I'm gonna hit the ground running next week, and my focus is a fall marathon with a 8:30 minute per mile (or maybe faster, but not slower). I had a post-Boston chat with Rob tonight about the Boston race itself, where I had "issues", possible scenarios to these issues, strength training weaknesses.... and the list goes on. If I had more sleep in my body and felt I could stay up longer, I'd go into more details for you but suffice it to say, there was just a crazy concoction of a number of factors that contributed to my 4-mile end-of-race death-march....but mostly, he thinks it's that I got ahead of the game-plan with my faster than suppose to be pace. I agree...to an extent...but I also truly believe that I would not have had the strength to tackle those hills even if I stuck to my original 4:05 plan. Who knows, I won't sit and dissect it to death; it's impossible to know with any certainty other than to get back out there and test the waters. We discussed how we'd try this to see if this works,try that to see if that works. Put this and that together and it was concluded that yes, I CAN run a 8:30 minute per mile marathon. And I'm excited to get back out there and work for it!!! Rob told me not to keep it a secret, to post it for all to see - it will make it much more obtainable if I do. So that ya go, it's posted. I don't know what marathon I will do, I have a lot of digging and researching, but it will be a fast one, where the weather is generally good, and I will have worked my tail off to make sure I'm in the best shape possible. And upon my return from that marathon, I will run well in Boston 2010 and upon my return from there, I am done. Not done with the marathon ... but done trying to keep PR'ing and keep up with the insane training. I will come back and find some marathons that are out there that look like fun, that are scenic, that my friends invite me to so I can enjoy their company, that I can go with some running friends and we enjoy together. That's what the plan is; I think it's a good one.....and more importantly, it's the one I want, it's the right one for me!!! No one else, just me. I'm tired and I am feeling my 46-year old body not really wanting or able to keep up the insanity of this heavy training and the stress it brings, both mentally and physically, for a whole lot longer. But I have one last big push.... and I'm ready!
This house was on Beacon Hill, I thought it was one of the coolest houses; it had a lot of varying shades of violet colored window panes on the second floor. Hard to tell from this pic, but it was really beautiful. Thought I'd share. I'll keep adding more Boston pictures to share through the days, since I am not doing any sort of exercise right now.
2 comments:
Having read this post now I understand your questions last night. Yes a sub 3:45 is very "doable" for you. I remember starting out at 3:53 (1991) and trying to improve. There were ups and downs. Breaking 3:45 was one barrier, then breaking 3:30 the next barrier. When I PR'd at Las Vegas (3:25) I thought that was it, but in 2001 I had a great year due to high mileage and weekly long groups runs in the snow all winter with the Sojourners Running Club. It also helped training with Cheryl Harper was is a former SGM champion. So breaking 1:30 in the half happened and breaking 3:10 in the full happened too. You CAN fit a training schedule around your busy life and still find a balance. If it helps, I don't do gym work Jill, I believe that if you want to be a stronger runner, then the formula is total weekly mileage + hills + Yasso 800's + one weekly LONG run plus good nutrition... and then you have to believe in yourself and remove all doubt. ok ?
Yes...I was digging for some clue to marathons you have done to see if they'd fit into my plan for the fall. I think my trainer thinks that we just get stronger over the summer and then when I'm ready, pick a marathon. But it doesn't work that way, the "good" races are filled or possess a lottery so if you want one that is going to get you the golden ticket, you need to plan ahead.
I am not worried about the training, I am pretty diligent and devoted to it and will move around almost everything to accommodate my training. But I am tired. Not tired of the training but more so feeling the effects of my 46 year old body keeping up the insanity. I want to push hard for two more great marathons and then I want to still train hard, but not put the pressure on me to excel; I want to run marathons for pleasure and if I happen to PR or vastly improve, then that's icing on the cake...but to go into a race with a PR in mind, I don't want to do that for much longer. I have two more fights left in me and that's the plan!
I think everyone's success varies from one to another. If I did your plan, my trainer and the instructors from my coaching class would have heart-failure - haha. But if your mind is convinced that it works, then nothing else can really change it, at least not while it's on a roll and working. Eventually, though, I feel strongly that if you continue to the same thing, you produce the same results. I had a winter of strong core training and I came back this spring running better than ever. So core training in implanted in my brain. But I'm ready to beef up the mileage some do a lot of speed work...I even got a Garmin as a gift so that I can learn to slow my long run pace down and pick up my tempo.
You've been a great inspiration to me and my running and I look forward to sharing the road with you. Now...if you'd just take me along to Greece, I'd be in total heaven :).
J
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