Running a marathon - you can do it!

Running the Flora London Marathon is an amazing experience – and now that you have your place guaranteed, your thoughts will inevitably be on the months of training ahead. Feel a little daunted? Don’t be! If you’re healthy and get clearance from your doctor then you can run the Flora London Marathon. It’s seen by many to be one of life’s great achievements – and when you’ve done it you can totally share that view. Months of training culminating in one of the most amazing days of your life; it’s unforgettable and for many is the start of a long and enjoyable running career.

Here are some of our tips for achieving your marathon goal:

• Give yourself plenty of time and get a training plan. Work on your general fitness, but don't give yourself too much time because it's easy to keep putting it off. How long you need obviously depends on your base fitness level.

• Join a running club or a gym that operates a running class. This will give you the advantages of coaching and other people to run with. There are bound to be others either at your level or who have been and can help you in your challenge. Alternatively, find a training partner, as it can be a real motivation if you can find someone to run with on a regular basis. You can compare progress and help each other out if things get a bit tough.

• Don't overdo it in the early days. It's easy to get put off when you start your marathon training, as you might feel progress is slow and the distance that you've got to reach seems to be so far away. Don't worry: you'll get there if you pace yourself.

• Don't be put off by the weather. If you live somewhere prone to spells of cold or wet conditions, don't let it stop you. There are ways of getting around this, such as training on a treadmill in the warmth of a gym. There is also some great gear available now, and if you follow the principal of layering, you shouldn't have too many problems.

• Enter a few races before your big day. Start with a 10k, then a 10-miler, and then a half marathon. This will help you get used to running in the ‘event environment’ and help you with things such as taking water from drinks stations etc. and the pre-race build-up. The bigger the race, the better – although the first one you do should probably be a smaller one of a few hundred runners. Some of the big half marathons can be a great learning curve, as they can have fields of many thousands and will give you a real feel for what it'll be like on marathon day.

You can do it – even though there will be times when you don't think you can. Running the Flora London Marathon will give you a buzz that's hard to describe – particularly as it’s enhanced by the huge crowd support – and is something that you can achieve.