Ready for round two

Well, I guess I should say I hope I’m ready for round two.

Last year, on October 30th, I completed the Marine Corps Marathon, my first marathon.  I was incredibly nervous leading up to.  I spent days and weeks in a panic about how I would get through all 26.2 miles of the marathon.  And then the day arrived, race day.  I ran, and felt great all the way through mile 22.  And then I hit the wall. On top of that, my knee started hurting (which I now know was actually ITBS).  That being said, those last 4.2 miles were hands down the worst miles of my life.  No question about it.  Awful. Just awful.  I remember seeing my friends around mile 24, and I was not happy.  At all. I crossed the finish line (right behind Drew Carey, but still ahead of his time!) pledging, PROMISING never to run a marathon again.  As I was funneled through the chutes, grabbing food, meeting up with my friends, enjoying brunch, I knew that I would never attempt 26.2 again. Why do that again?  Running was supposed to be fun! And that, was definitely not fun.

Well, that was 4 months ago.  I guess I’m a changed woman now?

Yep, I registered to run the Marine Corps Marathon, again.  Not only that, I waited, patiently, for registration to open at 3pm yesterday.  And then I waited, patiently again, for the site to pull itself together.  Yep, I was there, at 2:55, ready to register.  Ready to repeat that last 4.2 that ruined my first marathon.  As awful as those last miles were, I feel like I need a re-do to prove myself.  I finished in 4:29, which certainly is not a bad time.  But its not the time I wanted.  Its not the best I can do.  (also, it’s not better than Sarah Palin’s marathon PR!) So I will be back.  And will get my sub-4 hour marathon.

Somethings I plan to do differently:

• Train.  Yep, get out there and consistently run.  Right now, I’m thinking 4 days a week, maybe 5 if I think my body can take it.  And, I would also like to extend my longest long run to 22 miles.  Last year I maxed out at 16 (was supposed to be 18, but I fell apart).
• Cross train.  I literally live 2 blocks from a FREE pool.  There’s no excuse.  I hope to will get my butt there 2 times a week.
• Strength train.  I know this is something I should do, but always steer clear.  I’ll have to get over my embarrassment of starting out with the 5lb weights.
• Ice baths.  I iced some last year, but only when things hurt.  This time around, I need to be several steps ahead.  And ice baths seem to be the way to go.
• Tempo, speed and hills.  I did a little of each last year, but not enough.  I wasn’t very consistent (hence the goal to train), and often decided against doing the speedwork.  Must, must, must incorporate Yasso 800s.  They work for so many people, so they must work for me, right?
• Stretch.  I know, I’m lame.  But sometimes at the end of a run, I just want to sit.  But not this year, stretching & rolling will be part of hte routine.

It’s so silly that these are the things I need to do differently.  I knew these things before, and still didn’t implement.  Sometimes, I forget selectively ignore that I need to do more than just running, to stay healthy and strong.  But, like I said, I’m a changed woman! If all goes according to plan, this will be my last marathon! Fingers crossed!  Any other suggestions are obviously welcome!

Anyone else sign up for Marine Corps Marathon this year?

What was the first race distance that really challenged you, and how did it go?