Marathon Man

Jenny's going to join me for a couple of races this year. I'll be in two more marathons along with two or three half marathons. We're both doing at least one fun run -- maybe more. The Santa Cruz Half Marathon April 12, Bay to Breakers May 18, the San Francisco Marathon August 3, and the Silicon Valley Marathon in November are paid for. I still need to register for the Los Gatos Jungle Run half marathon July 13. And I'm thinking about the Disneyland Half Marathon August 31 if we can find a cheap place to stay.

My weekend runs of 13.1 miles are getting better in the sense that I'm recovering quickly with the proper stretching before and after. As the weather improves, I find my regular course -- from my house to the Los Gatos Creek Trail and back -- pleasant. The NIke+ iPod kit did better today on tracking the actual length of my run. We outfitted Jenny's bike with an odometer, which the salesperson at REI said would be the most accurate measurement tool available for the trip, and found Nike+ to be within a fifth of a mile. Not bad this time. Thankfully, we can compare. According to the bike, I ran a half marathon -- complete with two 10-second stops for water -- in 1:34:12. I don't recall what the 25-second difference translates to in tenths of a mile, but it was a small enough distance to put my mind at ease.

We'll see how all this translates in my first half-marathon race in April. I don't expect to break any records, but I am looking forward to improving my times, maintaining my health, and improving my physique. Having a few extra races in between marathons should keep my honest.