To BAA or Not BAA; That is the Question

Registration for the 2007 Boston Marathon opened yesterday. The BAA also just announced that they're going to start the race 2 hours earlier this year: 10 am as opposed to the traditional noon start (much better for running). My qualifying race in October was in the small window of time that makes me eligible for two Bostons: '06 and '07. Pretty tempting...

But I promised myself that I wouldn't do another race this year. After initially finishing Boston (and the entire second half of the race, for that matter) I started convincing myself that I wouldn't do another marathon. How do you improve upon qualifying for Boston? The answer: you improve upon how you do Boston. I really think I could do it better, enjoy it more, run it faster. I'm going to try to get into the Marine Corps Marathon next fall (a race I'd always thought about doing, in my parents backyard, flat and scenic) to qualify for Boston '08 (and since I'll be 35 in April 2008 I'll get 5 extra minutes) and then really train on hills. But not until next year. I'm going to take this winter off, just keep my toe in with a few half marathons, and then start training next spring in earnest, re-energized.

And yet...