If you've recently become one of the many people out there to get off the couch to join the world of recreational running and have high hopes of one day completing a marathon, we want to welcome you to the club! Marathon running is not for people who don't have the time to train themselves in order to be prepared for running a marathon and you should keep that in mind as you go about building your stamina up.

Running coach John Ferguson tells us that a running group is one of the most advantageous tools you have access to that will take you from causal jogging around London homes and condos to crossing the finish line of a marathon. Running groups provide you with the training you need to call yourself a marathon runner and that includes showing you running techniques, telling you which running equipment you need to wear and providing you with tips on how to hydrate yourself properly so you don't get too fatigued during a marathon run.

One of the best parts of joining a running group is the camaraderie you will get from your fellow running group members. Running with a group of runners starting out just like yourself makes you feel like a part of something and you all get to share in each other's progress as the big marathon race day gets closer and closer. What many running group members come to find is that they will form a bond with at least one fellow running group runner and that leads to finding a pacing partner.

A pacing partner is somebody who you will be running and training with, somebody who will be there by your side to push you and vice versa, and somebody that will keep up with you so that you both have an idea as to how you are both progressing in your marathon training. For those of you who have never ran more than a block around your neighbourhood, you'll find training for a marathon to be quite difficult at first. You might even want to give up at times during your training but if you train with a pacing partner you'll have somebody to keep your confidence up when your spirits get low.

Any good pacing partner will provide encouragement, act as a guide and make sure your speed is at the right pace for a marathon, not for a casual jog from your home to the grocery store. If you can find a pacing partner with those qualities the actual marathon race itself will be a breeze!