Twenty-six Point Two

So here I am. I've lived in Colorado for 9 months. I could have had a baby by now, people. That seems like a landmark, doesn't it? An oddly significant measure of time. "I moved to Colorado one potential baby ago", she says.
To be clear, there is no baby (this is how rumors get started). But I do feel that my life has completely changed in these last 9 months, and certainly for the better. My time in Colorado has been pregnant with joy and adventure. I was expecting so much from this move, and it truly delivered. He he, see what I did there? OK, no more of that. Everybody's going to think I have babies on the brain.
In reality, my brain has been completely preoccupied with everything that Colorado has to offer. I've been wildly busy (which is also why I haven't blogged). Let me share a short list some of my adventures this year:

• Skiing
• Show shoeing
• Cross-country skiing
• Hiking
• Cycling
• Running
• Running Races (half marathon and a 5k snow run)
• Festivals
• BBQs and Parties
• Sea Kayaking (technically in Maine)
• Climbing a 14er
• Dates...does that count? I think it counts.

So what next?
Well, it all started when a few of my girlfriends invited me to run with them at the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon. Why, yes! I'd love to! I needed a summer goal, and a half marathon was a perfect target. I've a run a half marathon before (Savannah Rock n' Roll in November of last year), so it also seemed like a great idea to step it up a notch to a more challenging event. Lastly, the event was the day after my birthday, so what better way to celebrate? Is that weird?
Before long, three of us (Sarah, Jessica, and me) got to talking. We figured, hey, if we can do a high altitude half marathon, then surely we can do a low altitude full marathon. Right? RIGHT? And hey, we should do a marathon while we're young. Just once. Just to say we did it. Right? RIGHT?
We were convinced. We should do this. So I did a little research. We wanted a low-altitude, mostly flat, well-established, and well-reviewed  marathon in October or November in a city that was interesting and logistically feasible. No big deal. Eventually we narrowed it down to 5 options:

1. Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon - Oct 5, 2014, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
2. Wineglass Marathon - Oct 5, 2014, Corning, NY
3. Atlanta Marathon - Oct 26, 2014, Atlanta, GA
4. Humboldt Redwoods Marathon - Oct 19, 2014, Humboldt Redwoods State Park, CA
5. Anthem Richmond Marathon - Nov 15, 2014, Richmond, VA

We ruled out Atlanta because, you know, I lived there. And it's a good thing we did. The Atlanta Marathon recently announced that they're changing to a 10-miler.
We ruled out Twin Cities because it was a little early and, you know, cold.
Then we nixed the Wineglass event in Corning, NY because it seemed logistically challenging, although we were sad to abandon the idea of getting a finisher's glass of wine.
And then last but not least, we decided that although running amongst the giant redwoods of California would be insanely cool, the event was too small and just a little too remote.
So that was it. Decision made...

I've read wonderful reviews of this event. It's supposed to be beautiful. It's also tailored toward first-time marathoners, with well-stocked rest stops (pizza and wash cloths!) and exuberant cheering crowds. It's not completely flat, but we wouldn't want to get bored, would we? However, it is at 160 feet above sea level. Plus the race starts downtown, and I was easily able to secure a hotel room near the start. Perfect.

So that's it. My next big adventure! I'm doing a marathon!

I decided to resuscitate my blog to share my experience. It's good motivation for me. I also think my experience will be vaguely interesting. A lot of my training will not be running. I know that excessive running mileage would be hard on me (I have a mild back issue), so I'm counting on the high altitude boost and a lot of cross-training through cycling, trail running, hiking, and gym time. You know what that means: more adventures!