Marathon Training

So it's official. On March 25, 2012 at 8:30am I will be standing on the starting line for a marathon in Barcelona, Spain. I know, super crazy. Some of you already knew this but others maybe not. I've not really made a big deal about it because up until a few weeks ago I hadn't registered or bought plane tickets. But as of today I officially purchased my tickets and made hotel reservations. It is quite a crazy feeling. I have always thought about running a marathon. And to be honest, I secretly, since I was 18 I wanted my first marathon to be with my brother, John. He and I always shared the same love for running and I knew that when we got older he would train and run one with me. But unfortunately that will never happen and since he past away a few years ago the thought of actually running a marathon hadn't appealed to me that strongly. And then I came to Spain. And I had a ton of time on my hands and got tired of sitting in my room. And then I met my friend Georgia and her goal was to run a marathon in Europe while we were here for 10 months. So I thought about it and decided that I would train.

I've been training since October and the experience of the training itself has been incredible. Granada has actually proved itself to be a perfect place to train and I have been able to explore parts inside and outside of the city I doubt I would have ever found. And as painful as it is to wake up early on Saturday mornings to go for my long run, once i'm out the door it is all totally worth it! I have listened to many pump up music playlists,  This American Life podcasts, and spent hours in discussion and story telling with Georgia. The set up for training couldn't have been any more perfect. I have all the time in the world to train and motivation to do so. And although I didn't think i was going to be running a marathon anytime soon, much less in Spain of all places, I am so glad I made the choice to train.

Also, check out this starting line/finish line... unbelievable.

this is the Magic Fountain. that is it's real name, in english.

and check out this course map. It runs you right past all of the awesome spots in Barcelona. And the course is relatively flat. The fun part about doing this race in Europe, besides just all of it, is that the race will be measured in Kilometers which means instead of running 26.2 miles i'm running 42.195 kilometers. Haven't figured out if this is a good or bad thing. I guess we shall see. I've been training in miles only because i have no idea what my 'kilometer pace' is or let alone what my 5k time. Basically my goal is to cross the finish line. 

I can't wait. 4 of Georgia and I's friends are coming with us to cheer us on. Now all I have to do is stay injury free. 

So. Fired. Up