As fall marathon training ramps up, runners across the country are adding mileage, tackling longer workouts, and keeping one eye on the weather—and the other on their GPS watches. But according to Olympian and McMillan Running coach Andrew Lemoncello, many runners are focusing on the wrong things.
In a recent episode of our Podcast, the Scottish Olympian shared why consistency—not perfection—is the true secret to marathon success. Drawing from his experience as an elite athlete and head coach, Lemoncello offered practical advice on building fitness, avoiding common training pitfalls, and preparing mentally for the inevitable challenges that come with racing 26.2 miles.
Learning From Mistakes
Lemoncello’s running career has taken him from mountain trails in Scotland to the Olympic Games. After competing as a steeplechaser at Florida State University, he transitioned to the roads, racing internationally in the 10K and marathon before joining legendary coach Greg McMillan’s coaching staff.
Surprisingly, he says his greatest coaching asset isn’t his Olympic résumé—it’s the mistakes he made getting there.
“I think the biggest thing was making a lot of mistakes as an athlete,” Lemoncello said. “Having made pretty much all the mistakes allows me to spot pathways or ways of thinking in athletes very quickly before they set them back.”
That philosophy shapes how he coaches today. Rather than handing every athlete the same generic training plan, Lemoncello spends weeks learning how each runner responds to workouts, recovery, environmental stress, and daily life.
“Every athlete is different,” he explained. “The longer I work with someone, the more I understand how their body reacts to training.”
Stop Chasing Numbers
One of the biggest execution pitfalls Lemoncello sees is runners becoming overly attached to pace targets, recovery scores, and wearable tech. While GPS watches and readiness metrics provide valuable data, he cautions against letting them override what your internal biofeedback is telling you.
“If your device says you’re not recovered but you feel amazing, that’s just a metric,” he said. “You’ve got to listen to your body.”
That advice becomes even more important during summer marathon training. Heat and humidity place enormous stress on the body, making paces that feel effortless in October nearly impossible in July. Instead of forcing goal marathon pace in oppressive conditions, Lemoncello encourages runners to judge workouts strictly by effort.
“The work is still getting done,” he said. “Then you get one cooler day and suddenly all that fitness shows up.”
Consistency Beats Heroic Mileage
Many marathoners believe the secret to improvement is simply piling on more miles. Lemoncello sees it differently. While volume certainly matters, he believes gradual progression is what keeps runners healthy enough to actually realize their fitness.
“I try to build volume in a way that the body almost doesn’t recognize it,” he explained.
Instead of adding several miles to a long run at once, he often recommends increasing it by just half a mile each week. Six weeks later, an athlete has added three miles to their long run without spiking their injury risk.
The same philosophy applies throughout an entire training cycle: consistency—not one heroic workout—is what produces marathon fitness.
Every Workout Doesn’t Need to Be Perfect
One of Lemoncello’s favorite mental strategies comes from 1984 Olympic marathon bronze medalist Charlie Spedding.
Too often, runners finish a workout focusing on everything that went wrong. Maybe they hit their splits but didn’t feel smooth, or maybe the heat made the workout feel far harder than expected. Instead of self-criticism, Lemoncello encourages athletes to deliberately identify one positive takeaway after every run.
“As tough as we are on ourselves—that’s just the human condition,” he said. “Instead of saying, ‘I didn’t feel great,’ say, ‘That was exactly what my coach asked for. I didn’t need to do anything more.'”
Even difficult workouts can become confidence builders:
- If heat slowed your pace but you stayed disciplined, that’s a mental win.
- If fatigue forced you to back off, but you protected tomorrow’s workout, that’s a tactical win.
Over an entire marathon cycle, those small mental victories prevent your log from becoming a record of self-doubt. “When runners look back through their training,” Lemoncello said, “I want them to see success—not a list of things they think they did wrong.”
Preparing for the Wall Before Race Day
Most runners spend months preparing their legs for a marathon, but far fewer prepare their minds. Lemoncello recommends a simple pen-and-paper exercise before race day: write down every negative thought you are likely to have late in the marathon, paired with an empowering response.
| Late-Race Negative Thought | Productive Positive Reframe |
| “This hill is too hard.” | “Everyone is hurting here. I run strong on downhills.” |
| “I’m slowing down.” | “Holding effort is still progress. Stay locked in.” |
| “I still have six miles left.” | “This is exactly what I trained for. 40 minutes to the finish!” |
Practicing those responses during long runs makes them easy to access when fatigue clouds judgment on race day. “When glycogen gets low, it’s not just your muscles,” Lemoncello explained. “Your brain is affected too.”
Marathon Training Is About More Than Fitness
Perhaps Lemoncello’s core message is that marathon success isn’t determined by a single workout or a device readiness score. It is built over months of showing up consistently, adapting to the elements, and prioritizing mental strength.
As Lemoncello put it:
“We all go through the same experiences. It doesn’t matter if you’re setting world records or running your first marathon. The pace is just different.”
For runners heading into this fall’s marathon season, that’s a reminder worth carrying through every single mile.
To connect with Coach Andrew Lemoncello or explore coaching programs, visit McMillanRunning.com.
