A marathon is a great goal. It is something you have to train for, it isn't easy, and you feel great when you finish. Many people see a marathon as a "bucket list" item, something they only need to do once. Others do multiple marathons. Of those that do more than one, there are many reasons. Some people just love the challenge. Some want to run different courses. Others might just have nothing else to do. I am currently planning on doing a second marathon, and the goal is to PR on a new course.
A little over 5 years ago, I ran the Twin Cities Marathon. I finished in a respectable 3:25, but didn't quite hit my goals, and saw some clear room for improvement if I ever were to run another marathon. I told myself that I wouldn't, though, as the training really did a number on me, as I went to physical therapy several months later with a knee/hip issue that pretty much prevented me from doing any tough runs in 2009. After a while I thought maybe I would do one if someone close to me wanted help training. Then I had a pretty successful running season in 2011 and 2012, with 5k wins and a 10 mile PR in 2011.
Fast forward to December 2012, and I've continued to run often, and have had some strong 6-10 mile runs in recent weeks. The marathon I plan to run is in June 2013, so I have a long time to train, but I want to be comfortable with a 12 mile run prior to my "real" training, which will likely begin in February.
I will probably use a similar training program as the last time, but I hope to run fewer miles, so I may substitute some runs for group fitness classes and cardio workouts. I am hoping this keeps me from injuring myself. Since I know I can finish a marathon, there is a mental game that will be played as well. In 2008, I hit a pretty big wall right around mile 21-22. I finished, but the last 5 miles of the race (minus the 1/4 mile to the finish) were really slow.
I'm looking forward to the challenge, and I'll keep everyone posted on how the training goes. Happy holidays!
