2009 Harrisburg Marathon - Initial Thoughts

I am not sure where or when my desire to run a marathon originated, but I do know it's a desire at least a dozen years old. Way back in 1997 I went on a running and racing avocation kick for a year and I remember wanting to accomplish running a marathon.

I read both the Running World and Running Times magazines on a monthly basis. Within each issue there are several marathons which are featured in full page advertisements . I find myself imagining running within a marathon in Texas, or in Louisiana, or more generally in states I have never been too. I like to travel and so does my family. The current limiter is finding the finances to get my family to these destinations and still meet our normal monthly financial obligations.

Running a marathon is compounded by the logistical efforts necessary to get you to the starting line on race day. Most of the marathons are located in major cities hundreds of miles away. Add a couple of nights for a hotel and you are looking at a budget of about $400 - $500 for every marathon entered. The major appeal for me in running the Harrisburg marathon is I have a 30 minute commute and do not require overnight accommodations.

A marathon is about as misaligned a running goal I could have for my athletic skill set. I am more comfortable sprinting for short distances. If you look at my catalog of personal records, they are more respectable at shorter distances and less respectable at the longer distances.

This race will not be a measure of how fast can I complete the course, but rather can I complete this course. I believe this will be a test of my ability to manage pain. I am currently nursing a shin splint. Running 26 miles on a sore leg will not help to alleviate the pain. I have confidence I can complete 13 miles as I have done this recently in early September. My primary concern is how much pain will I have to run through to get to the finish line.

One comforting aspect of this race is my familiarity with the Harrisburg area. In many races I am relatively lost at sea in terms of where I am in relation to where and how far away the finish line is located. I should have my bearings throughout this race.

This is a smaller marathon, on the order of 800-900 runners. As a result, there will not be a great amount of communal energy derived from running within large crowds. I will most likely be running solo or in a very small group for a large part of the race.

I am under the impression I can finish this run in four and a half hours. The race begins at 8:30 am. What I want to do is keep my chicken legs in motion until 1:00 pm. My first marathon goal is simple - finish.