Now that’s a lotta kale.

So I’m two years into the grand experiment: Let’s run some marathons, eat some kale, and see if we can keep up with the five-year-olds.

So far, so good. I’ve trained smarter, and run more miles than ever. I’ve been eating stuff I never imagined I’d love so much, and regularly see good news on the scale, and on the mile splits.

The kids still wear me out, but breathing is easier, sleeping is easier, and most importantly, waking up is easier than it’s ever been. I don’t get up with the sun; I get up, run several miles, then watch the sun rise, thinking “What kept ya?”

This was pretty literal this Monday, since the cold weather was back in force and I needed warmth. It’s also nice to see the pavement now and again. The course I’ve been running has some long spans of darkness. And to do those threshold repeats, I really need to see the ground.

Anyway, the next marathon is upon us: The Erie-Presque Isle Marathon. It’s right in the middle of the registration period for Boston (which is why I chose it), and I happen to have a goal pace. Specifically, I aim to improve my current PR by 10 minutes, by running a smart race for the first time ever.

As they say; we’ll see. I got a little cocky about Providence. I ran too hard up and over the early hills, slammed into the wall at mile 16, and still hobbled in with a decent time. If you told me in advance I could hit the wall and still put up that kind of time, I’d never believe you.

The challenge now? Actually run a smart race. This race is flat, a repeated loop, with water every mile, and the weather report so far looks better than it has been on any marathon I’ve run. There is no reason to justify some goofy pacing strategy. I’m going to target a pace, and stay within 5 seconds of it for as long as possible.

Discipline. That’s the word this weekend. Discipline.