So I started this marathon count down project before training started... and then life happened. It was Christmas. I lost a family member. I lost momentum. It was hard to get back to the goal but I feel like I need to finish it, for myself.
Marathon 5: Sunburst, South Bend, IN June 2009
"You can’t cram for the final. By that, I mean you’re not going to get any fitter during the last couple of weeks before the race. So don’t try cramming any last minute long runs or extra training. The best thing you can do for your body is rest." -- Gordon Bakoulis Bloch
Ok, so while I didn't 'cram' for Sunburst, I definitely was not ready for it.... not because I was unprepared....because I was overworked. If I had run the marathon even 3 weeks earlier, I probably could have had a huge PR day. This is the joy of being able to look back on races and training....doesn't help you on that day...but hopefully it helps you in the future.
Leading up to Sunburst, I was running well. Really well at the long distance. At the beginning of May I 'rocked' a 20 miler along the Potomac. 7:40 pace... ya probably should have just added the last 6 and run my Sunburst time of 3:23. Good grief! That wasn't the killer though. The killer was agreeing to run the River Bank 25k a week later (roughly four weeks out from the marathon). I ran a 1:53 at the distance. 7:16 pace...aka practically goal pace for Boston this year. It's not an easy course. It has some real decent hills. I would recommend it to anyone---just not that close to a marathon. The problem is.. I cannot enter a race and not compete... what was a "oh ya... I'll just run and use this as a training run" turned into how well can I race this thing. Too competitive. Tried to convince myself that I was 'holding back.' whoops. I'm pretty sure my dad advised against running this one... dang.
So... what is the point you ask? Well these training runs did not prepare me to race well at Sunburst, and I subsequently felt it at mile 16... hated myself at 20... was running (walking) alone up past mile 23... and just wanting it to be over. Mentally, I was totally defeated. I was on pace for a 3:08-3:12 through the first half and just fell apart. It was too much. Lesson learned---just because you can, doesn't mean you should go balls out on training runs. I feel like I've really learned a lot about how I best train...and while I love to run long at a good clip, it needs to be done in moderation. Glad to put this one behind me.
Sunburst 3:23. 9th woman
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