Let's not get ahead of ourselves

Before we leap feet first into marathoning, obviously we need to complete a few races in advance. New York (and the East Coast in general) is a bit of runner's Mecca with practically a race every weekend so narrowing it down to a reasonable and financially feasible number will be difficult. Luckily as New York Road Runners members we get a super nice discount on most NYC races. But one of my favorite parts of running is the opportunity it gives you to explore new neighborhoods or view a city from an entirely different perspective (usually a sweaty, exhausted one...). So expect our race schedule to lead us off the island and into outer-boroughs and to a city near you!

Personally, I want to use these next couple of months and races to really bring my time down on middle distance races. I just completed my first half-marathon last Sunday(!!) and am feeling pretty solid with my base mileage. Now it's time to take it up a notch with lots of fun (read: painful) tempo runs, fartleks, and speedwork. We'll be running a lot of 6-10M races this winter/early spring as Greg gets ready for his first half-marathon in May. I'd love to break 1:23 for the 15K and 1:50 for next half-marathon but that may be slightly ambitious. No pain, no gain right? Feeling more than slightly inspired to tackle middle/long-distance excellence after meeting Bernard Lagat on Wednesday at a NYRR happy hour. Sadly I don't think I'll ever run a sub-4 mile, but a girl can dream right?

Tentative Race Schedule:
February 20 - 4M Run for Haiti
February 21 - Cherry Tree 10M
February 28 - NYRR Al Gordon 4M
March 28 - NYRR Colon Cancer Challenge 15K

Decisions decisions...

It's still up in the air as to which marathon[s] we may run this year. Primary goal is to get into the New York Marathon (http://www.nycmarathon.org/) in early November, but given the incredible popularity of that race (and the fact that none of us pre-qualify) we've got to leave our fate in the hands of the lottery. Primary back-up option is the Marine Corps marathon (http://www.marinemarathon.com/page11.aspx) in Washington D.C. at the end of October, which we should be able to enter without a lottery.

However, just around the right time, there's also the Istanbul Eurasia Marathon (http://www.istanbulmarathon.org) which looks splendid and an excellent excuse to go and get some travel time done. Given we still have completely unrealistic running expectations, it possible that it's early enough to do this AND the New York marathon! we could probably do both. Hmmmm, always good to have options open.

The world's greatest race

Amby Burfoot over at Runner's World did a great article on his 2007 uphill run of the Comrades. It's an epic read that really seems to capture the eccentricities, ridiculous traditions and overall feel of the race. Strikes both fear and eagerness in my (still stodgy) heart.  

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-239-281--11867-0,00.html

"Fifty-five brutal miles. Five torturous climbs. A ruthless clock. The Comrades Marathon may be the world's greatest race. But not because it's easy"

'Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run

Welcome to the story of three moderately athletic individuals with very well toned beer muscles who decided to throw caution and good sense to the wind to train for the Comrades Ultramarathon, the ultimate human race.

For those unfamiliar with Comrades, it's a 56 mile (89 km) race that has taken place in South Africa annually since 1921 with the exception of those pesky WWII years, making it not only the world's largest ultramarathon but also the oldest. The event is run between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, one year uphill and the next down. These 56 miles are said to "challenge everything he holds dear, his value system, his lifestyle. They will ask nothing less than his view of the universe." Sounds like fun, right? Uh, sure.

Now contrary to popular belief, Greg, Sheryl, and I are not completely insane - there will be many, many 5ks, 10 milers, half marathons, and a few 26.2s before Comrades 2012 rolls along. Comrades is clearly not the sort of race one wakes up and decides to wing the morning of. This blog will document our trials and tribulations in not too painstaking detail over the next two years as we prepare for what is bound to be a life changing experience. And obviously, if we commit in the blogosphere to running Comrades, then we can't flake out - pride and dignity, what little we have left, are at stake!

Coming soon: 2010 race plans, training adventures, experimentations with spandex, hungover runs!, and hopefully not too much chafing.