Months before the Marine Corps Marathon, Marathon Jeannie and RB check out the race course

October 15th, 2005
3 weeks post Adirondack Distance Festival Marathon (9/25)
2 weeks before Marine Corps Marathon (10/30)

Ten months of preparation, proposed training schedules routinely updated, and trepidation about how best to train and run back to back marathons, is coming to completion. The 3-page training schedule/journal I've carried in the flap of my appointment book since May is complete with anecdotal notes. This calendar, an open-ended training template, includes miles run per day, average pace rates, notations about new running shoes, and sketchy comments about daily runs. It's hard to believe. One year of training to run (my first) 3 marathons (in a year) is just about a memory.

As Long Shots and I have run together through 2005, I've truly enjoyed our office chats about training and race strategies. My sister-in-law, Marathon Jeannie, and I have savored our long-distance chats and e-mails about training, gear and scheduling our first race together (my first marathon), and with planning to run the Marine Corps Marathon on the 30th. Then there's Marathon John (no relation to Marathon Jeannie) who's methodical insights into running have also inspired me to hang in there.

OK. That's my tangential and quasi-nostalgic jog down memory lane. Geez... what am I doing? I've still got a 26.2-er to go!

Post Adirondack Distance Festival Marathon:

Following the Adirondack Distance Marathon 3 weeks ago, I implemented my long awaited strategy for running back-to-back marathons. I truly gave myself permission to rest and limit running the first 2 weeks post-marathon. My goal was to rest, cross-train on the elliptical, and run distances between 6-8 miles. After all, 2-weeks post-Adirondack marathon I would be running 21 miles as part of a taper program for the Marine Corps Marathon (5-weeks post-Adirondack marathon).

Last week I downloaded Marine Corps Marathon course maps, start and finish maps, and plenty of spectator info for my parents, brother and his four children, and G-WeB's one and only staff photographer (Slammin' Sarah) who will be cheering for Marathon Jeannie and I along the race course. I've also taken advantage of new technology which will automatically send family with cell phones my real-time race splits. (Just another way to use technology in annoying ways!) And, even worse... I've acted presumptuously bold by putting a 26.2 Marine Corps Marathon sticker on my car in preparation for completing the race with an anticipated average pace of <10 minutes per mile. I'm really expecting a fast(er) marathon race time for myself.

OK... I'm ready to rock-n-roll! MCM... here I come!

October 26th, 2005
4-days Before the Marine Corps Marathon

I'm screwed. For 3 days I've been nursing burnt-out legs. I can now walk... but can I run a marathon in 4 days? See what happened...