When I think about building my endurance, I actually start with the end in mind.⁣ ⁣ I reverse engineer it from when my marathon is to the current date.⁣ ⁣ The more time you have, the longer you can build your endurance.⁣ ⁣ If your marathon is in 12 weeks, then you would have to increase your long runs by about 1-2 miles a week.⁣ ⁣ But if your marathon is in six months, then you can increase your mileage every few weeks.⁣ ⁣ So the most important thing is that you give yourself enough time to train.⁣ ⁣ If you are someone who is training for their first race and is out of shape, then you want to give yourself the additional time.⁣ ⁣ Think of building your endurance like getting on an airplane.⁣ ⁣ When you first get on an airplane, it’s not moving. Then it starts to move a little bit faster, then faster and faster until it’s flying.⁣ ⁣ You want to match your weekly volume with your current conditioning.⁣ ⁣ If you aren't ready for the physical demands of starting a 16 week training plan, then you can get injured.⁣ ⁣ It happened to me when I was training for my first marathon.⁣ ⁣ I wasn’t ready for the physical demands of running five times a week so I ended up injuring both of my knees.⁣ ⁣ So what does this look like in practice?⁣ ⁣ What I like to do is run each distance two weeks in a row before I increase my mileage.⁣ ⁣ This gives me the opportunity to prove to myself that I am capable of running the same distance.⁣ ⁣ It also allows me to work on my speed.⁣ ⁣ The first time I run the distance, my goal is to just complete it.⁣ ⁣ The second time I run that same distance, I try to beat my previous time.⁣ ⁣ This approach also allows for you to stay confident throughout your training.⁣ ⁣ If you struggled to run a certain distance, having to run even farther next week will feel very daunting.⁣ ⁣ It will fill your brain with self doubt and fear because you will question if you can run that distance.⁣ ⁣ An actual training plan that you can follow (first 8 weeks)⁣ ⁣ Week 1 - 2 miles⁣