I'm almost done training for the Calgary Marathon next week… for the half marathon, that is. For a half-marathon I train up to 25 km, but for a full, I train up to 50 km. There's a world of difference between these two distances. After a 25 km run, I can shower and get on with my day as if it was any other day. But anything over 30 km requires recovery time, and 50 km is way, way past 30 km. But these long, stamina-building runs are the key to getting a good finishing time and enjoying yourself on race day.

Here's the conundrum. I want to run full marathons, not halfs. During a full you always find one or two folks that match your pace and you get to know them a bit, but a half is too fast and too short for any chit-chat. Compared to a full marathon, a half is boring and not particularly challenging. Unfortunately, training for a full is decidedly less fun and takes a much greater toll on the body.

So should I cut back to just halfs? Hmm… I can always do another full marathon and then decide…