Marathon runners, did you use a specific training program leading up to your first race?

I've a few under my belt.
I started with the Higdon plan. Used the 22 week plan. Depending on when your marathon is scheduled that places your start date around June-July 1~.

That said... start slow. Slower than that. Slower than that.

Train in Zone 2. It takes a lot of getting used to because we are used to running in Zone 4. Zone 2 training will make things A LOT easier when you get into upper mileage.

You mean, did I have a plan? Yes. I’ve now run 54 marathons, and the training plan I continue to use is just a variation of the first one. I might tweak it a little bit, but the scaffolding has pretty much stayed the same. The tweaking depends on whether I’m running Boston, or going for a PR, or doing multiples in the same year. It also varies slightly with the elevation profile of the course. For example, my long runs might be on the same schedule as my last marathon, but if it’s a course like St George, I had a lot more downhill to my long runs.

There are a lot of free online training plans for first-time marathoners. I would tell you that no matter what program you use, for your first one (1) don’t worry about speed (2) be consistent in your training (3) your long runs are key. If you have to skip a weekday run from time to time, you’ll survive. Don’t skip the long runs.

Oh—and the last 6 miles of the race? Yeah. You’ll feel them :)

I was a 2ndLt at the Basic School. We (eight 2ndLts and our girlfriends) were out on the town drinking the night before the marathon and about 0100 the day of the race stumbled into the hotel lobby where they were still registering people for the race. We all signed up. Six had the sense God gave a goat and did not show up for the race. I was not one of the six. 3 hours 31 minutes with a hangover.