Pace not Miles - the key to a successful long run!

Another way in which my training has improved on this marathon training programme has been the way I've coped with the longer runs. Previously, I became a bit overwhelmed by the thoughts of the long miles I had to face both before and during these long runs and began to tire physically and mentally during these outings.
The problem, I now realise, was that I was too focussed on the mileage as opposed to the pace. I was more concerned with "getting the miles done" rather than the quality of those miles, resulting in inconsistent miles and not getting a feel for my true marathon pace in the lead up to the marathon itself. Consequently, on the big day , my pace would be all over the place,with the first few miles being too fast and the last few a real slow tough slog.
This time out, I've taken these long runs as a practice ground to get my marathon pace correct and have focussed on the watch and my pace during these runs rather than fretting about the miles I have left to complete.
Therefore, I'm not distracted or worried about all these long miles I have to do and I have subconsciously settled into my marathon pace in time for the big race itself.