Marathon Training Blog

Well Happy 4th of July to all. It's kinda ironic that I am sitting at home right now in Colorado and watching the Fireworks from Boston on my TV. Boston is still the ultimate goal of any marathoner, I am not an exception. But why is this, Boston is just one of hundreds of marathons across the country. Each marathon is the same mileage - 26.2 miles. There are marathons that are harder than Boston. The hardest probably being here in my State of Colorado is the Pikes Peak Marathon. So why is it everyone wants to qualify for Boston. It's the tradition. Boston is one of the oldest marathon in the country. Boston was holding a marathon before running was popular, and it is in one of the oldest, historic areas of these United States.
But before I can run in Boston I need to continue to improve. On Saturday, I ran the Salida Spiral Run. It is not the longest race, or the hardest race. But I had alot of fun. The organizers, spectators, and other racers made this race great. Prizes and awards were handed out shortly after the race. The weather was perfect. The race starts near the base of Tenderfoot Hill, running takes you 2 miles to go 500ft up, winding around the mountain. Then it's back down to the finish. There were about 52 runners this year and I finished 20th. The run down was harder on my legs than the run up. After the run I did have time to enjoy myself in Salida and enjoy some much needed rest in the park. Actually falling asleep near the river. Running gives me time to do something for me, it's one of those sports that does not take any major equipment and no-one can take it away from me. It give you time to be one with yourself and examine any thoughts that are bothering you at the time.
Now the training schedule starts to get harder. This week I will put on about 34 miles. Looking at the future, my next race will be the Colorado Springs Grand Prix - a 6 mile race. This one is July 30th. Maybe I can finish ahead of Amy this year. We will see.