Born again (again)*

So you may be shocked to learn that the monstrosity that was the template for this blog since FOREVER was never intended to see the light of day. It was an aborted attempt at a redesign that went horribly, horribly wrong. And then I got frustrated. And gave up. And never bothered to fix it.

So to all of you who kept reading, despite the burning retinas, I apologize.

I’ll tell you a secret. The reason I was able to live with that design for so very long is because I never read my posts there. My friend syndicated the blog for livejournal, and I read it there.

But I feel MUCH better about this. Simple, readable, no scary background colors, and still a healthy dose of turquoise, which is my absolute favoritest color.

*************

In other news, this has officially become a marathon training blog again.

You could be forgiven for not having noticed.

But for the past two weeks, I have officially been following my official Naomi Trains for a Marathon Again training schedule. It’s official. I haven’t actually registered for the marathon yet (I like my escape clauses) but I’ve set the plans in motion.

I’m aiming for the ING Miami Marathon, on January 29th. I know that I said New Orleans, but I changed my mind.

Here’s why I think this marathon is going to be wildly successful.

Last time: I was in Alaska. It was far away, cold, rainy, and there were lots of hills.
This time: Miami is flat. And warm. And sunny. But also far away.

Last time: I stayed in a hotel. It was expensive.
This time: I will stay at my Dad’s house. It’s free.

Last time: I ate in restaurants.
This time: I will cook. Or maybe not. But I have the option of cooking.

Last time: My sister came and cheered me on.
This time: My brother will come and cheer me on. (He has even agreed to drive me to the marathon start. Which is at 6 am. I think that makes up for at least several months of the years of tickling, teasing, and general annoyingness from our childhood).

Oh, and

Last Time: The longest run pre-marathon was 20 miles.
This Time: I’ll run 20 and 22. And longer (ish) runs on Wednesdays.

Right, last one:

Last time: I ran a lot. All the time. Some more. And that was all. (It was a lot.)
This time: I will run a lot. 4 days a week. But there will also be swimming, spinning, and dance classes. And some weight training. Maybe.

So that’s the plan. I have visions of glory and of triumph and of finishing in under five hours. Like a lot under five hours. These visions may be unrealistic. But either way, I will finish in style. No whinging. No moaning. No wimpering. I am tough. I am steely.

And, frankly, nobody’s making me do this but me, and nobody wants to hear me whine.

Well, you all do. And I’ll try to deliver.

So please look forward to:
Why is it always dark?
Did I tell you about the SNOW?
Again I have to run? I just ran yesterday!

And, your favorite and mine:
My knee kinda hurts. I think I’m going to be crippled for life.

Get excited folks. It’s ON.

*ETA: Turns out I already named a post "Born Again." Do you think that means something?