Running a marathon for the first time

[imtommygunn]

Sub 4 would be a very respectable time...

[dillinger]

I assume you are fairly fit, though running is not cycling.Yes you can do it in 5 months. What is your aimed finish time? Say at 36, 3hrs 45? About 8min 25 per mile. With a month of training try to start running at that pace over 6 mile run, see if you can do it. When you feel ready on shorter runs do 8min pace. 3months in run at 8 min pace on all runs

[Eamonnca1]

I suppose 4 hours would be a good target then.  I've been following that training plan I posted and I'm up to the point where I can run 4 miles in comfort. My legs are fine, heart and lungs are fine. The only body part that does much in the way of protesting is my guts. When I first started I'd get a stitch inside the first mile and would have to walk a bit for it to go away.  Now it's like I'm going to get a stitch in the first couple of miles but eventually everything settles down once I temporarily ease up and get my breathing into a good rhythm. In fact the hardest part if the first mile and a half, after that I feel like I could go on a whole lot longer.

I just read up on the cause of stitches, looks like all you have to do is ease up a bit and regulate your breathing.

I feel like it has helped the cycling a little bit - at the twice-weekly lunchtime crit I'm able to dig a bit deeper and sprint a whole lot better whenever there's a surge in the pack, so I'm not getting dropped as easily as I used to.  My climbing hasn't improved though, even though my weight has gotten a lot easier to control.