Well, nothing is as inexorible as time and the fall marathons will be here soon enough, whether I'm trained or not. I'm still a bit undecided about which 'thons to run. I've signed up for the Harrisburg PA marathon November 8. I'm thinking about either the Marine Corp (again) or Baltimore (again). The MCM is only two weeks before Harrisburg, so Balto may make more sense. But I have a hankering to run the MCM again (oh -- and I didn't sign up before it closed, so I have to beg/steal/borrow a bib). But no matter which I end up running, it's time to get back to the training program. Which means LSDs. In the summer. With Heat. And humidity.

So Wednesday evening, my interpid RB and I headed out for the first (of many) LSDs of the summer. This one, relatively short at 16 miles. From Crystal City up to the Zoo and back. Slow. Painful. Welcome back!

I am trying something new this summer. I always seem to have issues starting at about mile 21 and going thru about mile 24 of a full marathon. I know, it's the wall. But how to train for it? This summer, I'm trying runs two days in a row that put me well into that milage.  So on Tuesday evening, I ran a 6.5 mile tempo run. Then Wednesday I ran a 16 mile LSD. Sure enough, at about mile 14 of the LSD, I started to feel wiped out. So this might work -- get some solid, simulated training in those late-miles. I'll write more on it as the program progresses.

I discovered RaceReady shorts about 2 years ago when training for the Marine Corp Marathon in 2007. And I love them, especially the LD-6 shorts which are a little longer. They're light and very comfortable and the pockets are; well, I carry a lot of **** so pockets are a must. Did I say that I love these shorts? One of my disappointments has always been that the local running stores (Annapolis anyway) don't really carry them, or at least not a variety of them. So I always mail order them. But that's okay too.

So I was visiting a new running shop near me (Charm City Running, Parole, MD), and happened to ask if they stocked these shorts. And they responded that they didn't, but that there is a new pocket-ready short from Asics. Interesting - I guess I had assumed that this was a small enough market that no one (besides RaceReady) would want to play. So I bought a pair.

I wore them on several LSDs and also in the Frederick Marathon this year. I have to say, I prefer the RaceReady shorts. Though the pockets are about the same, The Asics are heavier and bind a bit too much in the liner. Not a big deal, but they are also $10 more expensive. So, for me at least, the RaceReady shorts are better.