More Marathon

Recently, I blogged about finding another marathon in 2010 to participate in. I know, I should probably wait until after my marathon in February to think about another one. I should probably heed some stuff I read about taking some time off after my first full marathon to rest up and recover. The last thing I want to do is get injured, of course, and maybe running a second marathon too soon might not be the best thing.

But Feb. 7 will come and go, and I need something to think about afterward. I've done some scouting and have found a few possibilities. I may do one or none but it's nice to have options.

March 21: Los Angeles Marathon.

Pros: It starts at Dodger Stadium! How grand would that be? Plus, you do get to run through numerous parts of Los Angeles. And it's televised. Certainly a huge big-city event, the biggest big-city event in this part of the country.

Cons: Probably too soon after Surf City. The cost (125) is also unappealing.

LB's thoughts: Not sure why but this does not appeal to me that much. Maybe it just seems like a too-big event, and since I've not run a marathon before, the thought of dealing with both the 26.2 miles and a big-city event like that is just overwhelming. But from what I've heard the Lopers will align their schedule for 2010-11 to run in the 2011 LA Marathon.

Odds: 100/1 (ie very slim)

April 17: Camp Pendleton Hard Corps Marathon

Pros: A relatively small race by comparison (capped at 4,000 runners); if the Camp Pendleton Mud Run is any indication, this event would be well-organized; route along the water and is touted as being the only marathon in the country to be run on a military base.

Cons: Sort of a drive, about 50 miles or so, so I'd have to get a hotel room down near the base; Mrs. LB and the girls are going to be at Surf City but having them come down for another 26.2-miler might be tough;

LB's thoughts: I've had favorable experiences with the Mud Runs down at Camp Pendleton, so there's no reason to think this wouldn't be an enjoyable, well-run, well-organized event. Sometimes, that's all that is necessary to decide between running races. It might come down to deciding between this and the Run Through Redlands (half-marathon) in 2010, which is the next day. Still, I might want to try other half-marathons so we'll see. Anyway, right now this is the frontrunner.

Odds: 5/1

May 2: OC Marathon.

Pros: Runs through three cities in the OC, including part of the route on the beach; close by my house, maybe 40 minutes away so I might not have to get a hotel room; weather would be nice.

Cons: I will have already participated in a marathon in Orange County so not sure if that part would appeal to me; Mrs. LB's birthday is two days later so that would hamper any sort of plans we'd make.

LB's Thoughts: This seems appealing because it is almost three months after Surf City, plenty of time to let my legs rest up before tackling another grueling 26.2 miles. But for some reason, the OC Marathon seems like it would be very similar to Surf City, even though it's not entirely in just one city. The first 10 miles of the OC Marathon are in Newport Beach but it also goes through Irvine and Costa Mesa. It's relatively close to my house (closer than Camp Pendleton) and if I needed to I could stay with family who live in Santa Ana (a lot closer to Newport Beach). Probably a close second to the Camp Pendleton Marathon.

Odds: 7/1

June 6: San Diego Marathon

Pros: Enough time after Surf City to relax and get back into training for another marathon; San Diego is a beautiful city that Mrs. LB, the girls and I don't visit often enough.

Cons: It'd likely be either this or the Mud Run.

LB's thoughts: If this were in May as it was in 2009, it might be more appealing. But since the Mud Runs and this coincide, and the potential for a Ragnar Relay in June, this might get squeezed off my calendar before it got anywhere near it. Which is too bad because I'd thought of this a while back.

Odds: 1000/1.

Anyway, those are the four I've looked at and decided to rank. I know, the thought of running one marathon might seem like a huge task (it does to me) and why burden myself with the thought of another run, especially within a few months of my first marathon? But as I mentioned above, I need something to train for and something to set my sights on. I can't just run Surf City and then take five months off from racing. I think now my backup plan is the Run Through Redlands, and try to best my half marathon time, if I decide against another marathon so soon. But if I want to tackle the beast once more, then I have some choices. Actually two, based on the odds above.