So I signed up for a marathon. Which means I now must train for said marathon and that, my friends, is kind of terrifying. I'm signing up for Fleet Feet's program this summer so that I have people to run with, but I still need to figure out the nuts and bolts of when and where I'll be doing my short runs, and even some of my long runs. Plus I need to work around some races that I'm already registered for. I spent a few hours the other day scouring the internet. Am I a beginner? It is my first marathon, but I run a lot. I'm not fast, but I get there. A novice maybe? Maybe.... but what does that even mean, really, and why does one program have the novice running 3 days a week and another one say 4? Does it matter if I run 26 miles before the race, or will 20-23 miles suffice? Why are there so many programs out there??? The obvious answer is that we are all different, so the training we need to be successful with long distance running is going to be different for everyone. Figuring out what is right for me is where I got stuck... and then I realized something. I just needed to pick one that looked right and adjust as needed. Stop worrying about how many weeks the program was and find one that looked right at the end and work my way back from there. The task was still daunting... until.... 

I've been toying with the idea of running a marathon since last summer when I ran/hiked 17 or so miles up Cascade Canyon in the Grand Tetons. Prior to that I had considered 13.1 my limit, but the next day, when I felt alright and was able to just get on with my day I started to reconsider. Suddenly the number 26.2 didn't seem all that far fetched. So I set about finding the perfect marathon to go for. I have a lot requirements- affordable, within driving distance, relatively flat, great scenery so I don't get bored, large field so I don't get left on my own, and a relatively generous pace requirement (because I'm slow). I looked at a lot of races and finally set on Marine Corps Marathon and I took a leap of faith and entered lottery. I told myself that I'd leave it up to chance, if I got in, great. If not, well I'd wait until another race came along. Then I didn't get in and I found myself way more disappointed then anticipated. I wanted to do this race, so instead of just shrugging it off I went and found a better way to run- I joined a charity team. 

Finding a charity team that I wanted to run for was almost as difficult as picking the race. There are a lot of charities that offer bibs for Marine Corps, each has a different fundraising goal, and each does a lot of good work. A lot of the groups I've heard of, Team Sempre Fi, Team RWB, St. Jude and Red Cross. The question was which group did I want to run for and support? I looked at almost every partner and finally settled on one that I felt the biggest connection with. For various reasons Team Running Strong kept calling back to it's page and eventually I threw my hat in the ring and joined their team.