Science or Hardwork?

I'm back doing a small bit of training. I'm trying to see if I would be able to do a marathon or perhaps a good half marathon next year.

I'm wondering how I should approach it? Should I be like Rocky and drag some tyres up a hill, run up some steps and punch the air, or should I be like Ivan Drago, using machines, computers and science (let's not even mention the drugs).

How much help will it be to me to know my VO2 max levels or my lactate thresholds, does that really make a difference to me?

Should I just go out and run, or should I do fartlek intervals, and tempo runs, temperatures, graphs, figures?

Or should I just go about building those "Hurting Bombs" by just getting out there and running.

I'm trying to think of a good set of stairs to run up, and the only ones that come to mind are the ones at the foot of the Central Bank in Dublin. I would be like some sort of anti-goth running up those stairs in my running gear!

I think I'm going to be old fashioned, not only because I don't have access to scientific equipment, but also because you can over analyse these things.