I have been a bit frustrated all weekend; in truth, I think it has to do with the realization that I am not at a point in my development in which I am ready to reach some of my running goals; I am getting great feedback from folks in the running community that is helpful. And in the long run, it will allow me to continue to strive to get to a level I want to be at. I do appreciate great coaching. For the most part, I have been able to achieve many of the goals I have set out to achieve; it has allowed be to be very successful. I only returned to running in the fall of 2008… five months after having a tumor removed from my brain; I did not enter my first marathon since that return until March 2010, in which I was a bit too heavy (189 lbs) and had not done the work. Six weeks later, I saw more improvement. That March 2010 race was ugly. In less than a year, I have watched my MP go from 8:31 to 8:06 to 7:25. Running a 7:25 often feels like a jog right now. Knowing that I have made some great gains in a short amount of time keeps me focused.
I would be lying if I stated that I am not frustrated with my progress. Though I have made some gains, I created this time line for my running plight that is taking a bit longer. I have elected to start thinking more long-term. The goal still remains: a sub 2:50 marathon. I refuse to deviate from that. Now, how much faster beyond 2:50 is the great mystery. I love what Peter had to say regarding progress: “Look forward, do not look back, you will not catch up anything, but you always have good chance to improve your performance!” And, my friend Karl, who is a great runner, noted on his blog referencing Lena Horne: “It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.“
Getting Faster 
Dear Edward! There is another saying about marathonrunning in particular about the race itself: It’s not the distance that kills you, it’s the speed! There is one particular finding reading your posts. I have the impression that you run too many of you workouts in more or less the same speed. Let me be honest: This is one of the biggest mistakes. A serious training is based on a high dynamic in terms of speed. Therefore in order to create a brilliant aerobic base you need to run the long jogs really slow. Than you have runs over different distances between 15 and 25 k in your planned race speed. An eventually you have proper speedwork on the track as I showed you in my suggestions in the training plan. This dynamic training generates the needed stimulus, that brings you forward and motivates you! Never forget: Who trains the same, remais the same! (As in life in general!) My impression is that you due to the fact that you ran mainly too fast have built a up a good basic speed but you have not created a sufficient basic endurance. That often happens with ambitioned runners. One thing out of my 33 years experience of running and 13 yeras of coaching: It is a kind of art to run slow. And pause is training! All the best Peter
Let me know if you are ever in Austin. We run about the same pace, pehaps we could hook up for a run. Lee
Lee, I am game for this; I am needing to do some long hilly runs in Austin. Fire me an email.