It's official! I am going to train for a Full Marathon!

I got the advice from the expert. Looks like it is all systems go on Monday. I asked my father-in-law about starting marathon training. Here is his reply.

"You have the motivation and desire so definitely go for it. Your schedule looks fine.  This week I would be stretching every day. You should be only muscle sore and maybe a few blisters.  Marathon training is consistency. Staying healthy and making sure you get your long run in.  You will be putting much more of a demand on your body so make sure you recover after a long run.  Good sleep is a must and listen to your body.  Very doable.   Congrats again and good luck on your training."

I am motivated and I figure, why stop now? It is going to be dark all the time anyway and there is nothing better to do at 5am (except maybe sleep).  I am following a training program by Hal Higdon again and plan to start on Monday. My right quad is still sore and my toes and bruised and blistered. I plan on getting some wider shoes that fit me better to avoid injury. I got Ellen's permission as long as I get new shoes. I can't argue with that. There is a 10 mile trail run on December 10th at the Lake Ray Roberts just north of Denton. I am excited and looking forward to continuing after this week off.

Also, My training program calls for a 13 mile run on the weekend of January 15th. I used http://www.runningintheusa.com/Race/ and the only 2 listings for a half marathon in TX are:

 River Road Run (13.1M run, 4mi fun run) New Braunfels, TX Sun Jan 15, 2011 (They might have it in 2012?)

Chevron Houston Marathon (26.2M run, 13.1M run, 5K run, kids run) Sun Jan 15, 2012


109 days until the Cowtown Marathon (2-26-12) http://www.cowtownmarathon.org/

"Daily lives are often about "the grind" - work, kids, chores, obligations, repeat. Focusing on training for this marathon, and thinking about how incredibly long it is, is about freeing your mind and letting your body follow. It's about pushing through the hill and the next hill. And it's about going out on a run while fighting 30 mph winds. It's about looking outside knowing the temps are in the 20s and still lacing up the shoes. It's setting aside "me" time to get my training in so that I can accomplish my goals for this race." - Jamie Laposta