I also feel it usually takes four or five races to hit your best marathon for your body to be accustomed to the training AND the race itself.

Hills are terrific for running

My guess is many top athletes, distance runners included, use performance-enhancing drugs, enough so that the problem must be tackled.

My biggest weakness as a endurance athlete has been in not drinking enough water after training, thereby racing sometimes while dehydrated.

You cannot always run at your best.

Age 50 is a lot tougher than 40s

The advice I have for beginners is the same philosophy that I have for runners of all levels of experience and ability -- consistency, a sane approach, moderation and making your running an enjoyable, rather than dreaded, part of your life.