The shadows are getting longer. The sun, lower in the sky. Mornings have been damp. And – in my part of the world – on two of the past few mornings, the grass has been tinged white near the banks of the Credit River.

That can only mean one thing. Marathon season is peaking.

Quebec City and Montreal have already had their fall marathons. And in Toronto, the first of two autumn runs is in the books. Kelowna, B.C. plays host to the Okanagan International Marathon this weekend. Berlin's big show - with more than 1200 runners coming in under three hours – happened almost two weeks ago. And the big American races in Chicago, Washington and New York are imminent.

For some of us, next to April in Boston, it's the most wonderful time of the year.

All the hard work's been done: almost 1,000 miles (1,600 km for the metrically-oriented), on a couple of pairs of running shoes. Several early morning mid-week long runs, lung-burning track sessions, and half a dozen Sundays when we put in 20 miles or more are all in the books.

It's taper time. The theory goes if you ease off on the mileage while maintaining most of the intensity, your body will be in peak shape come race day. Your body is used to running more, so much of that fuel you’re taking in gets stored up. You have extra energy to burn, so you feel a little antsy. Chomping at the bit.

Couldn't get any fitter before my next marathon if I tried. But I could get hurt, if I do something stupid – like try to emulate an Olympian at the track. So it's a delicate balance when you want to run hard but know you shouldn't.

It's not easy trying to figure out how to get ready for a marathon. If you're goal is to complete your first race, you will focus on getting used to being on your feet for a long time and taking in enough fluid and fuel to get you through.

But if you've run a few, and you're looking to set a personal best, there are several options.

This season, I’ve followed a fairly high mileage program after recovering from a disappointing winter/spring season in which injury after injury seemed to follow me. All those ouches meant I couldn’t get in the training I wanted.

I got better and upped the ante. Six days a week of running, averaging around 100 kilometres a week. That's an extra day and about 25 per cent more mileage than I'm used to.

It helped that those evil injuries kept their distance, although several training buddies haven’t been so lucky. All that bargaining I've done with unseen, mystical forces must have paid off.

Columbus, Ohio will be my seventh marathon. (It falls on the same day as the Toronto International Marathon – my first marathon and one that I will run again.) I am aiming for a personal best – otherwise, I wouldn't have put in all that mileage.

Yes, I'm hoping to roll a lucky seven at Columbus. But on race day, there are so many factors you can't control. Rain, wind, heat and humidity, cold temperatures, angry intestines – even a guy dressed in a tunic – can throw you off your plan.

If you've done the work, you've done your bit.