Begin the 8.5 month long training process!!! EXCITED! by lmoral6

So I have always wanted to run a marathon and in November of last year I made the decision to run the 2008 Chicago Marathon. I'm super excited!!! Today will be the first day of my training. I'll be starting with a simple one miler to get me back into the groove and will work my way up to 6 miles in the next 4 months. The tough part about training will come in early June. I'm planning on going to Uganda for 2 months and will have to continue my training in Africa. Luckily, I have a friend who will be there with me who will be also training for an August triathlon. This year will most definitely a memorable one...Uganda and a marathon in ONE year. I'm really excited for what's to come. My longest run will be 20 miles in August. That number kind of intimidates me right now, but I think I can do it with the right training. Any advice for a first time marathoner???