Selecting the right marathon training plan can feel like a tough choice, especially with all the options available. You have to consider the mileage builds, workout structures, and overall training philosophies.

It’s easy to gravitate toward a plan that looks the most impressive on paper or aligns with a shiny target time, but according to coaches, neither of those is the most important factor in race-day success. The real key is much simpler, but easy to overlook.

Instead of focusing on the outcome the plan will produce, the most important element of a training program is how well it matches your current fitness level. In other words: Be honest with yourself.

“You don’t want to let ego drive the bus,” Alysha Flynn , RRCA-certified run coach for Every Woman’s Marathon, previously told Runner’s World.…