Only starting. Four months to marathon.

by Paddy hughes.
(Ireland )

Only starting. Four months to marathon. Will I have enough time to stick with programme and compete?

Nicole's reply:
Hi Paddy, thanks for the question. It is a difficult one to answer as I don't know what your goal is with the marathon e.g. is it your first marathon, due you have a time goal, how fit you are and whether you will follow a marathon training plan?.
With 4 months to go before the marathon, you could certainly train only at your MAF HR and finish the marathon. Phil Maffetone usually recommends a base period of 3-6 months of pure MAF training before introducing speed work.
However if you already have a decent aerobic base, you could go straight into an 80/20 (aerobic/anaerobic) training plan such as Matt Fitzgeralds 80/20 Training. This will ensure you do most of your training at MAF but also ensure that you do some speed work. Hope that answers your question and best of luck with your marathon.