Day 2,728: Week Zero

The other day I came across a posting on a social media site in which someone mentioned they were heading into a marathon this weekend with a little more than 400 miles of training.

That's not enough, I thought as I read that. At least for me.

During that same time period I logged more than 630 miles on the roads. And I am three days from embarking on the first week of an 18-week training program that at least for me will be the toughest training I have ever done for an event.

There will be two months when I will exceed 200 miles for the month and as such will push my yearly mileage on pace to be close to breaking 2,000 miles for the year -- something I have never done as a runner. I am also projected in August to cross 10,000 miles for my running streak.

And much of that training will be during Atlanta's grueling summer days of high heat and high humidity. I'm also going to clear my summer and fall schedule of all races -- the only race I will do between now and the Oct. 26 Marine Corps Marathon will be the July 4 Peachtree Road Race (it will be my 10th running of the race and finishing it will give me "streaker" status in which special consideration will be given toward getting in the race in future years if I do not get in through the traditional lottery).

By the numbers, my running this year resembles that of 2010 when I ran in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. I have similar speed in the 5K, 10K and half-marathon, giving me a realistic shot at breaking 4 hours for a marathon.

Since the Publix Georgia Half Marathon in March, when I trained using the half-marathon version of the program I'll use for the full marathon, I've tried to be aggressive in keeping my base mileage between 30-40 miles a week.

Everything feels right going into this training period and yet there will be crucial things I will need to work on, including having proper hydration and fueling to keep from developing leg cramps at the end of the race. So, all this work upfront and there's no guarantee I can do what I want to do with the race. The only thing I can do is work hard and be mindful of the details and hope for the right conditions to earn a successful race.