One way to start the day

As the OC Marathon draws nearer, runs are getting longer, but there’s joy in the morning and in the company.EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part of a series following Newport Beach’s Grant Dunning as he trains for his first marathon -- the Orange County Marathon on Jan. 8, 2006.

Only two months to go before I cross the starting line of the Orange County Marathon with my daughter, Paige. Even though the training started more than three months ago, the time is flying by fast.

During the past couple of weeks, I have completed several training runs while pushing my daughter in her adaptive stroller. Although my pace is slower when I push Paige, I am feeling comfortable with the process.

The long runs continue to be a solo effort at this stage in the training. My long runs start early on weekday mornings, so it is difficult to include Paige without interfering with her school and sleep. The long runs for the last two weeks have been 14 and 15 miles, respectively.

For the 15-mile run, I joined a neighbor who is also training for the OC Marathon. We ran from the Balboa Pier along the beach past the Huntington Beach Pier and back.

With the recent time change, it makes it a lot easier to get going early in the morning. The weather was perfect! Being able to run along the beach on a warm day in the month of November, reminds me of how lucky we are to live in Orange County.

With the exception of my knees, I am feeling pretty good as the distance of the runs continue to increase.

As my training continues, one more member of my family gets to join in the fun!

This past week, the “Coach’s Kids Marathon” special training program kicked off at the Corona del Mar High School track. My oldest daughter, Brooke (10 years old), is going to participate in the Kids Marathon.

For the next two months, Brooke with train at the CdM high school track with other kids on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Over the course of the next two months, Brooke will complete more than 25 miles of running.

On the day of the OC Marathon, she will run in the 1.2-mile race, which will complete the entire 26.2 miles. Every child who completes the program and 1.2 mile race will receive a special OC Marathon Finisher’s Medal.

In addition to having a bunch of friends joining me in January, I am excited and proud to have both of my daughters competing. My family and friends are doing a great job of raising awareness and money for United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County, one of the 11 organizations benefiting from the race proceeds.

The second OC Marathon should be a great event and I encourage all local residents to come out and participate as a volunteer, competitor or spectator. The more people that get involved, the greater the support for the charities in our community.

To learn more about Grant and Paige’s training, you can visit www.teamdunning.com. To learn more about United Cerebral Palsy and the OC Marathon, visit www.ucp-oc.org and www.ocmarathon.com.20051109ing9toncDOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Grant Dunning of Newport Beach is tranining to run in the OC Marathon with his daughter, Paige.