Preparing for the 2011 Boston Marathon

My training for the 2011 Boston Marathon officially began this past Monday.

I will run the famous 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton, MA to Boston on April 18, which gives me 18 weeks to prepare with long training runs, hill workouts, speed drills, weight training – and lots and lots of ice baths.

It will be my second Boston Marathon, and my fourth marathon altogether.

If I'm lucky, I will only have to contend with a few of the afflictions I've had the pleasure of dealing with during my training for previous marathons: bruised toenails, blisters, shin splints, tendonitis, IT band issues, and knee and ankle pain.

Looking at that list of battle scars, it is easy to see why some people don't understand the point in putting one's body through such suffering.

It's something I didn't quite understand myself before I began long-distance running.

I remember completing my first half marathon on my 26th birthday. After the race, in my state of exhaustion, I told my parents, "I could never run a full marathon."

But two and a half years later, I did.

The reasons some of us opt to run marathons are as varied as the reasons people take up running in the first place. 

I started training for my first marathon because I knew it would test me both physically and mentally. It would make me work for something. It would make me earn something.

When I achieved my goal of finishing a marathon, I crossed that finish line and knew I was hooked. I couldn't wait for my next 26.2-mile race.

I even bought one of those 26.2 stickers to put on my car. Believe it or not, that sticker helps me on days when I don't feel like training, or on days when I need a little confidence boost.

It not only reminds me of everything I have accomplished, but also of the training I put in to get there.

The sticker has actually served as a conversation piece on numerous occasions. I've had people ask me what 26.2 means. I've met fellow marathon runners who want to know which races I've done.

It has even served as a navigation tool. In the parking lot for a 5K race, a guy told me he was following my car because he figured the person with the 26.2 sticker would know the way to the race!

That sticker symbolizes the discipline, determination and dedication it will take for me to prepare for the Boston Marathon over the next 18 weeks.

The race itself may be 26.2 miles, but the training I put in prior to the race is what will really prepare me.

Well, that and the ice baths.

I am ready for the challenge – and the chill factor!