My primary goal has always been, and will continue, to be healthy on race day and finish the race. I usually determine my other goals the morning of the race, depending on how I feel and what the weather is like. I just knew the morning of the Houston Marathon this year that a sub-4 was possible. I even told my parents at mile 11 that I was "going for it." I had not trained for it, nor was I even expecting it to be a goal, but suddenly after the first few miles, it was.
When I ran Marine Corps a couple of years ago, I just wanted to finish, because I was in DC primarily to visit my friend Angela, and second, to run a marathon while I was there, just to get the experience of a real out-of-town race (Austin doesn't count!) I had no time expectations, for I had heard the course was difficult. But it was a good day weather-wise and I didn't have the "bathroom issues" I was expecting (I won't go into that story), and half way through I felt strong enough to kick it up a notch and ended up with a PR because I made the appropriate adjustments along the course depending on how I felt. It easily could have gone the other way, and I would have adjusted accordingly to that as well.
It just happens that I've had some great marathons, by my standards anyway, but I know the day will come (knock on wood) when one is not so great, and the feeling of accomplishment of just finishing will be reward enough. My only "problem" is that I'm so darn competitive with myself, and I need to learn to keep that in check so my expectations remain reasonable and flexible (ie: I'm not going to PR every time, nor am I probably ever going to qualify for Boston).
My training does not follow a standard proven plan. Again, I run based on how I feel that day, even during my short runs during the week and my long runs on Saturdays. Some Saturdays I feel strong and run an entire run at or near my typical marathon pace. Other days aren't so good, and I walk alot, and that's okay. I always aim for a negative split though, no matter how I'm feeling. I would love to try to run Saturdays at the 10-20 percent slower than marathon pace as is sworn the right method by so many, but I do admittedly find it extremely difficult to slow my pace by that much. My body is not used to that. By running my long runs near my marathon pace or slightly slower, I gain the confidence that come race day, I know what I'm capable of. That is what works for me, maybe not for everyone, but for me.
And, I don't get to run during the week as often as I'd like or as often as the training schedule dictates, especially the hill and speed workouts, but I never have followed the training schedule to a tee anyway and I've so far fared well on marathon day. And, I have never monitored my heart rate and don't plan to. I know by now when I'm pushing it too much, especially in the heat and humidity, just by how I feel.
So, long story short, it is about you and only you and how you feel and what you know you are capable of based on your training and preparation, regardless of what the training manuals and schedules say. Find a plan that works for you and stick with it, and adjust as needed. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to training for and running a marathon.
Actually, if I'm really honest with myself, my number one goal is to burn as many calories as possible so I can eat Mexican food and drink martinis after long runs and races.
