jdess

I forgot, one of those weekday 8-10 mile runs each week should take the form of a fartlek, tempo or strength building hill workout which will be 10-20% faster and more intense than your goal marathon pace.

I've never run a marathon, skipped straight from collegiate 10ks into ultramarathons and learned the hard way. My advice to friends is to focus on the single long run on the weekend, which should grow to be about 15-18 miles at a minimum of 90% of goal race pace a month before the marathon. Get up to being able to support the weekend run with 3-4 days minimum of 8-10 mile runs, but don't increase your weekly mileage by more than 5% each week. Also work on training with food/water/gu/anti-inflammatories in your belly. A huge problem I see with first time marathoners is stomach problems in the latter half of the race. You'll need to consume something during the full marathon so you might as well prep your body for it. Lastly, exercise your supporting muscles, like hip flexors and stabilizers in your core and lower legs.