If you haven’t thought yet about running a marathon, or have been planning to run one this fall, it’s time to work back into training. This September, I will complete my 10th marathon, and what I realize about my training the most is that I have had my best races when I was working with a good training partner. Your training partner doesn’t even necessarily have to be training for the same marathon as you are, but it is important that you have similar goals and availability. Another good training tool is course familiarity. There’s no substitute for knowing what you’ve completed and what’s to come. In the upcoming months, I will be available to run portions of the new Long Beach Marathon course.