Old Town Marathon-May 3rd

So the marathon training is officially under way. Although its a long ways away and I know I don't need 5 months to prepare, especially with the residual fitness from this past year I'm focusing and need a carrot to chase. The first few months I just want to continue to build a solid base and work on my speed. I also want to focus intensely on my nutrition and see if I can dial it in to lean down even more for IM in 2009 and I want to start the first of the year allowing for a full year to see results and make adjustments.

My goal for this marathon is to qualify for Boston. In order to do so I need a 3:40 time. Considering I ran a 4:09 at IM Canada after a 2.4 mile swim and 112 mile bike I'm confident I can do this. Which would also be a major PR for me in a stand alone marathon. I would love to run a sub 3:30 which would put me at <8:00 min mile pace.

We have picked the Old Town Marathon in Ft. Collins on May 3rd (also Kevin's Birthday!-what a way to spend your bday). It runs along Poudre Canyon, which is absolutely beautiful. This is also a primarily down hill marathon which can beat up the legs tremendously but also guarantee even faster splits!

I'm excited to run a stand alone marathon after having done 2 IMs this year, it will be fun to see what I can do on fresh legs!