Vacation is over - Pre-training begins

I am back from a week's vacation in Baja California in Mexico's Cabo San Lucas. I have very little time since I really need to get to bed.

I completed an easy 8-mile run on Saturday, May 27th before we left on Sunday. During my vacation, I did two easy runs of approximately 3 miles each.

Though I did very little running, I spent several hours during my vacation researching and planning my Chicago training approach. "Advanced Marathoning" has become my training bible. I will be following the 55-mile per week/18-week program. I have exactly two weeks to get ready for it.

My goal marathon pace will be a 3:10 - 13 minutes faster than my PR at Houston in Feb '05.

I'm a little concerned about my recent downtime and starting up too hard. Therefore, I will be carefully listening to my body. I'm not going to sidestep the fact that I am not in my best running shape. That's OK, I am disciplined and can make huge progress quickly.

Diet will be a huge focus for me. My first task upon getting home tonight was to go to the grocery store to get several "runner foods" that I have been advised by Runner's World to eat during training.

There is 20 weeks until the Chicago Marathon. I am registered and committed. The magnitude of the challenge is not lost on me. I embrace it. This training period will be far more intense than any of my previous six marathon efforts.

It's late and I need to get running in the morning before the craziness of my return to work sets in. I will post my short pre-train plan tomorrow.