The funny thing about running/cycling/training/racing is if you want to keep getting better, you can never be satisfied. As soon as you become satisfied, there is no longer any motivation to go out there for yet another training cycle. So, we always keep moving towards an unattainable state where we are as fast as we wish to be.
Despite having an overall successful year in which the positives significantly outweighed the negatives, I could not just sit by looking at this PR:
Full Marathon: 2:44:53 (11/10)
Everything else has an 11 in the year. I figured I'd rather try again and potentially crash and burn, than to never try at all and sit back wondering, and wondering until I ran my next marathon. Well, life is too short, the peak of your athletic life is even shorter, and I hate wondering what if!
So, after running a hilly (much hillier than the part of Philly I did) 9.5 miles at 6:00/mile pace or better, and feeling strong instead of like death, I've decided to sign up for the NCR Trail Marathon, last minute at packet pick up tomorrow. This course holds my current PR, and the NCR trail is where I do a lot of my long runs. I'm familiar with it, I consider it my home course, and it's in my comfort zone. The weather looks to be awesome, and I feel good again. The plan will remain the same as it was for Philly. I also know two other local runners who will be running around the same pace as me, so we should be able to help each other out. The three of us comprised most of the lead pack at the 20 miler on this same trail back in September. A bit of deja vu will be in the air...
By dropping out on Sunday, I at least left open the possibility of trying again since I didn't spend my all out marathon effort. In fact, my legs never felt like I ran a race since 10-12 miles at marathon pace is certainly not a drop dead effort. Though this time, no matter what happens, this will be my final attempt at actually completing a marathon as a racer this year. After this, I will start focusing on what is to come in the future.
I'm still somewhat stuffed up in my nose/head/ears, but it is dissipating, and it didn't affect my run today. My sore throat went away as of yesterday, and that general feeling of awfulness is gone. I've run with head colds and such before, so I'm really not concerned. It was that feeling of awfulness that I wanted gone. I'm a pro with snot rockets anyway...
It's rare to get a second chance as good as this.
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