Testing the Marathon Distance

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The San Diego Track Club’s marathon training program for the 2007 Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon kicked off yesterday, with the conditions ideal for running between 30 minutes and an hour around the track or Balboa Park. The high 30s/low 40s temperatures were a little less optimal if you happened to be setting up and serving countless cups of water and electrolyte drinks in a shady southeast corner of El Prado and Balboa Drive. [That’s me with Stephen B., the current vice president and volunteer coordinator whose contributions to this club are enormous. Thanks to Cindy E. for taking the photo!] My fingers stayed numb the entire time I was out there, thawing fully only after embracing a hot, frothy drink at a local Starbucks with some running friends after we all returned home.

Part of that coffeehouse conversation focused on who’d returned and who hadn’t this year. A couple of newcomers apparently were overheard telling people they’d just run their first mile that morning. It seems a bit incredible that a non-runner plans to complete a marathon in five months, but it’s also possible these are the same girls who always aced the tests after claiming they never cracked open their class notes. Their pace suggests they may have been more honest Saturday. If that’s the case, they better brush up – and catch up – because we all know you’ve got to put in the time if you want to pass this final exam on June 3.

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