Marathon training advice

I read a lot of other people's blogs about marathon training and advice on marathon training and I found it extremely helpful, hopeful, and encouraging.  Since I have basically been doing this on my own I have turned to the internet and people's typed words to give me inspiration and encouragement.  I therefore decided to compile a list of my own tips for new people setting out on the marathon training path.  The following tips are only my opinion and are only based on my own experiences.

1. Pick a program and stick to it. The hardest part is getting out there and just doing it.  Nobody else is going to run those miles for you, it is up to you and only you to kick your ass out there everyday and run.  A great quote for you:  "The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."  -John Bingham  
2. Sleep, sleep, sleep. Training isn't all physical - it is also very mental.  It is very easy at the end of a long day to say, I'm too tired.  The more well rested and confident you are the easier it will be to do your runs.  Sleep also does wonders for the aches and pains associated with running.
3. Don't over-train! This might seem obvious, but trust me, its easier to do then you realize.  It took me lying in bed, crying on the phone to my mum at the thought of having to get an oil change for my car to realize I was over doing it just a tad.  Running more and more and more will not make you a better runner.  The body needs rest and you need to allow yourself to have it. 
4.  As much as you think you are an all star runner, you aren't. I started out with huge expectations for myself and when I started to feel tired and sore I was upset and hard on myself.  Why did I expect to push all my weekly runs hard and still have all the energy in the world to run a fast long run on the weekends?  I have only completed a handful of 10K's and one half - I am by no means an accomplished runner.  Be realistic and be kind to yourself.  We can all beat ourselves up over what we haven't accomplished, but try to remember what you ARE accomplishing. 
5. Buy a heart rate monitor! If you are like me and always feel like you have to be sweating buckets and huffing and puffing to have a good workout, you need to start heart rate training.  I feel it is incredibly frustrating to run at a pace I feel is slow.  This however, is crucial for endurance training.  I have a Garmin Forerunner 305 and it is amazing.  It has heart rate alerts (which are horribly loud and annoying) so if you are running too fast you will hear about it immediately and trust me you will WANT to slow down.  As an added bonus the alert scares people out of your way when running on busy sidewalks. 
6. Buy some sort of hydration device. The long runs are long - like 3-4 hours long.  If you are like me and decided to do the bulk of your training in the hot and humid summer you will need to hydrate.  Sure you can plan your route around fountains or stack water bottles around the city like a squirrel but I find having either a camelback (or any other make) or the waist water bottles is much more practical.  When I get into my running groove I like to stay in it, I don't want to stop and wait in a water fountain line while some dog ahead of me is drinking out of it, or digging around in the bush trying to unearth my water bottle.
7. 7. Realize bad days happen, you will doubt yourself and yes, this IS normal.  The worst run of my entire life was a long run of 29 km.  I started out WAYYY too fast and ended up walking the last 8 kms.  This killed my confidence and made me wonder what the hell I was doing. I told myself, phff, I don't even like running anyway!  Therefore quitting now isn't even a big deal because I will just be stopping something I don't enjoy.  Don't let yourself get away with this.  You have a goal, you are amazing, and if you stick to it you WILL finish it! 
8. 8. Keep a running log and update it daily. There are many reasons for this.  1) If you ever experience #7 above, you can look at everything you have done so far and remind yourself how awesome you are.  2) Some running days are better than others.  If you felt good one day and horrible the next, check your log.  Did you eat something off?  Was your sleep shorter than it should have been?  New stresses in your life? 3) It can help you prevent #3 above.  Are your times getting progressively worse and your heart rate is consistently elevated?  Sometimes you just need some extra days off to keep yourself in tip top shape.

I hope this can offer some help to anyone out there starting on the incredible journey that is marathon training.   Just remember this - you are not alone, you are awesome, and you CAN DO IT!