Thoughts on Marathon Training Anew

In a little over two weeks from now, I'll begin my 16 week training regiment for my 2nd full marathon in Chicago on October 11. Lots of thoughts are going through my head, mostly having to do with reflecting on last year's effort and what I'll be doing different this year. I won't go too much into what sort of goals I'll be setting for myself in this post, but it's a given that I'll be shooting to beat my time of 04:54:38 from last year.

Between now and June 22, I'm going to concentrate on acclimating my body to training in temperatures above 80F (if the weather cooperates of course). This means starting my weekday runs before 5pm, and my weekend long runs around mid-day to take full advantage of the heat of the day. Since I train in Chicago, I don't usually start until 8 a.m. on weekends, and end up finishing close to noon. It gets hot folks, really hot. I've done long runs of +10 miles in 90F heat without a problem, and hope to continue that.

I was new to all of this last year. I didn't know what to expect. This time it's different. I'm stronger, much more confident, and simply can't wait to get moving. As usual, I'm sure you'll read about my progress here, among other things, and I thank you for following me in my journey once again.

More on my thoughts leading up to Training Day One soon...