It’s been about three weeks since I ran my 12th marathon: The Marine Corps Marathon. I am going to stray away from the norm and I am not going to do a play-by-play recap. My heart just isn’t into it. As the magic 8-ball would say: outcome not so good. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you've seen first hand how my training went. Leading up to the Marine Corps Marathon I dealt with a series of injuries. My right knee would give me problems off and on but nothing major and an MRI told me it is just normal wear and tear that my doctor was not worried about. In late August, my left foot started to give me problems. After my training runs, I would have pain on the top of my foot at the base of my second toe. My foot never hurt when I ran: just after. Icing and massage seemed to help it but anything where I would have to bend my toes (plank, push-ups etc.) hurt to try. I dealt with the foot pain. Two weeks before the race: I hurt my back. I rode the bike a lot those weeks and I think I laced up my running shoes twice. Massage and ice helped a lot. I have a history of throwing out my back so I had muscle relaxers on hand which helped a little: made me sleep amazingly well but didn’t get me to 100%. Race day morning though: my back felt good. I woke up race day morning and looking back I realized something just felt “off.” It was all business at the starting corral: no selfies with Tim or pictures of anything. Not my usual race day routine. We started out on pace: not too fast and enjoyed the first 11 miles. Then it got hot. I started to feel light-headed and ended up walking through water stops and then eventually walking about every half mile. Getting over the bridge between miles 20-21 was a nightmare and my back decided it wanted to lock up on me at certain times. We ran the last mile, made it up the hill and finished in 4:11. A PR for me on the Marine Corps Marathon course. After the race I kept my head up and was happy that I completed another marathon. I did have to defer last year because training wasn't possible after my hip surgery. I was grateful that I crossed another finish line. It never really occurred to me how disappointed I was until I drove into work the following morning and had to drive past the Iwo Jima Memorial where I finished the race the previous day: I started to cry. I wished I would’ve pushed myself harder. I wished I would’ve been mentally tougher. Would’ve. Could’ve. Should’ve. I’ve re-played that day over in my head quite a few times in the last few weeks and the biggest takeaway for me is that given my series of injuries and how I felt “off” on race morning: I should’ve adjusted my goal. I think I should’ve aimed to finish in 4-hours then that way there would’ve been less pressure, less stress on my body and I could’ve enjoyed the race more. Next time I run MCM (2019 anyone?) that will be my goal: 4-hours or less and a nice PR for that course. So what have I been up to since the marathon? I have been following coach’s orders and have been taking off my 26 days from running. I have been biking, rowing, lifting heavier weights than I was when I was training (man I missed that!) I did however run 7.5 miles this past weekend in a 50.2 mile Growler Relay with some fellow Ragnar Ambassadors which was a blast! I’ve been thinking about what I am going to do next. I have enjoyed my break from running and the training schedule. I realized that this past training cycle I was straight up tired. My body (and mind) weren’t recovering well. I wasn't enjoying training like I was in the spring. The last few weeks I have been more energetic and upbeat. I am excited to get back to running though and will be running the Annapolis Running Classic Half Marathon November 18th with Tim. Ironically enough that is the first day I am allowed to officially run again. I'm not going to lie: I am still disappointed with the outcome of the marathon. I am an athlete and a competitor and I worked my ass off. But each race I run brings lessons that will make me stronger for the next one. Boston will always be there and I want to enjoy the journey getting there. I have been mulling over training plans and race calendars planning out 2018. I’ll say this: I’m hitting the reset button and 2018 is going to be a fun year. Part of my reset will even take place in Niagara Falls :) My reset plan and 2018 race schedule coming at ya next week.
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