What I have learned (and am relearning) about training for a marathon from doing one

1. Runners lube is your best friend.
2. Training for a marathon means that you are going to do have to do a LOT of running for about six months before the race. Suck it up.
3. It's best to get up early and get your miles in then wait to do it after work, because you will come up with a zillion excuses not to once you're off work. Better to get it over and done with.
4. Once you are done with running in the morning, it is a HUGE relief and you will also be in a great mood for the rest of the day.
5. Follow a marathon program religiously!!! Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT think that it is okay to not do enough mileage or that you can make up the miles if you miss days! You WILL get injured!
6. Do not think that you can jump from running 3 miles to running 6 miles without properly weaning your body into it. I tried that and got a hairline fracture in my foot. Those suck.
7. There is nothing better then casually mentioning in conversation how long you ran that day like it was nothing.
8. It is amazing what your body can do, if you train it right. After training for two months, I was able to do 8- 10 mile runs as easily as walking and my body started craving long runs!
9. Once you start running long distances, you start comparing all distances to whether or not you could run them. Stuck in traffic? You start thinking you should just desert the car and run to the destination.
10. Losing a toenail while training is almost inevitable and not that big of a deal. They grow back.
11. Watch where you're running, especially if you're running on the sidewalk. They are uneven and leaves cover holes in the sidewalk!
12. Garbage in, garbage out. Don't think that you can eat fast food and then do a long run the next day. You'll feel it!
13. On the same note, don't think that you can stay out all night and then get up early and do a long run. It doesn't work, unless you're 21.
14. When getting up at the crack of dawn to go running, think of all the reasons why you're doing the marathon.
15. When running hills during training, I pictured an angel pushing me up or my father lifting me up with a rope. Believe it or not it worked for me.
16. You can run longer and farther with someone else, and it makes running really enjoyable. I've had some of my best conversations running alongside someone.
17. Massages really do help with training and for recuperation! I had one before the marathon and one right after and I was fine within 3 days, and even went on a business trip to South Carolina without any major problems.
18. Don't get running shoes and then use them for everyday walking as well as running. You'll wear them out sooner and get injured easier (read: hairline fracture/ shin splints).
19. It's good to find other marathoners to talk about training with because other people will tire of listening to it after a while.
20. Telling people you are training for a marathon never gets old!