7 am brought crystal blue skies, 37 degrees and a bit of southern hospitality in Birmingham Al, this morning as I lined up for my second marathon on my plan to run a marathon a month in 2014. No nerves, just a good feeling about the location, the day and the course. Two loops, a bunch of hills and an enthusiastic city that felt right. There was nothing in the way between me and the finish line – well I guess 26.2 miles, but, the marathon idea has now become a bit “normalized” – a feeling of I can do this – and so I did what I have done before, I started my run with a positive attitude and a good spirit. The first loop went off without a hitch, so many nice people cheering us on, and a well-supported race and 13.1 came up quickly at 1:35 hours. The second loop felt good but it was a bit slower and with a nice surge in the last mile I finished in a respectable 3:19 minutes. Another Boston qualifying time and a fun day for sure.

And as I get ready for my March marathon I can take a moment to reflect on my 2014 THPL journey and what I am learning during this process. It feels that, barring injury, the monthly marathon is do able. That I will be able to dial in my run even more every time – and this does not mean the overall time but rather my sense of pacing and distance. Today when I hit mile 19 it felt good – the seven miles left to go not as daunting as in previous marathons. And so it is that I have come to believe that goals that include repetition and frequency do improve learning and allow you to maximize your potential. With that stated, I still have ten more to go before I can prove it (for certain) but for now it looks like a good marathon year is ahead.

Loving life and mile 26.2.

Ciao

joe