For those of you who don't know it yet - I'm training for the Arizona Rock & Roll Marathon on January 20th. Not the half marathon, yes my first full marathon. Why did I decide to train for a major event in the winter? Well, coming down off of my epic summer and going into fall, I guess I just needed a goal. Besides, I haven't lost any of my winter weight from last year and I'd kind of like to maintain. (Yeah, yeah, muscle weighs more than fat... blah blah blah. It's still more difficult to carry that around with you.) Another reason is that I really don't like the holidays. Thanksgiving is ok, but then I start to feel sad, tired, sick, fat, and broke. Since humans don't have the ability to properly hibernate, I will make the most of it and get my endorphins up as high as possible.
MUST STAY HAPPY!
A marathon is a big goal, but I'm trying to look at it as "just exercising" for, oh, you know, 4 hours or more. If I need to walk - no big deal. If I need to stop - no big deal. If I think most of the way through the race, "This ain't gonna happen," then I'll just follow the half marathon course and call it a day. I'm only up to 17 miles, so we'll see how the next 7 weeks goes. At this point Project Marathon is TBD.
Because it is winter, I am prepared to schulff off on some training days for holiday parties, and eat too much. All good things. On the other hand, I also have to be prepared to run on treadmills, in the dark, or in the rain which also leads to the potential for being bored, being cold and wet, and potentially falling on my ass. In preparation for Project Marathon I have done the following:
1.) Bought a headlamp.
2.) Bought some brightly colored clothing.
3.) Researched running groups that run at 5am. I haven't found one.
4.) Downloaded new music to my iPod in preparation for treadmill time.
5.) Tried to convince other friends to run a marathon with me. This did not work.
Last weekend, over Thanksgiving, my parents were visiting so I skipped a few training days when the weather was absolutely ideal to go running. The long run days I lost are now rescheduled for this weekend - the weekend of a torrential downpour in northern California. Just in time to do a 19 mile run. Eeee gawds!
So, trying to figure out how to keep 19 miles interesting in the rain. Should I just go out on the good ole Los Gatos Creek Trail like normal? Should I try a new location to make it doubly interesting? Should I break it up with a run to the gym, some treadmill time, and a run home? Should I hit a track?
Ultimately, I would love it if everyone would come out on my route and just run a piece or two with me. You know - Forrest Gump style. He starts out alone, and pretty soon there is a crowd of people that would start following him for awhile. Doesn't that sound like fun? In the process of his long run, he inspires the "smiley face" t-shirt design and creates the phrase, "Shit Happens." You know, because awesome things happen on long runs... in the rain.
Well, I'll let you know how it goes.
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