[Chauncey]

(06-13-2016 07:35 PM)JayR Wrote:  

I ran a 3:09 when I was 19 years old (Sugarloaf Marathon, 1985). My training was several months of approximately 40 miles per week, consisting of runs of various distances ranging from 5 to 12 miles, plus three 20 mile long/slow runs on the three Sundays immediately preceding the race.

I ran local 10K races for fun and for "speed work," but that's probably not necessary.

Other than those three 20-milers, the single best piece of advice I can give is to find a training partner. You'll drag his ass out for the run when he's tired, and he'll drag your ass out when you're thinking about skipping it.

Training for a marathon is a big time commitment -- there's no getting around logging those miles. But you will feel a great sense of accomplishment when you cross the line. Only 1% of people on earth have completed the distance!

Good luck.

Congrats.