A Matter Of Timing

I'm a week away from running an Olympic distance triathlon yet I'm already thinking about what's next... Well, I'm torn between the Dallas White Rock Marathon and the Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth.

Both are medium-to-small races and are practically in my back yard. What it comes down to is timing.

Dallas takes place in early December. If I come off next week's race and go right into distance running, I'll be able to leverage my current fitness as a base to build up for marathon training mileage. However, going from a base of 15 miles per week to a peak of 50 miles in just three months is akin to begging the Gods of Marathon for injury.

But still... I'm keen to get in a marathon in 2010, ya' know. Because moving across the country, buying a first home, and having a baby aren't enough challenges for one calendar year.

Cowtown is in late February which gives me plenty of time to safely ramp up my weekly mileage. It's also not so far off that I'll lose momentum but it does mean training through the winter - which is a bit of an x factor here in Texas.

That said, I'll be burning an inordinate amount of calories during the holidays - so no worries when it comes to hydrating with egg nog.

Decisions. Decisions.

UPDATE: I've added a poll (to the right). What say you?

"Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly."
-Thomas Jefferson