A Nice Change

The Marine Corp Half-Marathon is this Sunday and I'm feeling very prepared for it. I haven't been writing much about it because the training is incredibly uneventful. I ran up to 11.75 miles last weekend and it wasn't that bad. Every time I added a new mile to my regiment the only part that proved tough was the newest mile. I've been training with music this whole time and no headphones are allowed on the course so that will be a change but I'm pretty confident I will have enough going on around me that I won't need the distraction.

I'm really enjoying the longer runs. It's shocking to me how easy it's all been. I don't know if triathlon training has just made this seem easier in comparison or what. Maybe I feel more prepared for this event than I expected to feel. I never really feel prepared with triathlon because so much more can go wrong. With a half-marathon all I have to worry about is running. I don't have to change gears, literally and figuratively. Hell, I don't have to use gear at all. Don't get me wrong. I don't think I'll be trading triathlon for running. Maybe I'm inadvertently teaching myself a lesson- I need to train more for next year's triathlon season. I spend the least amount of time on the part I need to improve on the most (the bike.) With the half-marathon training I'm spending all my time on one thing and one thing I'm not too bad at. Slow, but not bad. It's kind of a nice break.

Of course, the difference could simply be that I've been training for this with friends. Three other friends and I have been trading notes and sharing accomplishments this whole time. Training for this isn't so lonely. Sometimes Karen and I would go on the mid-distance runs together. Karen, Mike and Pepper will be waiting for me at the finish line not just as supportive friends, but as athletic colleagues. And that feels pretty awesome.