I did my first 18 mile run of the year yesterday. It’s 6 miles from home to Central Park, and then the loop of the park is also 6 miles. So for an 18 mile run I get up early, go across the 59th Street Bridge to Manhattan, and then do two laps of Central Park. The park is one of my favorite places to run, as long as you get there early before too many people arrive.

The run went fine. My laps of the park were in the 51-53 minute range, making my pace range about 8:30-9:00.

The marathon is in early November. I don’t so much follow a training schedule as:

• Try to put in the right number of miles (~40 a week)
• Be ready for the 18-mile Marathon Tune-Up race in September

I have a friend who trains for the marathon by ramping up from a 14 mile to an 18 mile run a couple weeks before the marathon and then going for it. That’s it, and truth be told we usually finish in the same pace ballpark. Each person is different, though, and I need more practice running long, otherwise I hit the wall too hard and easily. So, being in shape to use September to get my weekend runs longer and longer—this is my plan.