Time to Get the Bike Out

April is on the doorstep and it is nearing the time to ride this year. Wondering which Harley Davidson motorcycle model I ride? Although many of my male peers have hogs, I am still pushing the pedals on my Trek bike.

My Trek model 4300 (circa 2001) is a mountain bike that I have modified for road use. I had the knobby tires taking off by the peeps at In Gear Cycling and Fitness in Hummelstown and a pair of white-walled Bontrager Comfort B road tires installed. I also had toe clips installed.

My knees have not been holding up very well on my long runs. I need to incorporate a different conditioning exercise which does not take as heavy as toll on my knees as running does. I am going to use my heart rate monitor to determine how much cycling taxes the heart. When I run, a slow jog equates to about 150 beats per minute whereas a faster pace yields a BPM close to 180. I imagine biking would result in a similar, maybe slightly less taxing, exertion on the heart.

As it stands now, I need to take two full days off to recuperate from a long run. It's my hope cycling will serve to strengthen my legs and provide some quality 'heart-shaping' activity between long runs. My first ride will be tonight around the northern perimeter of Palmyra.

Milestone One - Weight Loss Goal Achieved

One training byproduct is a natural weight loss due to my caloric expenditures finally exceeding my caloric intake. This simple weight loss formula has been a very elusive one to master. Many volumes have been written about weight loss, but it essentially boils down to the formula, 'calories in - calories expended = weight loss.'

One of my earlier goals was to break the 200 pound weight barrier. I have been hovering in the 210-215 pound range for nearly five years. As you can see from the picture, I was sub-200 pounds on Sunday March 29th.

I ran for 45 minutes at the Palmyra high school track on Sunday afternoon. Before I left for the run I weighed 201.4 pounds. After the run I weighed 198.4, a loss of 3 pounds. This weight was water weight. In essence, I 'de-hydrated' three pounds of water. A gallon of H2O weighs 8 pounds and contains 128 ounces. I lost 3lb/8lb * 120 oz, or 45 ounces of water running Sunday afternoon.

I will need to bring something to drink such as Gatorade or Powerade on my future runs to replace in part, the fluids I am losing while training. The temperature was in the low 50's on Sunday afternoon. Once the temperatures reach the 80's and 90's it will become much more critical to hydrate properly.

My next personal weight goal will be to break the 190 pound weight barrier. I would like to be there by Memorial Day, Monday May 25th.

Additional note: The 25.5 reading on the scale is my current body fat percentage. I need to lower this percentage substantially before I could be regarded as being fit.

Compression Impressions

The runner today has many options with regard to types of outfits available for training. Gone are the days when you simply put on a pair of sneakers, a shirt and shorts and start running.

One of the more readily available running gear type is compression wear. Compression wear is form fitting and made from a spandex like material. It takes the form of short and long sleeve shirts, shorts, long pants, socks and even arm-wraps (Moeben wraps). The benefits of this wear are to provide support to muscles, the ability to not retain / wick away moisture(sweat) during your activity, and the elimination of skin chafing during prolonged wearing of the material.

I have purchased and used a pair of compression long pants, shorts, and a pair of socks. Only one web retailer carries the Moeben arms wraps, ZombieRunner.com, and they run $35 a pair. They are designed to protect your forearms from getting over-exposed by the sun without trapping in heat.

My favorite compression wear so far is a pair of long (non-insulated/summer) UnderArmor compression pants I found on sale at TJ Maxx for $20. They retail for $40.

During the cool-down phase after I run a fair distance, my legs feel like Jello. In fact, my gait closely resembles the wobbly sauntering of a newborn calf or foal for quite some time after I complete my runs. Wearing the long compression pants helps provide some sort of stabilizing exoskeletal shell to assist my chicken legs in supporting my frame.

While they literally do not massage my legs while wearing them, they do provide a massaging effect. However, as my wife has made me acutely aware, they appear as though I am wearing tights. I have worn them to work under my pants in an effort to expedite my legs recuperating from a run of the previous day.

Has compression wear been proven to enhance an athlete's performance ? Most neutral web sites state they do not enhance performance. Many athletes are superstitious and dogmatically follow routines. If a person believes the compression wear helps, it goes a long way motivationally. I worked out with a guy who routinely would sport Superman t-shirts, complete with the large S painted on his chest. Did it scientifically help him ? No. Did he feel better about himself and his abilities ? A most definite, yes.

Support Networks

Tackling a goal such as this without the support of your family would make attaining the goal excruciatingly difficult. I have to give many thanks to my loving wife for understanding this is a twisted mid-life crisis issue and allowing me to pursue this personal bucket list item. She takes care of our children while I go off on my running jaunts.

My father and I are estranged as I haven't seen him but once in the last 10 years. He's from the old school where a son needs to be able to stand on his own (financially and emotionally) without help from daddy. It breeds independence, but does little for the father-son relationship.

As for my mother, her only comment was to make sure I had my life insurance premiums paid up. I assured her this will not be a concern, as I have them electronically deducted from our checking account every month.

Another support network which has evolved emanated from correspondence on the Facebook website. In the 25+ years we have been apart since high school, every one of my former classmates has a very interesting story to tell relating to their life experiences. Most of them are good stories, some of them are very sad.

While you yourself must resolutely believe in your conviction and ability to achieve your intended goal, it does help for those days or weeks when your commitment wanes to have people around you to prop you back up again.

Dieting Alterations

Having been exposed to countless fad diets during my lifetime, I am not fond of being a disciple of any specific diet available on the market today. Common sense should go a long way in eating better.

My major dieting vice has been consuming three Mountain Dew cans of soda per business day while I code programs at work. This translates to 15 cans a week or 60 cans per month. Aside of this being a $30+ per month habit, the caffeine and sugar ingested over the course of the last several years has contributed significantly to my physical atrophy. I have eliminated Mountain Dew, and sodas in general (even diet sodas), completely from my diet.

I have also gone from eating the three major meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner to six smaller meals per day. I have halved the portions I typically eat for the major meals and have added a small 'snack meal' in between these meals. One of the easier snack meals to prepare is cottage cheese coupled with crushed pineapples, strawberries, raspberries or whatever your fruit of choice may be. Eating the six meals a day helps to avoid the rollercoaster up and downs your body endures throughout the day as you repeatedly eat and get hungry.

The last major dieting change I have made was to add a significant amount of variety to my diet. Too often we become slaves to a routine of preparing meals, e.g. pizza and chips on Friday evenings. Adding a significant amount of fruits and vegetables to my diet has helped me avoid junk snacks such as ice cream and potato chips.

I recently steamed asparagus tips and covered it with a ranch dressing based sauce with bacon I made for a snack meal. I probably have not had asparagus tips for five years prior to this meal.

Long story short - eliminating obviously poor nutrional chocies, eating more meals per day and creating more diversified components for each meal has proven to be very effective in bolstering my daily energy level.

Persistence, Persistence, Persistence

I sometimes lie in my bed at night and wonder to myself,"What the hell are you trying to do ? You crazed middle aged-fool." You question your motives for the goals you have set, how far away you are from realizing the goal, what further must I do to realize this goal, etc.

You only have so many memorable "defining" memories in life, such as getting married, having your children, buying a home etc.

From my personal experience, you get into a routine, which you perform day in and day out. No real highs, no real lows. Your life is being lived in an auto-pilot mode. It's important to step outside of this routine and set reasonable personal goals which require you to deviate from the 'ho-hum', cyclical and machine-like existence you may have carved for your life.

I would not equate this goal with having a child or getting married, but it will be an accomplishment I remember for the rest of my life. My friends and family will also remember this achievement for the rest of my life, because I will remind them frequently.

The most difficult part of the training is to be both patient the daily steps you are completing are getting you closer to your goal and to maintain your persistence or motivational level in an effort to continue your personal trek.

In the grand scheme of things, the seven months of arduous physical training will consume a small fraction of my lifetime. I'm hoping it will serve to propel myself to achieve similar conquests in the future - with my sons in tow.

Running Socks - Cotton vs Synthetic

Next to the running shoe, the sock you wear is probably the most important comfort issue a runner needs to contend with on long runs. At the moment, a long run for me is anything over 15 minutes.

I have always worn cotton socks, as they are the most prevalently manufactured and readily available sock today. After reading about synthetic socks in a Runner's World magazine issue I decided to purchase a pair. Unfortunately, in order to purchase synthetic socks you have to go to a running store or order them online.

There are two basic styles of sock available today; crew socks, which partially cover your calves and anklets, or 'no-shows', which only cover the foot. I purchased anklets from two of the more popular sock manufacturers, Feetures and Balga at the Inside Track store in Harrisburg. The Balgas were the most comfortable of the two.

Running with cotton socks on the long runs had the effect of a mild skin irritation on the soles of my feet. The soles were red from the cotton rubbing back and forth over the soles of my feet.

I ran with the the Feetures for 35 minutes on Saturday afternoon. They were very comfortable and I did not having any skin irritation after the run. Synthetics socks also tout wicking moisture away from your feet, but I was not able to confirm this feature. My socks still felt moist and sweaty during the run.

At approximately $9.00 a pair, I do not anticipate accumulating a large inventory of synthetic socks.


Weight:205 pounds - Down six pounds since March 1st.

Heart Rate Monitor - Day One

Still reeling from my three mile 'marker' run on Saturday, I ran 32 minutes around the track yesterday at the Palmyra Middle school. The plan was to run for 3 minutes, then walk for 1 minute, for a total of eight times.

My knees hurt so intensely I could not run at my normal stride due to the weight exerted on my knees while running. In order to get a workout in, I modified my stride to be a very short choppy stride. I probably looked like a very old man running.

The heart rate monitor revealed for the the majority of my training my heart rate was between 155 and 160 beats per minute. My resting heart rate is 70 BPM while my maximum is 182 BPM. This translates to running at a pace between 76% and 80% of my maximum heart rate.

Gauging by the effort I exerted yesterday to yield a 75% clip, I know I was over-exerting myself on the previous marker runs. I probably was closing in on 95% of my max heart rate.

My $32 Omron combinaton chest band heart rate transmitter and watch receiver worked very well. I am glad I did not spend hundreds more for all the other bells and whistles. The elastic band which houses the heart rate monitoring device was not irritating at all. In fact, I forgot I had it on several times.

Marathon Mile Dedications

A marathon for a person at my fitness level is approximately a 5 hour event. You need to assemble as many motivational internals as possible to offset the pain management the brain will be consumed with throughout this time. An excellent idea to help motivate a runner from mile to mile is to dedicate each mile to a person.

All relations are with respect to my children.

Mile 1 - Marlene Bracale (Great-grandmother)
Mile 2 - Frank Bracale (Great-grandfather)
Mile 3 - Frieda Evans (Grandmother)
Mile 4 - Cathy & Rick Bracale (aunt & uncle)
Mile 5 - Roxy & Steve Bracale (aunt & uncle)
Mile 6 - Christie & Donald Smith (aunt & uncle)
Mile 7 - Brooke Guessford (aunt)
Mile 8 - Randy & Lindsay Bracale (cousins)
Mile 9 - David & Steve Evans (uncles)
Mile 10 - Brianna Evans (cousin)
Mile 11 - Brett Evans (cousin)
Mile 12 - Hunter Bracale (cousin)
Mile 13 - Taylor Bracale (cousin)
Mile 14 - Lance Bracale (cousin)
Mile 15 - Madison Smith (cousin)
Mile 16 - Katie Smith (cousin)
Mile 17 - Kylee Guessford (cousin)
Mile 18 - Cameron Guessford (cousin)
Mile 19 - Faith Evans (cousin)
Mile 20 - Cole Evans (cousin)
Mile 21 - Tyler Evans (son 2)
Mile 22 - Dylan Evans (son 1)
Mile 23 - Beth Evans (mother)
Mile 24 - James Mitchell (Grandfather)
Mile 25 - Kathy Mitchell (Grandmother)
Mile 26 - Jesus Christ

Inside Track retail stores

While doing an Internet search for insoles for my sneakers I found a small chain of stores named Inside Track with locations in both Harrisburg and Lancaster. I visited the Harrisburg location today and the employees were very helpful and did not try to sell me anything I did not need, i.e. it was not a high-pressure sale environment.

I found a Brooks running jacket there for 25% off for about $35, and an Asics technical T-shirt for about $15. The T-shirt was 40% off. Technical in this case means it is made of a material which does not absorb sweat, ala cotton T-shirts.

The store is located in the shopping mall next to Wal-Mart in Harrisburg.

http://insidetrackpa.com/ (website is in its infancy)

Inside Track
6301 Grayson Rd Spc 22
Harrisburg, PA 17111
717-564-2770

State of the Union Address

For the last two weeks I have been attempting to evaluate my current running fitness level. I began with a baseline one-mile run, proceeded to a baseline two mile run, and finished with a 3 mile run from Hershey to Palmyra. I was training in addition to these 'marker' runs.

I completed the one mile run on the Palmyra track in 10 minutes and 12 seconds. While this is not a good time by any means, it is about where I expected to be. My goal is to get down to 7 minutes and change (about 45 seconds worth) for a one mile run. The temperature for this run was in the mid 40's.

The two mile run went reasonably well. I also ran this on the Palmyra track in low 40's temperature. I ran this in 21:25 minutes. This time is consistent with the one mile baseline run.

The three mile run from my workplace on Granada Ave in Hershey to my house in Palmyra was on a road (Rt 422), complete with hills and valleys. The temperature was in the upper 30's. As the comedian Larry the Cable Guy might say, "I broke down worse than a fat chick who missed the tour bus to a Ricky Martin concert." I ran / walked it in 39:27 minutes. I warmed up for 5 minutes, but neglected to stretch. I tried to run through a cramp in my left calf. It did not work.

In an effort to get these baseline times, I have been breaking a bevy of sound training fundamentals. The most aggregious violation was increasing my running milage by more than 10% per week. Failure to abide by this training rule will result in sore knees, groin pulls, and long muscular recovery times. Guilty, guilty, guilty.

Moving forward, I plan to use a heart rate monitor and a prescribed conditioning plan to employ a more structured, methodical routine to get in shape. Details will be forthcoming.

Other notes: I have lost 4 pounds in two weeks due to the increased physical activity and better diet. Four pounds equates to a half gallon of water - weight my heart does not have to support anymore.

Heart Rate Monitor - Useful Training Device ?

It appears from researching on the internet the 'tier 1' HRM maufacturers are Garmin, Polar, and Suunto. The tier 2 manufacturers are Omron, Timex and Nike.

While there are very sophisticated HRM's, some including built-in GPS systems, not one model stood out as the defacto standard.

The best rated entry-level HRM was by Omron, model HR-100C. I purchased this from Amazon for $32.50 today. If training with this model does not serve to be very valuable, I will have only flushed $33. I would have major issues buying a $250 HRM with GPS and the unit did not work correctly.

This unit has a transmitter embedded within a belt you wrap around your chest near the sternum. It sends signals to a wrist watch unit and your pulse is displayed digitally on the face.

Once I become adept at using this monitor, it can be used during the marathon to pace myself during the early stages of the run. A common mistake is to start out of the gate too fast due to the accumulated adrenaline stored up before the race.

Heart monitors are devices that are designed for wear during strenuous exercise, and serve the purpose of measuring and recording your heart rate, while giving you instant feedback about the work level of your heart. The fitness of the heart is the key to one's aerobic endurance - sometimes called 'cardiovascular respiratory endurance'. Both for health and racing reasons, aerobic endurance is a point of focus for almost any runner. Heart monitors are one of the most effective aids for tracking and developing your progress on the path to increased aerobic endurance

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Choosing a Balanced Breakfast Cereal

I've begun to read Nancy's Clark's Sports Nutrion Guidbeook and I was glad to see breakfast cereal with milk could be a staple of a healthy diet.

One interesting takeaway regarding breakfast cereals was mixing more than one kind of cereal together to get a more balanced nutrional composition. Most of the healthy cereals I have had so far are lacking on lacking on the taste forefront.

I have eliminated a 2nd bowl of cereal every morning. Instead I am eating a bowl of Quaker oatmeal. This should help diversify my breakfast diet portfolio.


Excerpted from askdrsears.com regarding breakfast cereals...
The grains should be whole (e.g. "whole wheat" or "wheat bran," not just "wheat").

Protein content should be at least 3 grams per serving

The total carbohydrate-to-sugar ratio should be no less than four to one.* This means if the "Total Carbohydrate" line says 24 grams, the "sugars" should have a value of 6 grams or less. That tells you that most of the carbs come from the grain and fibers, not from the added sugars. On the other hand, a cereal with 28 grams of total carbohydrate and 15 grams of sugars would fall into the "junk cereal" category. Super nutritious cereals have a carb-to- sugar ratio of six or seven to one (e.g., 23 grams to 3 grams).

Also look for the "five and five" rule: Less than 5 grams of sugar and at least 5 grams of fiber.

Running For Charity - Cancer Research

You need a tremendous amount of motivation to train for a full marathon. I have not been as dedicated to physical fitness in general since I remarried and started a family. My resting blood pressure has been measured at 200+ / 130. I need to get back in shape if I want to see both my 1 and 6 year old sons grow up.

Another motivator has emerged. I recently found out my mother-in-law has been diagnosed with lymphoma cancer.

I have known her for 8 years and she has been a godsend for me & my family. She's in stage 4 of the disease and may need bone marrow transplants to help boost her immune system.

I have not done very much charity work in my life, but I would like to use this opportunity of running a marathon to raise money for cancer. I am not very good at asking people for donations, but I would like to help my mother in law in any way I can to get her through this difficult time for all of our families.

I need to find an organization and then get 'official' donation request materials from them.

http://www.cancerresearch.org/Giving.aspx?id=286

Excerpted from emedicinehealth.com ...
The lymphatic system is part of the immune system. It consists of a network of vessels that carry a fluid called lymph, similar to the way that the network of blood vessels carry blood throughout the body. Lymph contains white blood cells called lymphocytes. Lymphocytes attack a variety of infectious agents as well as many cells in the precancerous stages of development.

Cross Training and mapping runs URL

I have been training for a little over two weeks now. It's painfully obvious I will need to pursue various other fitness avenues, such as biking, basketball and weight training in order to lively up the fitness routine in general. Trail running is an option also, but I'm thinking that screams twisted ankle to me.

There's a useful website called www.gmap-pedometer.com which enables you to map out runs (or walks) in your area. Type in your address at the top of the screen next to the label 'Jump To'. Zoom down to street level using the vertical slider bar and your mouse. Single mouse click and hold it on the screen to move the map around. Once you find your run's beginning point, click on the 'Start Recording' button. Now double click on each intersection or point you want to run through, including the beginning point. You'll see the number in the Total Distance box increasing as you add points.

You can also save the route for future use, although you'll have to bookmark them to recall them.

Finally found a marathon event.

I officially signed up for the Scotiabank Toronto Riverfront marathon event online via the marathonguide.com website on Saturday morning @10:41 AM. The race is on Sunday September 27th @7:30 AM, some 202 days or about 28 weeks away.

The return email contained a link to the URL http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/en/travel.htm It contains information relating to hotels and things to do in Toronto. At first glance, the CN tower, Ontario Place and the St. Lawrence Market appear to be interesting.

I must obtain passport cards for the kids & wife in order for them to travel with me to Canada. I have a passport book from 2002 when my wife and I went on our Caribbean honeymoon. The passport cards are cheaper than the passport books. Although the card can only be used for travel to Canada, Mexico, Caribbean and the Bahamas. The cards were first issued in July of 2008.

Each of the kids passport cards will cost $35, while my wife's passport card will cost $45. Processing turnaround time is said to be 3-6 weeks.

An interesting twist to running a marathon in Canada is the race is run using kilometers. As you may or may not know, a marathon in the United States is pegged at 26.2 miles. This translates to about 42.2 kilometers. The markers listed for the course are given at 10K intervals.

Ordered two books from Amazon.com; Marathoning for Mortals and Running for Mortals: A Commonsense Plan for Changing Your Life With Running.

Also ordered a pair of Mizuno Wave Rider 12 sneakers from RoadRunnerSports.com. These sneakers are of the neutral pronation, cushioned type. The website recommended ordering 1/2 size up from what you normally wear. I ordered size 11's.

Weight: 208lbs

ScotiaBank Toronto Waterfront marathon

excerpted from http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/en/index.htm

The flat and fast features of this event (includes the marathon, half and 5k) have consistently been the reason for so many people reaching a personal best, qualifying for Boston, having a memorable but good first marathon or an outstanding one. Even power walkers or slower runners love this course because of its 6 hour 30 minute time limit.

New since '08: The events start and finish in the same spot in the heart of downtown, at City Hall, at Bay & Queen Streets, hosted by Mayor David Miller. They head out and back along the lakeshore on a flat course that Boston hopefuls and first-timers love. Toronto Waterfront was one of only 4 sub-2:10 marathons in North America in 2007 [2:09:30]; and has been awarded a prestigious IAAF Silver label for 2008, as one of the 50 best road races in the world!

There are bands and Neighbourhood Entertainment Centres every 2 kilometres, cheerleaders, numerous aid stations and "The Penguin", John Bingham, hamming it up on the mike after his finish in the half. Overall, there's a great, festive atmosphere. All marathoners and half marathoners get technical t-shirts and exciting finisher's medals (marathon & half) designed by Hasty Awards, who developed the world's first "spinner" for Miami Marathon.

Toronto Waterfront, however, is much more than just the run... it's a festive, full weekend that starts with gurus John Stanton, Coach Jenny Hadfield and John Bingham at the free 2-day Expo, Friday and Saturday. There's a Saturday morning (free) short International Friendship Run, hosted by the Running Room, a fun carbo load pasta dinner on Saturday night and a post-race Victory party in Nathan Phillips Square from 9am to 3pm on Sunday. It's all part of an "unforgettable" Toronto experience!

Other notes: Videotaped my running style with my handy Flip video camera. I am a regular 'pronator.' I do not have an under or over pronation problem. The sneaker type I should wear is called neutral cushioning shoes.

Nutriton, Tying your Sneakers, Race Venues again

I need to do some research on nutrition and dieting to complement my physical training.

Thanks to the Facebook website and former high school classmate Grace Fasola Malacrida for two recommendations for reading; Superfoods; Serious Training for Endurance Athletes & Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook.

Do you know there are a couple of ways to tie your shoes ? One way is the traditional granny knot, another is called an Ian knot, and yet another more preferred knot is called the reef knot. Allegedly, a reef knot will not come untied while running.

The Steamtown marathon in Scranton was beginning to look like an attractive compromise between the Erie Presque Isle marathon and the Marine Corps marathon. My youngest son's birthday is on the Steamtown marathon race day.
http://www.steamtownmarathon.com/

There's a marathon being run in Toronto on September 27, 2009 called the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront marathon which caught my eye today. Toronto is a the largest city in Canada and is on the northwest shore of Lake Ontario.

http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/en/index.htm

Search for a Race - Part Deux

An interesting dynamic occurred to me while researching marathon races yesterday. The Marine Corp Marathon begins with 30,000 runners and 100,000 spectators within Washington D.C.. In comparison, the Steamtown Marathon, run in Scranton, only fields ~ 1600 runners.

Do I want to run in a mass of over 1000 runners per mile or a much smaller runner density ? I have concerns regarding being spit upon several times as well as stepped on, runners and/or spectators obstructing my path, during the race. While the appeal of the grand festivities, Washington D.C. location and the large number of spectators with their encouragement is substantial, I am concerned the actual race experience will be marred by the sheer volume of humanity trying to run at the same time & path.

I found a smaller marathon race, the Erie Marathon at Presque Isle on Sunday September 13th @ 7:00 am. There were only 400 finishers for this race in 2008. It's a two loop course run at the Presque Isle State Park. It's billed as one of the flattest marathons in the country. Their website states all runners must maintain a 14 minute mile pace. 14*26.2 miles = 366.8 minutes or about 6 hours and then they close down the course.

Another benefit of a smaller race is my family would find it much easier to find a place to watch me run and/or take pictures of daddy.

Other notes:
I am training with running shoes from Saucony, called the Progrid Stabil CS. They were purchased online from Zappos.com

Will be running a baseline two mile time trial Friday March 6th.

Presque Isle State Park
301 Peninsula Drive, Suite 1
Erie, PA 16505
(814) 833-7424


http://www.marathonguide.com

Search for a Race

Being from Pennsylvania and of modest means, I want to stay as local as possible for a race. Also being in as poor shape as I am, I need to train for a fair amount of time before racing. My 45 years of age also adds some complexities.

An October 2009 (~ 7 months from now) 'ready to go' date seems to be reasonable for me. The Steamtown Marathon is located in Scranton PA and is on Sunday October 11th this year. It's billed as a fast, runner friendly course. There's a drop in elevation of 955 feet. There were 1573 finishers in 2008.

The Marine Corps Marathon is on October 25th this year. It's billed as the People's Marathon and the Marathon of the Monuments. Most of the race is in Washington D.C. Aside of the NY and Boston marathons, it's probably the most popular marathon in the country. Registration begins April 1st. Limited to first 30,000 runners. There were 18,219 finishers in 2008.

An $88 registration fee includes all race materials, bib, mock neck participant shirt, free virtual trainer, goodie bag, and timing tag with ten split locations, provided by ChronoTrack Timing Systems, Inc.

I am very concerned about the temperature in late October. I am not sure how my body would contend with 45 degree weather and a nearly 100 degree sweaty body.

I am leaning toward the Marine Corps Marathon now. I have a month to decide which marathon of the two I would like to pursue.

Of course, all of this is predicated on my ability to withstand the rigors of training. I may find myself downsizing to a half-marathon if my body requires.

Weight: 211 lbs