Experienced marathon runner Dr Kieran Whyte tells Emmet Malonethat one of the most common problems for first-timers is over-exuberance.
Training for a first marathon is, of course, supposed to improve the participant's health not damage it, so it's important to be fairly sure you're not a three-mile run away from a trip in an ambulance before you put your runners on for the first time.
A veteran of three marathons himself (all run with heart charity Croí) Dr Kieran Whyte, a general practitioner (GP) with a particular interest in sports medicine who is based in Galway city, believes most people with a decent level of general fitness should get through the required schedule without any serious problems although there are, he says, some circumstances where a little caution is called for.
"If you're somebody who has been cycling to work, doing two to three miles of jogging occasionally, playing football, swimming, almost anything really that helps build fitness over a period of time, then you shouldn't really have any difficulties," he says.
"But if you're going from absolutely zero then it would be wise to have a check-up and you should certainly talk to somebody before embarking on this sort of thing if there is any sort of history of cardiac problems within your family."
Your GP is likely to look at the possibility of heart problems arising while there is also the chance that your new exercise regime may prompt symptoms of diabetes which have not previously manifested themselves.
"Some people who suffer from the disease have had no symptoms," he says, "but that can change because of the effect of the amount of running that people take on combined with changes to their diet can have on their blood sugar levels. It's not a common problem but it's worth keeping in mind," he says.
Once people get going and they follow a fairly well thought-out training schedule, most should be able to see it through until race day without many problems. "The cases of people having to drop out completely are few and far between," says Whyte.
"Obviously they can pick up injuries that can prevent them from running for a week or two after which they often find themselves playing catch up. The important thing in those circumstances is to minimise the damage using, say, the Rice [ rest, ice, compress and elevate] regime if it's an ankle or something like that or, if required, by getting some physio. If you do need to stop running for a bit, it might be good to look at doing some cross training - swimming or cycling, perhaps - so as to keep your fitness up."
One of the most common problems in Whyte's experience is that of over-exuberance with many first-timers feeling they can do more than prescribed in their training plan and causing themselves harm as a result.
"It's a trap I fell into myself," he recalls. "You're bursting with enthusiasm and when you look at the recommended progression, you think, 'I could do more than two more miles today'."
It's very easy to build up too high a weekly mileage too quickly and end up with problems as a result. It's generally recommended that people do not increase their weekly totals by more than 10 per cent and it's good advice.
"If you do more, you're putting a lot of strain on the body and if you do that you can end up having to rest for a few weeks which is very frustrating when all of your friends are steadily making progress. Basically, it's better to be patient in the first place."
The other precaution he recommends is to avoid, wherever possible, doing your running on hard surfaces. "If there is a park or play area, a wooded area or pitch, anything like that at all nearby, then try at least to do your shorter runs there," says Whyte
"With the longer runs it's less practicable because of the distances involved but your feet going down time after time on concrete is very hard on you and you should avoid it as much as possible."