Back in the Saddle Again

OK, as I think I've admitted, I've been dogging it a little bit since the half marathon. Coming off of that dedicated training, my workouts since then have been a little lackadaisical, especially my willingness to skip a run...or two...or three.

Well, as of Monday, I am 'officially' on a new training schedule (hopefully) culminating with the Marine Corps Marathon on October 25th in D.C. I'm registered, flight/hotel booked...the whole nine yards, so it's time to knuckle down!

Lately (the past couple Wednesday and Saturday mornings) I've been trying to do just that by joining group runs with West Stride, a running store I think I've mentioned in a previous post. If not, they're just awesome. Laid back really nice people with a ton of knowledge. Everyone I've talked to there has a serious running pedigree, and yet is able to offer sound advice that isn't elitist or deprecating. (And they had free waffles and bacon after the run last Saturday for Father's Day - that's how you hook me for good!)

This is the first I've tried running early on a weekday - the run leaves at 6:00 AM on Wednesdays - and I'm amazed at how good I feel going to work afterwards. (after showering of course.) I was afraid I would be sleeping at my desk by 10:00. I'll definitely keep going with that, but I'm not sure how I can keep going with the Saturday run as I get into the miles on the weekend. I guess I could run with them and then just keep going, but that means losing the group when I'll need it the most. I've also considered joining a marathon training group, but we'll see.