It's Official

I've signed up for my first marathon on October 18, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio.  I'm taking the whole family with me, and Julie's college friend Katie has graciously agreed to keep Team Vallejo at their house.  I've been debating which marathon to run, and I even bandied the idea of doing a 31 mile ultra-marathon.  However, the Columbus Marathon seems like a good choice.  It's not overly hilly, it's certified (not that I'm planning on qualifying for Boston this time out), and it's well-supported with lots of aid stations, water stations, and supporters.  The weather should still be warmish and there should be a big turnout of runners.  I know some people hate crowded races, but I like the feeling of being part of something bigger than just myself.

However, now I have to really get serious about my training or I won't make it past the first 10 miles.  I know that I've done 13 already, so I should be half-way there, right?  Yes and no.  I recently did a long run of 14 miles and it has left my body somewhat the worse for wear, though I hate to admit it.  As such, I've decided to change my workout/training routine again.  Nothing terribly surprising about this since I tend to change my workout every month (if not every week) anyhow.  I'm still only planning doing one really long run on the weekend, but I will be doing more medium runs, i.e. 6-8 miles.  My plan is to run every other day and do weights/light cardio on my off days.  For example, yesterday was supposed to be an off day, but I ended up running 4 miles to my mechanic's garage to pick up car after they were finished servicing it.  I took it easy and chalked it up to a light cardio day.  Today, I ran a hard 8 miles.  By "hard" miles, I mean that it was hot, I didn't hydrate, and I had no energy bars, etc.  Just a my tunes and the hot asphalt in front of me.  It was a relatively slow run at just under 9 mins/mile was the average, but it was a really, really hot afternoon (you know that kind of heat that evaporated your sweat as it left your body, covering you in salt kinda heat).  It didn't help that traffic was a bit heavy for my taste, but everyone kept a safe distance from the shoulder that I was running on.  Tomorrow I'll start my new weights program.  This one focuses mostly on building the core, back and shoulders.  I got the plan from the newest Men's Health Magazine.  Now it's off to bed for some good rest.