Down but not out. Seriously, is there anything better than that first full workout after something like bronchitis?! I was flying high with just a basic run. Makes one remember not to take a thing for granted. 7 miles and a cross training session this week. Nothing fancy but we're in the game. Feels great.

Three months until the Half-Marathon. Since this is my first Half, I am eager to finsih well and get to compare it to my Marathon. Everything was right about the marathon for me, so the competition is high for the Half to measure up. Then maybe I'll love the Half as well. That's what you call a Runner. We keep coming back for more of the same - well, with a twist. As I prepare for the Half, I am happy I have gotten the ole' 26.2 out of the way. Of course, the idea of another 26.2 in the Fall is mighty tempting, particularly with this perfectly timed Half in May.

The joke in our family is that the entire time I trained for my first Marathon, after each long run and especially as they got longer, I would come home and proclaim, "Don't worry, I am not getting hooked on this. No more marathons for me...." Famous last words I suppose. It's all good. OK gang, get your shoes in motion, expect that I'll rally the troops for a long run soon. Until then, happy running!

Wow! Is it the 20th?! 2007 is taking a steady to fast pace already. As a personal result, I and one of my sons have bronchitis. Talk about a training block. It's all good. 105 days until the half-marathon. Seems worlds away and after training for the Marine Corps Marathon, it is really close. Time to regroup. I like to break it down to weeks. We have 15 weeks which is ample training time. Not a lot of time for say, bronchitis setbacks. Next week, I hope to have some real miles clocked to report. :) Let me know how your training and 2007 routines are going. Happy Running!

2007 is taking off and training should be. As we start the New Year and our training, I think the main reminder is to stay consistent and jump in. We are all just starting out so there's no real keeping up. The good advice I got while training for the Marine Corps Marathon was to run against myself. In other words, not to get caught up in all of the experts (i.e. the really fast and/or distance runners!). When I met Jeff Galloway, Olympic Gold Medalist, last April in D.C., he gave great tips about staying on course for your own training. And he keeps it simple instituting the walk/run interval training whatever your intervals. By the way, he's coming back to D.C. for a Running School in April. Would anyone like to join me in attending and meeting him! He is really a great. And even autographed my Marathon Book last April. We'll use his schedule for the Half-Marathon too. See www.jeffgalloway.com. There are others and most are similar, if you have a schedule you would like to share or use. However, I just like Galloway's over-all picture of running and longevitiy. And hey, it worked for me in the MCM 2006! The book I recommend of his is Marathon. It has schedules from the 5K to the Marathon and worlds of running information for beginners. This week we are own our own. Plan to be running. Walk/running/moving :) for 45 minutes to an hour by next week when we have a group run. How are we feeling? Let me know.

Happy New Year 2007! Our first official group run of 2007 is this Friday at 9:30am. We'll start with a 45 minute run/walk interval. Dress appropriately. Layers are good to adjust to temperatures outside. Bring a water bottle. Looking forward to this.

Sign up here: http://www.pvtc.org/marathon.html for the Half Marathon and mark your calendar May 6, 2007. :) 119 days of training.

I plan to post approximately once a week on Wednesdays. Always feel free to email or call me privately as blogs are public.
God Bless and Happy Running!