Update from the trenches

In what may prove to be a masochistic move, I signed up for the Chicago Marathon. This means I've committed to about eight months of training. My goal -- since this will be my first marathon -- is simply to finish, although I'd like to do it without struggling at the end. I'm not looking forward to running in the heat of DC this summer, although I'm sure I'll figure something out. (Indoor track, perhaps?) I've already started training. I'm trying to run twice during the week (3-5 miles each time) and then do a long run on Saturday morning with a group. The furthest I've run this year has been just over 5 miles this past weekend, so I've got a ways to go. Next weekend should be 7-8 miles.

The thesis process continues apace. I have close to 10 pages written for my literature review, but that needs to double (and eventually triple) in fairly short order. I also need to get my data collection going. I do have a date for my presentation, which is nice -- at least I have a drop-dead date. There's just a ton of work in between now and April 21 ...