slowly increasing your weekly mileage, the more miles you run the better for long distance running.

I'm spending three months focussing on quality HIIT type workouts on week days, with a longer run and a bike on weekends. This is with the intent on me also losing around 20 pounds before the Ultramarathon training starts in August. Simply doing long slow distance over that time is boring and the HIIT helps with speed, weight loss and motivation.

Good luck !

This is a really bad idea if you plan to train and run an Ultra. HIIT is not going to build your aerobic base nearly as well (if at all) the way running easy over longer distances will. Any race distance from 800m and up requires you to build your aerobic system. If you neglect it, you will have an uphill battle.

More mile over time is the answer.

So here's the scoop: I completed a half marathon on 26 May and I am running the Honolulu Marathon on 8 Dec this year and I have an idea that I want to follow Hal Higdons marathon training plan which doesn't start me until August. SO. I have 2 months between now and full marathon training start. Here are a few things I really need to accomplish/work on: Shed another 20 lbs, work on hill training, increasing speed, keep long distance up, and strength (I have a weak back and core). Here's the dilemma, I work 5 days a week 12 hour graveyard shifts and have no time really to mess with going to a gym. I just really want a training plan that incorporates everything that will do me good and also give me results I need and make me feel like I'm doing something right. I would appreciate any and all suggestions, thanks so much!!!! Happy running!!!!

Losing the extra 20 pounds will get you 40 seconds per mile. Yup, it's 2 seconds per mile per pound so by losing that weight you will drop over 17 minutes off your marathon time.

Insofar as how to train, I'd go for adding miles. I've got a Half in late August. I started training in February but my training plan didn't start 'til a few weeks ago. In the interim, I ran a lot of easy miles. The reason is simple - the more miles you have running at an an easy pace, the more endurance you build up, and, if you build up gradually, the easier it is to run the long runs that you'll need to prep for the marathon.

Strength - build up your hip and lower back muscles and you might find that your injury rate drops. There are tons of exercises available for runners and runnersworld.com have lots of videos that make it easy. I've incorporated a few of the exercises into my stretching routine (I stretch twice daily) - http://www.runnersworld.com/workouts/glute-strength.

I have 2 months between now and full marathon training start. Here are a few things I really need to accomplish/work on: Shed another 20 lbs, work on hill training, increasing speed, keep long distance up, and strength (I have a weak back and core).

I think you definitely have your priorities in the right order here. I would recommend running two days a week, getting a long run in on Saturday and using Sunday as a rest day. The other three days of the week do some sort of cross-training to help build strength and get rid of those extra 20lbs. When I was short on time in the mornings before having to get to work I would do fitness DVDs in my living room; Jillian's 30DS was ok but to short, P90X Core Synergistics was great but you need some room for some of the exercises.
Make sure you are keeping your running miles up, you don't want to start re-building from scratch come August.

I was going to mention the weight too. Sorry. I know that is hard. But, my wife just lost a bit, only 10 pounds, but it made her much faster, like half a minute per mile faster.

I work 5 12 hour night shifts too. I'm currently in marathon training 4-5 days a week. I wake up 1-2 ish and do my shorter runs and some weights. I do my long runs either my first night on or an off day where i can devote several hours without neglecting my child.