Training for Anither One

Just a day past my daughter's 22nd birthday and we are well into the month of June. Living in the South means summer has already started despite the fact that officially it's not here until the 21st of this month at 7:30 AM EDT. But the fact that the sun hasn't hit it's zenith, yet, doesn't change the reality of heat and humidity; even at 7:00 am. Hitting the streets this morning for my long weekly run quickly reminded me how tough it is to run when the temperature already is north of 70 and the air is thick as molasses. This happens every year; this cruel reminder of how much a body can sweat and the toll this physiological phenomenon takes on a runner's stamina.

Since I managed to register for the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon being held in Washington D.C. on October 31st, my sights have been set on the beginning of training season. I have been able to maintain a base level of fitness, while not the best, hopefully will give me a springboard into the regimen that will follow. 16 weeks of training preceding the late October date will mean training starts the last week of this sultry first month of summer. Though I have not decided which training plan I will use, I imagine it will be very similar to what I used last year in preparation for the 2009 Rocket City marathon. It takes a lot of hard work to get ready for a marathon if one desires to run fast. The question bouncing around my head right now, however, is whether my body can hold up to the training with becoming injured.

I knocked out a 10 mile run this morning in less than 90 minutes and felt fairly well, but I sure wanted to stop and walk more than once. I thought about the multitude of runners starting their training plans for fall marathons and decided to tough it out and keep running. This is where the ole bod gets in top shape; pounding out the miles when the weary legs and labored breathing say, "pack it in, big guy, and walk a while." This is the time when running through the pain is what creates a tough resiliency to quitting. Uncomfortable as it may be in the steamy mornings of summer, the payoff will come when one breezes through 26.2 miles and sets a PR. Now, if I can only keep that focus for four months.