I’ve started writing a column on the site of my friends, the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, where I’ll be providing short answers to readers asking running questions. This feature will come out every other Monday and I’ll re-publish it here as well. In this episode, we look at getting starting training for a marathon, rolling ankles, and how to keep progressing as a runner. Links within the text take you to other videos and articles on the topic.
We’ve got three short running questions this week in the mailbag from readers on the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. So let’s jump right in and see what they have to say.
Question 1: How long do you need to train for a marathon?
Like everything else in life, the answer to this seemingly easy question is “it depends”. But to give you some general answers, here’s what I would say. If you’re not a complete couch jockey and will take to an exercise routine without a revolt by your body, then the typical time to train for a marathon is about 4-5 months. Four months is on the short side to go from starting running about 3-4 miles and work your way up to the 20 miles that we like to see in training before a full marathon. Five months gives you a little cushion in case something goes wrong along the way like an injury or even a case of the flu that requires you to miss a couple of weeks of training.
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