First Time Marathon Training

This was the first of the First Time Marathoners Program runs. I'm in the 12:30 pace group. Our actual moving pace was 12:22 but we stopped periodically for water and street crossings so the Garmin says it was a bit slower. I'll learn how to pause the gizmo eventually. I'm told we have 793 training miles remaining before the Marine Corps Marathon in October. 


I love running in groups - so much so that I generally do my solo long runs in urban areas just so that there are people around and things to see. I also enjoy short, intense solo runs on trails where you've got to be focused on your footing and low hanging branches. This run was on a trail bordering Kensington and Garrett Park so it provided the best of both worlds. The trail was paved but rough and muddy in places. 


The company was fantastic. I chatted most of the run with a beautiful woman named Flora who's just returned to the DC area after living in Vermont for years. I talked briefly at the end with a nice gal named Tammy who's only been running about a year and a half (like me) and who had not run a long run in a while (like me).