Fred + Rick = Boston

After nearly three weeks of considering what to do next, I have made up my mind. I'm going to Frederick, Maryland for the Frederick Marathon the first weekend in May.

I have not made it official yet as I await the pending USATF Certification that will make it a Boston qualifier, but I'm nearly 100% certain that's where it will be.

I gave strong consideration to "Last Chance at Boston" in Columbus, Ohio (February) and the B&A Trail Marathon (March), but I want to make sure that I'm not limited in training and with unpredictable winter weather, I have settled on Frederick. It seems to be a little less than flat, but that should motivate me to work on the hills.

I plan on hitting hills heavy and doing much more speedwork than I'm used to in preparation for this one. I'm awful close, and am as confident as I've ever been. I just need to put in the work. Whether or not it's a hangover from Philly or that I'm simply working too much I've been tired and feel sluggish and not completely getting all of my runs in. Perhaps I needed to take more time off, so I'm playing it by ear. With a marathon selected and the holidays coming up, I'm going to take it easy. I'll run, but I'm also going to rest. Yesterday was 10 degrees and I am in a stretch of three consecutive nights of refereeing, so I didn't run yesterday. I need my batteries re-charged, but I remain focused on the goal. But I need to be smart. I look forward to the challenge that those two guys will provide me with. And I'm planning that they (Fred and Rick) will get me to Boston.

149 days to go.....