Brian Rock 
Before you get started with marathon training, there’s a simple but important question that you should ask yourself: where should you run? It almost seems silly. I mean, you can run anywhere, right? Well, you can. But it helps to put some thought into planning your regular routes. The choices that you make about where … Read more
A common question among would be marathoners is: How much time does marathon training take? Before taking the plunge, casual runners may look at experienced marathoners and think, “Gee, they spend all their time training! I can’t do that!” True, marathon training is a commitment. Success relies on consistency, and that may mean making some … Read more
After a week away in Florida last week, I’m back to running at home in New Jersey. Although I thought winter was just about over, it returned for a few last cold days this week. I made it through, and hopefully cold weather running is behind me for this year. This was also the first … Read more
Last week, I took it easy following the Super Saturday Ten Miler in order to give myself some time to recover. This week, I got back to it with a few easy workouts to kick off the second phase of my marathon training. We were also traveling to visit family in south Florida. Luckily, the … Read more
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced runner, here are the best books on marathon training that you should have on your bookshelf. When I first started running, I didn’t know what I was doing. I had spent some time running in high school, but otherwise I’d had no coaching and I hadn’t read up … Read more
Last week, I ran the Super Saturday 10 Miler. That means that this week is focused on recovery. The last time I ran a serious tune up race in the middle of marathon training, I ended up injuring my hip flexor. It wasn’t a serious injury, but it disrupted my training for Philly. So, with … Read more
When are you ready to run your first marathon? That depends a little bit on what your expectations are. You can run a marathon with very little training. But it probably won’t be enjoyable. The more prepared you are – with months of running and mileage under your belt – the better your experience will … Read more
This morning, I ran a 10 mile race – the Super Saturday 10 Miler. As I explained in yesterday’s training recap, my goal was 1:05. I knew there were some hills in the beginning and the end, but I hoped that I’d be able to power through them. I woke up early, had a bagel … Read more
I just wrapped up the fifth week of my training for the Jersey City Marathon. This also brought to a close the first phase of the training cycle. After four weeks of building mileage and (mostly) nailing workouts, I took it a little easier this week in preparation for a 10 mile tune up race … Read more
I recently decided to publish a weekly log of my training for the Jersey City Marathon. This weekend, I got started and wrote up a reflection of week 4. You can read that here. Today, I’m rewinding the clock a bit and summing up the first three weeks of marathon training. From there, we’ll be … Read more