First time marathon training recommendations for avg long term jogger

Whatever you can handle easily on a 22 mile run should be close to your race fitness. So if you can run 22 miles in 3:30 (9:32 pace), you are likely ready to run 26.2 in 3:30 (8:09). If you can run 18-20 miles a little faster than that 9:32 pace, that's a good indicator as well, but you are less likely to be able to have any kind of "sprint finish" left.

I'd throw the 2:30 marathon out of the window for the next 12 months. Just focus on whatever the next race is.

My suggestions for some of the pieces you might need:

1. Long run greater than or equal in duration to your goal race time. I'd .recommend completing this at least twice before the race.

2. Your key workouts should be about 60-75% in duration of the long run. So if you are doing a 195 minute LR (3:15), you would want workouts of about 120-145 minutes.

Your most specific workouts would be sustained runs at faster than race pace in the middle of these moderately long runs, or alternating fast/recovery segments within such a run.

3. Hill sprints are a good idea throughout the training. These can be short, 6-12 seconds. 6-10 at a time should be good.

4. Non workout or long run days just need to be long enough to promote recovery. 45 minutes or less should be enough really. If you truly feel like you need more, then doubling is better than adding more time to one run.

Personally, I like 2 or more days between workouts and long runs. No need to cram 3 or more workouts into a single week.

Thanks, sounds vague enough yet specific to the task to keep my into it.