On October 12th, I will run my 5th Chicago Marathon, my 15th marathon in just over 4 years, and most importantly, the sixth "Marathon for Marsha". It is hard to believe how fast time passes and how much progress we have made in just a few years, so I wanted to share some history and ask for your support...

Through heat (Chicago), fire (Cincinnati) and yes, huricane Ike, we run! With thirty mile-per-hour winds and torential rains, a few thousand runners showed up on Sunday, September 14, 2008 to run the Lewis & Clark Marathon.

Wow, where has the summer gone? It seems only a few weeks ago I creating my 16-week training program for Chicago and helping Danielle plan her wedding. Now, Danielle is married (and the wedding was perfect) and I'm running the Lewis & Clark Marathon on Sunday.

On Sunday May 4, 2008, Chris Heupel and I were in Cincinnati, OH for the 10th running of the Flying Pig Marathon. The early forecast for rain had changed and the morning was a beautiful 42 degrees with clear skies and calm winds.

As we approached the start line, we heard announcements about a three-alarm fire on the course. Race officials decided to delay the race start by 15 minutes to give them time to either clear the course or find a suitable route around the fire.

After struggling much of this winter to complete my long runs in freezing temperatures, I was very happy to see a beautiful forecast for Sunday, April 6th. The early forecast for rain was changed to partly cloudy with light winds. The early morning temperature was 42 degrees with an expected high near 70. It would be around 58 degrees when we finished our "training run". It doesn't get much better than that.

After a Christmas break, I am ready to begin the 2008 running season. I have registered for two Spring marathons: the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon (May 4) and the St. Louis Marathon (April 6). I have decided to follow the Furman Institute for Running & Scientific Training (FIRST) Marathon training plan. My training plan will take me up to 26.2 miles at the St. Louis Marathon before a 4 week taper to Cincinnati.

My goal for Cincinnati is to finish under 3 hours 40 minutes -- starting with a pace close to 8:00 min/mile and finish close to a 9:30 min/mile pace for the last 5 miles.

On November 4, 2007 I was in Springfield, MO for the innagural Bass Pro Shop Marathon. The day started with a brisk 38 degrees -- perfect for a 26.2 mile run.

October 7, 2007 saw record breaking temperatures and humidity that led to my worst running experience ever. I've run on hot days, in thunderstorms, snow and single digit temperatures, but nothing compared to the challenge of the heat that day. At race start time of 8:00 AM it was already more than 70 degrees and climbing fast. It would reach 88 degrees officially, but heat indexes and local thermostats showed temperatures in the mid-90s.

Another good long run. The weather was cool (55) and humidity was ok (~50%). Keeping with my plan, I ran the first 21 miles at 8:45 and then slowed. I ran with a friend from State Farm, Michael Penry, who ran with me until 21 and then went on to finish his FIRST marathon in 3:53 -- Great run Michael!

On Tuesday I went for an easy run. Even though I took the last 5 miles easy, it was still 26.2 miles and I still hurt a little. On Thursday I went for my tempo run, knocking off 5 miles at 7:45 pace fairly easily. Now I'm looking forward to 13 at marathon pace tomorrow morning.