First official day of training

On the positive side - I went out and ran in what the SF Chronicle described as a Post Holiday Blast of Winter:

Whipping winds up to 35 miles per hour blew down trees and tossed debris around the San Francisco Bay Area as 2 to 3 inches of rain fell in the wettest coastal regions of Marin and Sonoma counties.

On the could-be-better side, I only ran 2.3 miles instead of 3 as the training plan calls for. I guessed that the hilly loop around the park near my house was .5 miles, and so I stopped after 6 laps. Next time I will check the trusty Gmaps Pedometer before I leave the house.

Some commonly asked questions

1. Why are you running a Marathon?

• I am turning 30 in April and running a Marathon has been on my list of life goals for the last 10 years. A few months ago, I decided this was the year to check that one off of the list.
  

2. How did you choose the Big Sur Marathon?

• Primarily timing and location. It occurs in the same month as my birthday, and is here in California. I also like the way it was described on the website: "Hard, grueling, mountainous, windy, spectacular, unforgiving, rewarding, spiritual, mystical and unforgettable are some of the adjectives that have been used to describe our Marathon."

3. How far is a Marathon anyway?

• 26.2 miles (although according to wikipedia it wasn't always that long).
  

4. How far have you run so far?

• Before yesterday ~ 6 miles. Yesterday I ran 8.7 miles.
  

5. How are you training?

• The first step, was to commit to doing it.
  
• Next I started telling family, friends and co-workers I was going to do it, with the idea that the more people who know about it, and ask me about it, the more motivated I will be to stay on top of my training.
  
• Then I just started running. Simply lacing up my sneakers and putting one foot in front of the other, for 20-30 minutes at a time. A few months ago, I just started running a few times a week. Usually one or two days a week after work, and once for a little longer on the weekend.
  
• I won't say I was in terrible physical shape, but I haven't done any serious running in a long time. When I did used to run, it was for soccer. I have never really run for the sake of running.
• Then I did a little internet research and found a few blogs on first time marathon preparation. The basics all seem to be, to run ~4 times a week, starting slow and building up to ~20 miles a few weeks before your Marathon, and then resting a bit before the big run.
  
• So far I have only been prepping for training... this week I will start on Hal Higdon's Marathon Training Guide - "An 18-week program that guarantees marathon success." :)
  

6. What's the point of this blog?

• This blog will be my way of sharing some of the experiences and lessons I come across in training for my first marathon.

Beginning with the end in mind

It is official! I am registered for the Big Sur International Marathon which is taking place on April 29, 2007!! So that I might "begin with the end in mind" here's a shot of the finish line from a virtual tour of the run.

"Featuring rolling hills, Big Sur is the largest rural marathon in the world, winding through redwoods, paralleling ranches, and offering stunning views of the Pacific Ocean."