Winter Running

Does not suck per say....but...my times are a little slower, I have to wear allot more clothes...and the dogs aren't as big on it as they are in softer weather.

I did 6 miles tonight and it took me 1 hour 8 minutes even. Brian went with me...wearing his gay little sweater with the bone on it...and I had to stop 3 different times and carry him for a bit because I noticed he was 3 legging it due to the cold. I guess he needs it to be over 20 degrees in order for him to hang...note to self...leave 18 pound dog at home when it drops into the teens. He was fine though...I hadn't had him out in over a week and he went absolute apeshit when he saw me getting on my gear. Loves to run that little guy....I've had him on a 12 miler and he just looked at me when we were done like..'that's it?' Man...to have that kind of endurance. Now Jenga on the other hand....she's good for an easy 5 miles and that's about it. She's going to be 9 this year so I guess that's still pretty good. Makes me a little sad though...she was with me from the very beginning...learning with me...getting up at the crack of dawn when I was still doing what J is now.

So I was at work today and was talking to one of the nurses in the ER about my half in April...and she asked how far I was going now. Told her my longest run ever was 14.5 miles....to which she said...'so why are you concerned about the half? You're way past that anyways.'
She's a runner too...ran that 10 miler with me back in June when I blew out my knee...although we didn't really know each other then. She's helped me keep my ass in gear this winter...guiding me through what to wear..where to get deals..whatnot...

But her statement got me thinking...what's next? Can I do a marathon? There's a big difference between 13.1 miles and 26.2..but could I?

Here's my problems and thoughts on that.

I run 25-30 miles a week now...basically between cross training and running and maintenance exercise...I put in an additional 9-11 hours worth of exercise...time away from my family...time I have to 'make' time for....a week. That's on top of my 32 hour work week with an additional 1 hour commute total each day.

In order for me to even consider a marathon...my weekly mileage needs to be between 50-60 miles a week. That's the minimum mileage for me to feel comfortable attempting it. Basically twice what I'm doing now. Even if I cut out all cross training and just did maintenance exercise and running I would still need to come up with at least 5 more hours a week....maybe my maths off...but still...I don't think I have the time.

But here's another thought....I jumped from only ever doing a 5K to doing a 10 mile race..which is more than triple the 5K...so is it that far of a reach for me to do double the distance I can do now? Say in a year? Or even two?

Decisions decisions.