Going by reputation only since I haven't run it, CIM is very fast. A lot of people have traveled pretty far to run it as an Olympic Trials Qualifier.

I've done 4 5+ milers this week, all a bit slower than normal. And I feel good. No major knee pain, no horrible discomfort. I did try to do intervals on Wednesday and my body just wasn't up to it. I think that's a carry over from my high(er) mileage last week. Tomorrow I am doing a long run of 10-12 miles. I think I might try to run a few of the middle miles at marathon race pace. I've pretty much decided to run CIM, but I want to see how a few more of my long runs progress before committing to a December marathon (rather than early next year). I may need the extra few weeks of training. I'll be back to tomorrow to update about my long run.

Callie, Try to see if you can get your half-marathon time down to 1:45 or even 1:44 before the marathon. Do a race say, 3 months before your marathon. If your race time is around 1:47 then I'd say a 3:45 marathon is where you are at. If you can get it sub 1:45 you are golden. I think you can IF you train right and aren't stubborn like i can be, you WILL make it. for sure you will! I am working on this and it will be a combination of extremely smart running, training hard, and NOT training hard. PLUS eating a lot more than I probably want to. those are just my thoughts ... over-training is a reality... patience is a virtue. NOT pushing too hard is important. it's just about what you can deal with/tolerate/ and what your genes give you! Don't get caught up in the mileage camps... it's about what your body tells you don't think too hard about running a 8:25 pace for 26.2 miles. you have to build up to this. you technically shouldn't even start any kind of marathon training program yet. just put your miles in, race for fun if you want to... etc etc. yes at one point a 8:25 pace will seem comfortable but not THAT comfortable. you'll get there with patience... and training...

Miss Callie, How did you get your RA log to do walking? I want to add that in to mine. How are you doing lady?

My easy runs are getting easier, and longer. Which is awesome for my weekly mileage, and a good psychological booster. I wonder if there ever comes a time when you have enough marathons under your belt that you're no longer worried about finishing? Tomorrow I have a 14 miler on the books. Of course, this will be the third week in a row that I am trying for 14 miles. The last 2 long run have ended up short because I've forgotten part of the route or changed it mid-run. So here's hoping that tomorrow I actually get to the 14 mile mark!

Oh, Jen, you are so ON! Assuming, of course, that training goes well and you don't lose me at mile 20. I broke the 14 mile barrier!!!!! Hell, I didn’t just break it, I blew it out of the friggin’ water! For my last 3 long runs, I have set out with the goal of getting 14 miles in. Somehow, for various reasons, this hasn’t happened. I forgot to turn left. I had to change my route to go pee. I decided mid run to change things up for a change of scenery. You’d think that the variations would (at some point) pay off by being longer than I intended. NOPE! Every time I change my route once out there, it ends up shaving miles. This happens routinely, and is as much mental as physical. Last year my tough distances were 16, 18, and 20. For some reason, it took several attempts before I was able to accomplish those distances. I remember setting out for a 20 miler on a really tough course, and coming in at 19.65 or something. When I say that it’s mental as well, it’s because there are some distances that seem so. freakin. long. that there is always doubt that I can finish them. And I seem to place far too much importance on certain distances. “If I can’t even do 14 miles, how can I do 26.2?” It becomes a mental game of confidence and fear, and fear often wins. But Saturday? Confidence won. I felt good, and strong, and knew that I needed the boost of those 14 miles if I was going to keep myself motivated. I was meticulous in my planning and mapping of the run, and memorized it totally before leaving the house. And, what’d'ya know, but I had to pee before an hour was up. Which meant changing my route. Of course I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to tack on the distance I had lost. It’s hard to add it to the end of the run, and take a left away from home when you’ve already run 13 miles and you know that a right means 5 more minutes until you can stretch and rest and eat. Honestly? THAT is willpower. But I did it on Saturday. When I could have turned left at the corner and headed for home, I turned left earlier and circled back on the path away from the house. It added nearly two miles to my run, and TADA! Now I have no fear of that 14 mile barrier. Although, 18 is already looming in my vision and is enough to scare the crap out of me. Final stats for Saturday’s run: 2 hr 21 min 32 sec (15.64 miles at 6.6 mph) 9:03/mile Next week I am going to try 17 miles, before taking it back down to 10 for a recovery week the last week of June. But, after this last long run, I can say that the marathon finish line doesn’t seem so impossible. Qualifying for Boston? Still seems out of my reach. But at least I am beginning to feel like the first finish wasn’t a fluke.