Know what today is? Huh? Huh? Do ya do ya doyadoyadoyadoya? Sorry, er...too much coffee this morning... 2005: Started building a base of maybe 10-15 miles per week, ran my first few 5K races, and got hooked. 2006: Found Hal Higdon's great marathon training program for beginners and started training in June. I also started a blog (now defunct) to write about my training experiences. In early September of '06 I got a bad case of plantar fasciitis (an irritation of the connective tissue that supports the arch of the foot). This caused me to pull out of training. 2007: Started in June (on the first day of vacation, oddly enough) for the Chicago Marathon. I trained pretty well, and felt ready for the Marathon...until, that is, the day of--87 degrees and high humidity. YUK. The organizers of the race cancelled it after 4 hours. Needless to say I was not a happy camper (see my post-race report here). So, will 2008 be any different? PFFFT...like I know! But I'm hopeful. I'm training now for the St Louis Marathon, and it'll be a great learning experience to do that. But Chicago--that's the real goal I'm shooting for. I'm now going to switch to another browser window and sign up. Wish me luck. Er, not for the signing up, for the race. Gee, wonder if I'll qualify for a corral again? (C:
Today, my dear blogworld friends, is the day that registration opens for the 2008 Chicago Marathon. I've been engaged in a 3-year quest to run this stupid race, and this might be the year when it's finally in my grasp. It started even more than 3 years ago. About the time I turned 30, I decided that I wanted to run a marathon in the year I turned 40 (2006). I've got this "thing" about doing something memorable every decade birthday. Mind you, I was an occasional runner at best, and weighed about 190 (I'm 5'4", to put it into perspective), so not close to marathon shape at the time. I started turning my attention to getting ready as 2006 approached. To recap the journey:
Friday, February 1, 2008
Today's the day!!!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
I qualify for a corral!
I tell ya, sometimes I get excited by the smallest things...
I just got an email that I've qualified for a start corral at this year's Shamrock Shuffle race. Yay me!
A corralled start allows race organizers to stage runners by expected finish times, and to control the number of people who cross the start at any one time.
There's an elite runners' corral, and then "A", "B", "C", "D", and finally "Open." I qualify for "D". Not based on my finish time or anything, just by virtue of having run the Shamrock Shuffle and the Chicago Marathon in previous years. Still...last year I ran it in 49:40, a 9:59/mile pace. If somehow this year I could get it down to a 9:30 pace (finishing around 47:00), I'd qualify for the "C" corral next year. I don't think that'll happen, though. The Shuffle is the weekend before the St. Louis Marathon, so I don't want to push too hard and either injure myself or get tired out. I'd hate to blow all the training for the Marathon just to get a good finish for the Shuffle.
We'll see how it goes...but I'm really looking forward to the Shuffle. It's usually a bright, beautiful day, slightly cool, but overall good running conditions. And let me tell you, if you've never run a race in Chicago, it's a great experience--people turn out in droves to support the runners. It's usually very well organized (last year's marathon notwithstanding...), well attended, great course, and lots of fun.Hope y'all are having a good week...