How do you train for a marathon?

I ran 2 marathons before, yes you need to increase the distance gradually, first try to concentrate on endurance not speed (run slower so you can go further) I trained 2 days a week to get ready for the events, you need longer recovery time when running long distances, I hope that helps.

you will go the prfessionalist to got training for marathon

My brother-in-law ran in marathons and he ran I'm not sure how many times a week but finally worked up to running twenty miles. Not in one week but in one day. If you can't run twenty miles at a stretch you should forget running marathons. Do what works for you just keep increasing your milage each time you go out to run.

Great to hear you are looking to train for a marathon! My personal experience has been that it is better to do a couple smaller races before trying a full marathon. A half marathon might be a good goal to start with. I did a 10 mile race this year as a part of the Twin Cities Marathon events and I am really glad I decided on that instead of the full marathon. When you are ready to try a marathon, here are some sites that have many good resources and training plans: http://www.marathontraining.com/ http://www.marathon-training.net/ http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/Mar00index.htm http://www2.cs.uh.edu/~ceick/gif/mara.html A couple other things that might help: Local running stores are also a good resource for running and training information. Yes, they are trying to sell you something, but the employees usually have a lot of experience with running competitively. If you tell them you are training for a marathon or are in a running club, they usually give you a discount. Try to find a local running club that fits your level (if that kind of motivation works for you). Health clubs, community centers, and even Craigslist are good resources. Make sure your training simulates the marathon. If you are running a hilly course, don't do all flat training. Train with lots of water, power bars, power gel, food breaks, rest breaks and climate and temp of the actual race. Here are some more useful websites with lots of misc info on running: http://www.runningnetwork.com/ http://www.americanrunning.org/ http://www.running.net/ http://www.runningonline.com/ Good luck!!