OK, Lets start planning

I sit here now staring at the new spreadsheet in front of me. There are no recorded runs to be proud of, just empty cells. The first order of business is to plan the marathon and the training program. Logging the runs will come later.

A logical choice would be to prepare for the 2008 Philadelphia Marathon. It’s now October 2007 and I really don’t want to wait for more than a year to do this. Besides, the large city marathons are so played. I have had my eye on the Ocean Drive Marathon (ODM) for a few years. It is run on the last weekend in March. The race starts in Cape May NJ and runs up the shore. Actually it runs along the Ocean Drive, through Cape May, Wildwood, Stone Harbor, Avalon and ends on the promenade in Sea Isle City.

The ODM is about 22 weeks from now, so the timing works for me. There is also a certain fit that this race would hold for me. For the past twenty years, I have been going to Sea Isle City to vacation with my family and also with Patti’s family. I know every step of the promenade and have run it more times than I could possibly remember. I can imagine coming near the end of four hours of agonizing pain and looking for just something to help me finish. I think turning onto the last stretch in Sea Isle at the 57th street entrance after 25 miles, would do the trick and provide plenty of inspiration.

So the ODM it is. This decision of course does not come without reservations. Marathonguide.com provides lots of good information on marathons all over the world. The deal with ODM is that some years the weather has turned miserably. In 2007, there were reports of relentless headwinds the entire way. I have run into those headwinds on the Jersey shore before and its not real fun. I can only think that if they are bad in August, they could be worse in March. Nevertheless, I’ve spent my entire adult life worrying about the weather in Sea Isle, why should the marathon be any different?

My goal for the race is to break 4 hours. Everything you read about running your first marathon says that your goal should be to just finish. I don’t know how you train and prepare for ‘just finish’. I understand the sentiment behind the statement, but don’t buy it. I don’t think you need to have lofty goals, and I don’t think you need to consider the whole effort worthless if you don’t reach your goal. But for me, I will have a goal in mind and prepare for the race, with the purpose of attaining the goal.

3:59:59. A nine minute per mile pace the whole way will actually provide me with about a 4 minute cushion. In the next twenty weeks, I will see from my training, if the goal is realistic.