Marathon season is here!

I'm still on the fence about which marathon to do.  Both are on Feb. 19th, are very small, are local but the courses are VERY different.  One is scenic and hilly the other is flat and boring.  Basically, since these races are small and don't fill up quickly I am taking my time to see how my training goes.  If I find I'm plagued with injuries and struggling, I plan to do the flat, boring race.  If I feel strong and remain injury-free, I plan to do the other race.  Tina and I have managed to continue to do our long runs together even though her race (Carlsbad Marathon - Jan.22nd) is a month earlier than mine.  Most of the time, her runs are about 3 miles longer than mine at this point so she will run 3 then meet up with me to do the rest.  I'm running faster and stronger lately so I hope it continues.  I'm working with John Vaupel (my 100 miler buddy mentioned in my previous posts) on my hydration and nutrition.  We agree my problem in past marathons when I hit the wall at mile 20 is from my lack of proper nutrition.  I was religiously taking in one GU every 45 minutes and drinking water only.  This time around, I may take a GU every 30 minutes and supplement my regular water with NUUN tablets.  This will hopefully keep my electrolytes where they need to be to help me finish stronger.  I'll keep you posted on how it's going.  Until then, enjoy marathon season (or just racing season ~ no matter the distance)!