Training for a marathon sounds pretty simple when you say it out loud.

You run a lot and eventually you run 26.2 miles.

Unfortunately, the human body has apparently decided that it needs several months of preparation before agreeing to that plan.

The biggest thing I’ve learned is that marathon training isn’t just about running farther. It’s about building up your mileage without destroying yourself in the process.

There are easy runs, long runs, workouts, strength training, and recovery. Some days are supposed to be hard and some days are supposed to be really easy. Learning the difference is probably more important than I originally thought.

The long run is obviously a big part of it. Five miles isn’t that intimidating. Ten miles starts to feel like a commitment. Once you get into the double digits, you’re spending a pretty significant part of your day running around.

And eventually you start getting into those really long runs where you have enough time to think about every decision you’ve made that brought you to that particular sidewalk.

The long runs aren’t just about building endurance. They’re also where you figure out what works for you. What shoes feel good. What you can eat. How much water you need. What pace you can actually hold. What happens when you get tired.

That stuff matters on race day.

I’ve also learned that recovery is part of training. It’s easy to think that if running is good, then more running must be better. It doesn’t really work that way.

Your body needs time to recover and adapt.

That’s one reason I’ve been using cycling and swimming as part of my training. I can get a lot of aerobic work without adding another run to the week, and since I’m also training for a 70.3, I’m going to be on the bike and in the pool anyway.

The hardest part of marathon training probably isn’t any individual workout.

It’s doing all of it consistently for months.

There will be days when you’re tired. Days when the weather is terrible. Days when you don’t feel like running. There will probably be a few days when you wonder why you signed up for this in the first place.

The answer is usually pretty simple.

Because you wanted to see if you could.

That’s what I’m trying to find out on November 1.