Thirteen Weeks and Counting...

While I was training for the San Francisco Marathon, I was cognizant of the fact that it was summer vacation.  This meant that I had time to devote to those 18, 20 and 22 milers.  I remember thinking, "There's no way I could do this during the school year!"  But then, the school year started, and along with it came the stress that defines every teacher's life from August until May (approximately, depending on where one teaches).

With the Nike Women's Half Marathon looming in October, I will still logging the miles, but it didn't feel quite the same.  Training for a half is a lot of work, no question about it, but I wasn't enjoying the cutback long runs of "only" 10-12 miles.  (Did I actually just write that?!??!)

The next thing I knew, I found myself scouring the web for winter/spring marathons.  I was "just looking," I told myself.  Several races looked interesting, but were already sold out.  The Napa Valley Marathon caught my eye, but it isn't until March, and they don't allow headphones on the course.  Running 26.2 miles without my trusty iPod and Mike Malloy Show podcasts?  Impossible!

I was just about to put the idea on hold when I received an e-mail about the California International Marathon.  This race takes place in Sacramento on December 4th.  I started to mull it over:  December 4th is doable as far as my school schedule.  My stepdad, a recent immigrant from Germany, has never been to Sacramento, so maybe we could make a weekend of it and take him to see the State Capitol, Old Town, etc.  It would also be fun to see my husband's family friend, "Monsy," who has retired in Sacramento, and to hopefully catch up with my old friend, Mo, at the race festivities (her daughter runs the race every year).

Anyone who knows me also knows that the holidays are not my favorite time of year (to put it mildly).  I'm thinking that 20-mile training runs could drown out the obnoxious side of the Christmas season for me.  If my marathon finish in July is any indication, I will likely be on a "high" for several weeks after the race, which could get me through to the new year without the usual holiday blues!

Within a few hours, I had made my decision:  Just do it!  

So the marathon books are off the shelf and back on the nightstand.  My training plan called for a 14 miler this past Saturday, and finishing it felt great!

When I told them I that I was going to do another marathon, my running friends said, "You've definitely caught the bug."  I'm pretty sure that's true, and I hope it's a good thing.

Thirteen weeks and counting...