How to prepare for marathon run?

Marathon is a long distance running which is highly intense and high impact aerobic activity. Therefore it very important to prepare yourself before you participates in marathon running. Training is aimed to improve stamina or the ability to maintain speed over the whole distance. Thus training should be based on a balance combination of aerobic and anaerobic fitness, with elements to enhance all aspects of running i.e. conditioning, strength, and speed.
Training for marathon requires lot of patience. It may take six months to a year to prepare. One must be motivated and consistent with training. When you begin with training aim for distance and not for speed. Since, marathon is an endurance event it is very important that you build up your stamina by improving cardiopulmonary efficiency to withstand the sustained activity. Gradually increase the distance once you get adapted. Once you get confidence to handle the distance go for speed and timings.
Do not over train yourself; know your limits and body’s response to training. Monitoring heart rate during training can be a good evaluating tool. One can also judge training intensity by assessing the perceived rate of exertion (PRE).
Give sufficient time to your body to recover from the training. The key to effective training is balancing recovery and training. It is not only the training where body improves but also during the recovery period body strengthens in response to training. Recovery period should be directly proportional to intensity or volume of training.
Also proper sleep, nutritious diet plays an important role in training for marathon.

Hi Sujatha,
To prepare for a marathon run you need to improve your endurance level and strong legs so we need to work on improving our endurance by doing regular exercises like brisk walking and jogging and regular running practice. Make your legs stronger by doing lower body exercises like quads, hamstring, adductors and abductor exercises.