Progress?

This morning I had a 2.5 hour run on my schedule. Each week my long runs have increased by 15 minutes. This has actually been a perfect increment - manageable, yet challenging at the same time. Since training with Jen, she has been really good about making all of my run workouts - both long and short - targeted with a purpose. Before working with her, I pretty much had a standard set of run workouts I would do - a track workout, a tempo workout, and a long run, with one or two recovery runs thrown in there as well. And the workout within the workouts didn't differ all that much from week to week. My long runs would be 20, 22, 24 miles and then 15 during a recovery week. And I would just run - usually in Zone 2, and that was it. Now, even though I'm running fewer weekly miles, I don't feel like I've lost all that much speed or endurance - this can likely be attributed to having speedwork in almost every run session and having more of a purpose than simply Zone 2 for my long runs. I ran just over 18 miles yesterday, on a hilly course, and I was getting faster by the end, not slower. I struggled a little bit during the middle (but I blame that on my old shoes - I need to get new ones ASAP), my nutrition was spot on, and I was happy to be out running. My pace, I think, was very similar to my pace a few years ago when I was last training for a marathon. The true test will come in February when the Washington's Birthday Marathon rolls around. We will see how that race goes and then assess whether we need to reasses. But, I am believing in the plan and sticking to it, because I truly think it will give me the results I want - if not a PR, then at least a sub 3:30 :)