The reverse countdown begins with Week 18 and goes to Week 1 and the marathon. You'll find that these programs are very user-friendly. Tens of thousands of runners have successfully used them. Follow the schedules faithfully, pay attention to the directions, heed the tips, and you're almost guaranteed a happy marathon experience. Here is how to choose.
People differ greatly in ability.
They differ in their fitness level, how much running or other forms of exercise they have in their backgrounds. Ideally, we recommend that before starting a marathon program, you should have been running about a year. You should be able to comfortably run distances between 3 and 6 miles. Realistically, not everybody begins from this base. Particularly in the midst of this second marathon boom, those of us connected with the CARA program recognize that people are going to become inspired to run their first marathons with less preparation.