a long arduous undertaking

What is a marathon? Looking to the handy define.com this is what I found.

marathon

noun

1: any long and arduous undertaking [syn: {endurance contest}]

2: a footrace of 26 miles 385 yards

3: a battle in 490 BC in which the Athenians and their allies defeated the Persians [syn: {battle of Marathon}]

I would say points 1 and 2 are intriguing, but I certainly have no interest in the battle between the Athenians and Persians!  “Any long and arduous undertaking”…interesting. “A footrace of 26 miles 385 yards”…WHY am I drawn to this?  I feel like this is something I want to accomplish and soon.  After running my half marathon in January, I said “I will never do a marathon.  The training and time commitment would be awful.” I went for 5.5 mile run a few weeks ago with a friend who was training for her first half marathon and found myself saying again, “I don’t know that I have any desire to do a marathon. It would hurt (because I hurt after the half) and I don’t want to spend 3 hours on a long run every weekend away from my family.”  Yet, a couple of times a week, I find myself searching for a marathon training program.

I think I am looking for my perfect guide, a guide with balance.  One that allows me to bike at least 3 times a week and run only 2-3 days a week (with a rest day of course).  One that says it’s okay to be gone for 3-4 hours running on any given Saturday or Sunday.  A guide that says, “This is the one.  Pick me!”  Needless to say, I haven’t found it.  The “beginners” guides vary (a lot) and NONE of them have more than one day of cross-training in the program, if any at all.  I need to ride 3 days a week.  It is summer for goodness sake, and I prefer my bike to the run.  I also have a duathlon to conquer.  (Okay, not really conquer, but definitely a PR.)

Can I train for a marathon and duathlon at the same time?  Will the long runs ruin my cycling goals?  These are the questions I need to answer.  Any input would be greatly appreciated.

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