Marathon training

I have been a runner, on and off, for 20 years. At my peak, I would probably not run more than 12 miles a week, but I have had a 20 year-old intention of some day training for and running a marathon. Well, this year, I turned 40 and I was forced to recognize that it is only going to get harder if I wait any longer. So I began a couple of months ago to increase my mileage with the goal of running a half-marathon in May 2005, and the Twin Cities Marathon in October 2005.

I read somewhere that announcing that you are going to run a marathon is like announcing that you are going to quit smoking. It is the easy part, but it puts you on record and if you don't follow through, people will ask you "why." Well, I've said it.