After running the Great Race of Agoura Hills 10K  in April, I found it very hard to get motivated to go running regularly. Having a training plan made it easier to go out after work and not make excuses like “Well, there’s a lot of TV tonight and I don’t want to get a late start on it” so when I got the e-mail for the Long Beach Marathon, it seemed like a great way to get going again. Cindy had always told me that it would be a good race for me because it’s mostly flat (I hate hills). We both signed up (Cindy later switched to the full marathon) and she made a training plan for me that I started in July.

Fast forward to October. I felt pretty confident going into the race. I had a couple of injuries during training (a groin injury a month before the race and a foot injury a few weeks before) which cost me a few training days. When Cindy and I went to the expo and were getting pace bands, I grabbed one for 2:00 and one for 2:15.

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