#MyChicagoMarathon No. 17

I'm going to run 26.2 miles during the Chicago Marathon, this fall. That's something that I've never done. My last post, #MyChicagoMarathon No. 16, closed with the following quote from Thomas Jefferson.

I've been a runner for a while now. I have running training plans that I follow. And up until now, that alone has worked for me. It's allowed me to stay in (relative) good shape, and run a dozen half-marathons and countless other road races.

Three things that I've neglected (to an extent) that I'm going to need to do a better job of leading up to my race in October.

Diet - I eat healthy. I've always ate pretty healthy. But I think I need to do more than eat pretty healthy leading up to my marathon.

Sleep - This is the one thing that I neglect the most in regards to my personal development and wellness. I need to get more sleep than what I do. The week leading up to the race, I'm committing to getting seven hours of sleep each night.

Stretching - I never did this, regularly. I'd do it here and there, but never consistently. It took up too much time. But then I hurt my back. And I was desperate to never again experience that kind of pain the restrictions to my activity that the pain caused. So, since March of 2018, I've made stretching a regular part of my daily routine.

My goal is to finish my marathon in four hours (or less). That's a nine minute, nine second per mile clip. I am certainly capable of running at that rate. However, the question is, will I be able to run at that rate for the duration of 26.2 miles? If so, it will be the result of more than just the miles that I logged while training.

This October, I am running the Chicago Marathon. Leading up to the race, I'm using this space (my blog, this is post number sixteen!) to document my journey. Until next time, I'll close with a shameless plug to my fundraising page (linked); I encourage you to visit, and (if you are able/willing) donate (I'm only (roughly) $250 short of my goal; THANKS to ALL who have donated!).

I hope that you'll follow me on this journey, and I hope you enjoy my story.