Twenty-nine degrees with 40 mile per hour wind gusts? Perfect day to start marathon training.

With today’s three-mile run, I started my quest for the New Jersey Marathon, which will take place in Long Branch on May 2. Hopefully, the weather conditions will be different. If it’s not, well, someone call Al Gore.

This will be — fingers crossed — my first marathon. I vowed in 2008 that I would run one, but I wasn’t ready to jump from 10 miler to a full 26.2. With my first half marathon under my belt and no pressing issues in the next five months, I made the choice to give it a go. There was also a little peer pressure involved, everyone who asked if I was running the full or “just the half.” Enough of that. I’ll run at least one so I can say, yes, I ran a marathon.

Why the New Jersey Marathon? I live in the Garden State. I also spend a lot of time writing about the Jersey Shore. I’ve run many races along the coast so I feel familiar with the terrain (and winds), and I like Long Branch. It’s a looped marathon, so I’ll be able to see family and friends more  than once. And as much as I hated pushing my body against today’s slapping wind, I’d rather be training in bitter cold than blistering heat, which a fall marathon would require.

So, runners, how did you pick your first marathon? And any tips?