I am running my first marathon in January. In order to accomplish this goal, I have to follow a training schedule pretty consistently. I want to achieve a certain time (3:35 to qualify for the Boston marathon). Every week mileage increases in small increments, and I keep track of my pace through an app called run keeper. Basically I do shorter runs on week days, and save the long runs for the weekend. By putting in mileage on a daily basis and keeping track of my pace, I am breaking up my large goal into smaller, manageable pieces. I also began racing with a 10K, then a half marathon, and now am training to compete in a full marathon and then hopefully the Boston half marathon. These training markers have allowed me to also overcome any mental hesitance that I had about competing in such a taxing, vigorous, exciting event.