26.2

So just in case the post about "Nancy" threw anyone off (my mom actually called to ask me who this friend was and whether or not Nancy was actually me....), let me make it clear that the "Nancy" bit was a joke. Nancy is me. I am she. We are one. Has everyone got this now? If not, be sure to see me after class.

On Sunday, I signed up to run 26.2 in Chicago on October 11, 2009. Registration cost a whopping $125. Yikes! So come hell or high water (or injury), I'm running 26.2 in about 10 months. Because if not now, when?

But I won't be alone in the quest to kick 26.2 miles of ass. My dad is also planning to run this year's marathon. In fact, it was his decision to run the marathon this year that sparked my interest. Since I began running, I have said more than once that I had no desire to attempt the vaunted 26.2. I was happy with 13.1, thank you very much. I barely had time to train for 13.1, so where the heck was I going to find the time to train for 26.2? Famous last words.

My dad and I ran last September's half-marathon together (he finished about 20 minutes ahead of me), kicking off what looks to be a new tradition. Right now, he and I are planning on at least three (and maybe four) races together for 2009 (barring injury for either of us!): the Lakefront 10 (April), the new Chicago 13.1 (June), the Chicago Marathon (October), and possibly the Chicago Half in September (my dad is already signed up, but I'm trying to spread my race fees out a bit!). My dad and I didn't run much of the half-marathon together (he's much faster), but it was a pretty neat experience nonetheless. It's nice to arrive at a race with a fellow runner, and we did run the first few crowded miles together. I'm not sure we'll be able to run *any* of the marathon together (I have no idea how they assign starting corrals or any of the rest of that, plus I'm thinking I'd like to run with a pace group), but hopefully we can plan on a carb-alicious dinner the evening before and also meet up before the race starts. Incidentally, my dad has said he'll try to make this marathon a Boston qualifier, which is pretty exciting in the world of running.

Meanwhile, I wrote on my marathon registration form that my goal was 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Can you say "newbie"? Of course I'd meant 4 hours and 30 minutes (WAY ambitious?). I'm thinking the marathon people will be able to figure that out.

Of course, all of this comes in the midst of what has been a pretty crappy training effort. Three weeks into my "training" for the ten-miler, I've stalled out. I feel like I could go out (on a good day anyway) and run ten miles, so that's not the issue. But I'd really like to cut a significant chunk of time off last year's finish time, so I was planning for (hoping for) a good training effort. The first week went fine, and I exceeded scheduled mileage. But I got sick the second week and skipped my long run. Last week was the third week, and after Wednesday's four-miler (was supposed to be five miles), I found myself at the doctor's office. I apparently have an upper respiratory infection, and the doctor was appalled that I had been running (which only came out because she asked if I'd had any wheezing and I replied, "Only when running." Oops!). I was given antibiotics and told not to run. And I didn't run on Thursday or Friday. But I start to feel totally off after a few days without running, so I did a three-miler on Saturday. I felt like crap afterward, then read an article in RW about how bad it is to run with what I have (something about damage to the respiratory tract?), so I skipped Sunday's long run and am now at a standstill since the antibiotics don't seem to be making much headway, and I'm on my last day of them. Sigh. Not being able to run makes me incredibly crabby. So do I want to be crabby or do I want to be sick?

Needless to say, my inability to maintain a training plan that is averaging 15 to 20 miles a week right now is not inspiring much confidence in my ability to keep up with marathon training. Stay tuned....