Ok, I am not sure as to how hard or much I should be training in the off season. I am planning on doing the Chicago Marathon in the fall of '08 (my 2nd marathon) and I will begin training for it in April/May. In this off season I am doing 8k's, 6k's..etc.....

I read in a running book, that in the off season, in order to improve you should not drop below 25-30 for a base mileage. Do I keep doing speed workouts and gradually increasing my mileage? And when/how much time do I take off (I will need some rest period before marathon training begins again). I guess I am asking what my overall running schedule should look like....any suggestions or knowledge about this...please let me know! Thanks a lot!!! :)

happy running:)

Well you should keep running if you can keep your base mileage around 30 that will hold you in good sted. You are not particularly training you are just keeping your fitness/endurance up. By the sounds of it what you are doing is fine and you should just stick to that. As for time off you could easily take a couple weeks off before you start your training again. Good luck