#runstreak day 489

Still here, still plugging away.  School, work, running, mom, grandma, that is my life.  We had some big drama in our house right after we got back from our family trip a few weeks ago.  Needless to say, Damian is living with us again, and he has Asher every other week for a week.  Unfortunately, this all happened a week before Damian started a new job, so he's waiting to actively look for a new place until he has settled into his job and has his income figured out.

I am running.  I run everyday.  I'm not doing a lot on my treadmill, mostly because I hate treadmills so much.  It's a love/hate relationship.  I love the option when the weather sucks, or if I'm only running a mile (especially at 4am), but I hate the monotony of the treadmill.  Plus, it's hot, and the scenery (my living room) sucks.

I have been contemplating another marathon.  Honestly, about this time of year, I always contemplate whether I'm going to train for the Tri-Cities marathon again.  I always choose the Tri-Cities marathon because it's flat and near my parent's house.  However, last year during the Ragnar someone on my team, but in the other van, told me about a marathon that is downhill.  I couldn't remember the name, but remembered that it's always on the weekend that I normally do the wine walk with my sister.  (I was going to link last year's wine walk, but I don't think I posted about it.  I've gotten really bad.)  Anyway, this year my sister and her husband are going on a cruise to Hawaii and will be gone that weekend, so it may be the only year I'm able to do it.  I googled it, and found it.  It's the Cascade Express Marathon.  And it really does look spectacular . . . well, except it's on a gravel trail the whole way (running on gravel sucks). 

I'm stuck on whether I should do it or not.  It literally is the only year in the foreseeable future that I'll be able to (if I have to choose between running a marathon or marathon wine drinking, well, I'll always choose the wine).  On the otherhand, 26.2 miles is not my favorite distance, I much prefer the half marathon distance, and training is a lot of work.  Plus, I would have to run hills, mostly because I'd have to get my legs prepared for the downhill, and I'd have to find some gravel roads to run on.  My dad lives on a gravel road, but he lives in eastern WA, and I'm not going to go to his house every weekend over the summer to train for a marathon.  I could go over once a month (maybe, the summers always feel so busy) and run on his gravel roads . . . plus, his roads are very hilly.

In 2015 when I ran my first marathon I gave myself 20 weeks to train, which means I'd have to start training at the end of April.  So I suppose that means I need to figure it out.  Although, the first month or so of training is pretty much what I am doing now.  In fact, in 2015, my first month of training I "only" ran 60 miles, right now I am pretty close to 80 miles a month.  Plus, I can always start training and decide not to do it.  I did that last year, and in 2016.  (Well, 2016 I did one training run and sprained my ankle.)

The more I talk about it, the more I look at my calendars from my previous trainings, the more I think I'll do it.  Like I said, I can always start training and then decide not to do it.  (I love that I have my training calendars from my two previous marathons.)  I will have to decide which training plan to do.  I would love a PR, and once upon a time I had a goal of getting a BQ (Boston Qualifier) and this is the perfect race for that, but I don't know if I'm that motivated anymore.