How to run 42km

I recommend you buy this book: Marathoning for Mortals . I bought it when I did my first 21 km run in 2005 and I still use and refer to it today.

There are a couple of things to do to plan to run 42km.

1. Respect the distance. 42km is a really really long way and recognise that it will take quite a bit of training.

2. Set a goal. Are you a first time runner? Do you have injuries? Coming up with a realistic running goal according to your abilities and the time you can afford to train is essential in any marathon running. If you are running for the first time, I suggest just aiming to finish.:)

3. Plan. Plan your training, refer to books and if you have trainers, listen to them. Running 10 km and running a full marathon are very very different. You have to factor in stamina and strength building, endurance and even mental strength. It is amazing the amount of focus you need when you run beyond 5 hours.

4. Stick to the plan. We all slack off from time to time and please don't give yourself too much of a hard time about it. But do try sticking to your plan. It all builds up to better running.

I use a modified Galloway method when I run. I run 4 mins and walk 1min on run day itself and follow a training plan in the book in which training runs prepared me very well. The strange thing is that run/walking made me faster then running over longer distances. If you are starting to run, do consider this method. It allows your running muscle groups to rest in short intervals.

There's an age minimum for marathons, 18 I think. Please check. Hope this helped.:)

Oh and please get the book or any book to guide you.