This week is a pretty huge one for the world’s Muslims and Jews, thanks to Ramadan coming to an end on Friday and Rosh Hashanah kicking off, beginning at sundown tonight, followed by next weekend’s Yom Kippur, beginning on Saturday.

In the running world, on a much smaller scale, this week is also pretty huge for many fall marathoners—especially those of us doing Chicago—since (gasp) Friday means we’re officially ONE MONTH AWAY from the 26.2 mile festival.  Crazy how the training calendar flies by.

I’ve got at least 3 more hard speed workouts (8×800, 9×800, 10×800, anyone?) followed by the last of 3 20-milers before I can really start to exhale.  My eye’s on the prize, whatever that is right now, since I’ve noticed that Chicago’s already starting to get in the marathon spirit.  A bus ride down LaSalle last week made me notice that the financial district hub is already lined with 10.10.10 signs on nearly every light-post, and my mid-day run today took me to Columbus, where, for the first time, I noticed that the road (the staging grounds for the marathon start and finish) are already lined with the exciting-yet-intimidating 10.10.10 signs.  It’s fun, it gets me psyched up, and while it does make me a little quesy to think Is it already marathon time?, the proof is in the weather… fall-like temps for the past week or so (intermittent, at best, but still present!) mean that fall’s around the corner, which means that the marathon’s around the corner, which means, by order of the transitive property… you get my drift.  (Did I mention that last weekend’s hilly 20 miler on the Akron marathon course was a balmy ~high 40s/low 50s at our 6am start?!)

It’s almost here!  Eeeeeeeeeeee!!!

PS- I’d post a copy of one of the 10.10.10 signs, but the marathon website makes it damn near impossible to lift any of its images… stupid IP!  Take a jaunt down Columbus or LaSalle Sts., though, and you’ll see what I mean!