If it takes a village to raise a child, as the African proverb goes. I'm using my running village to tailor my training plan for three marathons this fall: the Wineglass Marathon in Corning, N.Y., on Oct. 6, the ING NYC Marathon on Nov. 3 (with Team for Kids) and the Anthem Richmond Marathon on Nov. 16.

One thing I've come to see is that the running community is a supportive one. Sure, those of us in the back of the pack might be scrabbling to make sure we're not dead last in a race (everyone's biggest fear  -- though it shouldn't be that way). But we also keep each other going during the hard miles, sharing hard candy or saying things like, "You've got this."

I've also found that the elite runners, the coaches, the superstars, the race directors, the pace leaders, those fast enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon and others are always willing to offer advice or a kind word. I've heard Meb Keflezighi has been known to stand on the sidelines of local races to high five runners as they whip by. Bart Yasso, chief running officer of Runner's World, once tweeted back to me, "Keep that running mojo going." Sheila Sutton, co-director of the Wineglass Marathon, virtually held my hand while I prayed the 2013 race would not fill up before I had the funds to enter. She even held back from advertising on the race Facebook page that only a few slots were available, and also went out of her way for another runner whose funds were compromised by his wife's battle with cancer (he's in the race too, by the way, thanks to Sheila, and his wife is cancer-free).

The running community can be amazing.

I saw this again as I put together my plan. I've never followed any plan to the T (and maybe that's why I still struggle through 11- and 12-minute miles -- lol), but usually a Hal Higdon Marathon Training Plan is my base, and I might add on a few things that friends say they are doing. In general, I'll have shorter, faster runs during the week, with one longish run on Wednesday and some version of speedwork one day. I don't worry so much about a formal hill day because I run most days in Central Park, which already has killer hills. I usually have a recovery run the day after my long run, and over the last few months, I've noticed I feel good after a long run and I take the "recovery run" up to a few miles.

Since I have a specific goal -- three marathons close together and a desire to get faster and continue to get stronger -- I thought I'd start asking more accomplished runners for advice. I saw the Wineglass Marathon was using Marathon Pacing out of Pennsylvania. I'd researched pacers for the Philadelphia Marathon and saw all are people with extensive marathon experience who know how to get someone to meet a time goal. I emailed Marathon Pacing with my specifics, and owner Jim Crist responded right away. In a few sentences, he crafted a complete plan for me.

He advised me to read a few pieces on tempo runs and add these to my plan. I'd been seeing much faster friends post on social media about completing tempo runs, but had not researched them. They are runs that include sustained stretches at a "comfortably hard" pace and research shows this is a key ingredient to speed, which is what I want and need. I've tried it once and it really knocked me out, which means it's working. He also suggested I take my long run mileage up to 23, which was a recommendation I liked. I know in the past, I always seemed to do better when I went way beyond the recommended 20-mile mark in training.

He was encouraging too. "You have plenty of time to get in shape," he wrote.

Sheila Sutton of the Wineglass Marathon wrote that she's following the Hanson running plan, which has gotten high marks from runners seeking to PR and improve their times and ascribes to the notion that running a long run on tired legs will make you strong for the last miles of a marathon, when most people begin to whither and struggle. I've been hearing more and more about the Hanson plan and I'm thinking about at least adding a step or two from that plan to mine too.

And finally, I learned from myself. We recently had a heatwave in New York and even though I like to think I'm not afraid of weather, the heat did me in. I did not run for three days. I can't remember the last time I went that long without running. When I did finally get out there, one Sunday night when it rained and cooled off a little, I thought about a phrase that I see a lot of my runner friends post from time to time. "No excuses." If I'm going to do this in the fall, I can't let small things interrupt me. And I won't.

Happy running!

(Photos: Top, start line of the Mountain Goat Run in Syracuse, N.Y., May 2013; middle, start line of the Brooklyn Half Marathon, May 2013.)