running a marathon."The theory suggests that this confidence is linked to seeing people you relate to achieving the same goal you're considering. In the case of the marathon, it could be a person you know who has run one

," says Taylor. Ease in with achievable goals, like finishing your first half-marathon. In  time, you'll gain enough confidence to set larger goals.Check YourselfRevving to go or stalled at the start? Find out by adding or subtracting points for each

straightforward: if you want to run a 3:40 marathon, say, it's a simple calculation to figure out that you need to run 8:23-minute miles to meet your goal. But, just like in other life situations, on the race route, surprises can shred your best pacing plan

; mile or 5K raceSpeed tweaks: Run shorter, faster repeats (one to two minutes or 200-800m) with long recovery intervals (three to five minutes).Goal: 10K or half marathonSpeed tweaks: To develop speed and endurance, split your speedwork days evenly

are run more like training sessions with no real expectations.Fast FixesWhen selecting your priority races for the year, consider where they fall in relationship to each other. Being able to peak for both a spring and an autumn marathon is a realistic goal

plane. I recommend having some short-term goals, because they’re better for motivation than the non-specific one of just keeping fit. I suggest that for the five months after your first marathon you think of running for a total of two hours a week