For once, I'm in the correct corral

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We got our confirmation cards for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon yesterday. A year ago when I signed up, I predicted a 4:15 finish. A month ago, I predicted a 4-hour finish. Today, I think 4:15 is gonna be the goal.

My monthly, weeklong trips have taken a toll on my training. The group of 4-hour runners I began with back in January now move a mile ahead of me on our long runs. And they're all a track's length ahead during speed workouts. I'm not surprised. A couple of months ago, my friend and renewed runner Tim G. passed along a Web site called The Athletic-Minded Traveler, which is actually a spin-off of a book by the same name. Then I listened to a podcast on Endurance Radio with the author, who noted you can lose as much as 20% of training effort during travel. That sounds just about right.

So now the plan is to knock off some of those 8000 runners in front of me on June 4 and still enjoy that familiar foot tour of America's Finest City. The PR can wait until my work life's a little more settled. Or Chicago in the fall. Whichever comes first.

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