Conor McGregor, to much public anticipation, just announced his next fight.

On a note of equal importance, I am officially announcing my second lifetime marathon as the Eugene Marathon on Sunday, April 28th!

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The Goal

The marathon is tricky! The exciting part is that you can knock it out of the park. The scary part is you can train hard for four months only to have a shitty day and feel like it was a waste. Sitting here with those four months entirely in front of me is daunting. But given the last 12 months, I know it’s something I can do, and I will follow my coaches plan without exception.

I think 71:52 at Pittsburgh could have been ~71:30 on a flat course. VDOT says that’s worth a ~2:30 full marathon. VDOT is too generous with the longer distances, so a starting goal would be 2:35.

Do I think there’s a chance to break 2:30? It’s reasonable to think the training will go better than last spring given that I’ve had more experience with it. It’s also possible I’m “built for the marathon” as they say, but I doubt it. Realistically, sub 2:30 feels like a long shot, the absolute reach goal.

A lot can change between now and April but if I run anything under 2:35 I will be pretty happy.

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Eugene???

There were ~5 marathons to consider. Eugene checked boxes for:

• Fast / Competitive – This course is fast. Additionally, I don’t want to end up alone after two miles. A good pack at 2:30 – 2:35 pace will be here.
• Cool – Eugene is a bucket list spot for runners, with this race punctuated by finishing around the Hayward Field track. It will be a memorable weekend trip beyond the marathon.
• Early – Between moving and getting married, I want this to be done with as soon as possible.

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Who’s Comin’ With Me

Who wants to go on a vacation in April?! HelI, make it an entire west coast trip with a mere stop in Eugene. I can’t promise much fun other than a blacked out Sunday afternoon, but company would be awesome.