Back in the Game

Obviously, I have had a lack of motivation over the last couple months to update the blog. This usually happens to me after a marathon. The training buildup, which is usually my favorite part, is over, the excitement of the race has passed, and then I get into a slight post race funk. It is inevitable. Also, the fact that the Jersey Marathon was a complete mess didn’t help too much either. My mind and body needed a break after that race. The brutal conditions definitely broke me down a bit. The usual thoughts crept into my mind – “why am I doing this?”… “I will never do another marathon again.” Ragnar was fun and helped to get me out of the haze for a little bit, but not for too long. I usually need some type of trigger to get me going again with the blog – a fun relay, an exciting race, or possibly another marathon. Something that gets me excited to track or write about for a few months. Well, that “thing” is now the Hartford Marathon on 10/9/10. I registered for it the other day and I am excited to try and redeem myself and go after a solid time. It’s a good thing that runners (like baseball relievers) have short memories because otherwise none of us would ever do a marathon for a second time.

The tough thing for me was that most of my running buddies signed up for the Chicago Marathon earlier this year when I was training for Jersey. Although they were asking me to register as well, at the time I wasn't ready to commit to another marathon without seeing how Jersey turned out. I have never run a marathon in two consecutive years, let alone two in the same year. However, it bummed me out a little bit that most of my friends would be training together throughout the summer and I would be done for the year. I’d be back to doing my weekly long runs, but it is not the same thing. The mindset is different. Although training for a marathon takes a toll on your body and a lot of time and effort, I like the camaraderie of it and the payoff that comes at the end. Since Jersey did not go as planned, I didn't want my only marathon of the year to end on a note like that, so for the first time ever I entertained the idea of doing a second marathon in the same year. The problems that stemmed from Jersey were weather related and not really anything physical. A couple days after the race, my body felt good and I felt pretty strong physically. Nothing hurt and nothing needed any type of recovery. I even felt good after doing three legs at Ragnar only two weeks after the race. Therefore, I felt that a marathon was physically possible for me, if I was ready for the mental challenge. The fact that I was even thinking about this was a very big step for me. In my head, I figured that I would began to build up my running again as usual (after about a month off) and see how I felt. I still had some time before I had to make a decision, but I was giving myself a “soft” target date of October if I were to do a race. I originally thought about doing the Marine Corps Marathon, but that had a lot of logistical problems since I may be taking my yearly scan around that time. I didn’t want to have to worry about training and preparing for the scan at the same time (low iodine diet, possibly going off Synthroid, etc.), so I wanted to investigate marathons towards the beginning of October instead. The first thing to do was see if I could try to get into Chicago and work from there. Even though it was sold out, I knew that there was a chance that I could get a number. While working at Rodale, I knew that Runner’s World was a sponsor for most of the big races and held onto numbers for clients, VIPs, etc. Although it would probably be a long shot, I asked one of my friends to see if it was possible for me to buy a number. I was hoping for a quick answer, but it dragged on for over a month. However, by the end of June/beginning of July I decided that if I was able to get a number I would definitely do it. I began training for a marathon with the Chicago date (10/10/10) in mind. As it looked less and less likely that Chicago would pan out for me, I checked around to see other marathons that were at about the same time as Chicago so I wouldn't have to modify my training schedule. Since Hartford is relatively close by and is the same weekend as Chicago, I figured that it would be a good one to try. I spoke to a bunch of people and most had good things to say about the race. For me, it is relatively close by and easy to get to. In addition, it is the same weekend as Chicago and I would be able to train with my friends. I was excited. Game on!

It has been tough getting a gauge of how the training is going with the weather being so hot so far this summer and the lack of scheduled races. I haven’t had the opportunity to go all out in a while. I feel good on most of my runs but usually need to hold back because of the heat. Therefore, I have been pretty much going at a slower speed and not at full effort. I was hoping to get the opportunity to race at the Queens Half, usually one of my best races, but that was squashed as well due to the extreme heat (the half is usually raced in September when the temperatures are cooler but the powers that be at the NYRR decided to run it in July this year). I didn’t think it was possible to run in worse conditions than Jersey but Queens had it beat – the heat was brutal. The only good thing about the heat was that everyone knew about it days in advance and adjusted their goals accordingly. No one went out with the intention to PR. I looked to go out at around an 8:30 pace and hopefully keep that up the whole way through. I kept it up through mile 7 but then the heat was getting to be just too much. Unfortunately, for the second big race in a row, I gave myself permission to start walking. Beginning with mile 8, I walked through each of the fluid stations and made sure to get in a few cups of Gatorade/water before I got going again. Unlike Jersey, I was able to get back running pretty quickly after each brief respite and survive well enough to the next station. My pace didn’t suffer too much either – the slowest my pace got to was 9:30 in the later miles. I was just happy to get this race over with and finish in a time that was under 2 hours (1:57:31). This was not doing too much to improve my confidence level. I began to forgot what it felt like to run in a race that is cooler than 85 degrees and I didn't have to walk through the aid stations. I thought, will this ever end?

I signed up for the Long Training Run this past weekend and decided to pace the 8:30 group, which was slightly ambitious for me but definitely doable. In the past, this event has a been a good vehicle to get me back on track and in a rhythm and allow me to practice my pacing (which I can never get enough of). This was the first time I had a Garmin for this event and it made things a whole lot easier. With the help of my fellow pace leaders, the favorable weather conditions, and my Garmin, it wasn’t too difficult to stay around an 8:30 pace mile after mile. It is amazing how much stress and pressure is taken off of you when you concede to doing an even pace. The only point which got difficult was the last 2 or 3 miles but we were still able to keep up a pace that was no slower than around 8:40. After some of the sluggish runs so far this summer and the tough conditions at the Queens Half, you begin to wonder if you will ever feel strong again during a run. I felt great throughout nearly the entire 16 mile run and it gave me the confidence boost that I needed to let me know that I still have something in the tank. It is a little nerve racking though to have to wait until the Fall to confirm whether my runs during the summer were sluggish due to the weather, or it was just me. I just need to gut it out for another month or so and hopefully reap the rewards when the temperature gets cooler outside. Onward and upward!