NJM

Ran it a couple years ago.  Set a major PR after a winter or really good training.  I loved the flatness of the course (although I swear that one hill got so much bigger on the second loop). 

Couple things:

1) careful you don't get caught up in the half-marathon finishers as you finish lap #1.  I did it - paid the price on the next few miles.

2) My legs were pretty dead for a long time after the race.  Felt that I just never got into a groove that summer for all the tri's I had lined up. 

Great race though.  Good luck with it.

let me know maybe we could get together and do some of those runs im already signed up for the njm

That hill goes up all of about 20 feet in elevation, if that (I've looked it up).  It's a really flat course.

Lee,

Refresh my memory - where you located bro?

bob

Bob - don't burn yourself out.  If 20's is a new thing for you, I'd recommend just getting in consistent 2 hr runs week after week.  Maybe...MAYBE...doing one longer run per month - which eventually builds to 2.5 hrs.  Defintely not a 20 miler every other week.  Long runs really have a cumulative effect.  Eventually, you're bound to be injured if you don't give the body a rest.  After you have your solid base, then you can build up to a bunch of those 20's as per whatever training plan you choose.

I've been having a similar discussion on the http://jstriclub.org  forum and what you are saying is somewhat of a consensus with a couple of the experienced runners there.  It was suggested that I only "need" about 2 of the 20 mile runs, 1 each in the 2 months leading up to the Marathon date.  It was suggested that the 10, 13, 15, etc. runs are almost as valuable.  So I am absorbing all of the advice and coming to a similar conclusion.  Thanks for the coaching - I can certainly use it.  It was also suggested that when I first go to 20 - do a 15 in the early morning and maybe another 5 later in the day.  So I might try that too.

Thanks again!

bob

NJM was my first Marathon, a great experience!

For the first one I did only one 20-miler. I did two of them for the following marathons... I followed Hal Higdon's plans...