Here is my dilemma:
I have run about a dozen marathons in my life. My last one was Chicago 2012. It was my first time I ran a race without a watch! My thought was that a watch was very important during training. You have very specific goals that need to be accomplished so that you can advance to the next phase of training. Racing, however, is a different animal. You have only one goal – to finish under a certain time. 3:40 in my case. I have had problems in the past when I was so worried about my time DURING the race. This should be a time when I am conscious of my body and how I am feeling. Not slavishly (and constantly) looking at my watch. Most professional runners consider the marathon as a 20 mile warm up followed by a 10k RACE. I took this idea and ran the first half as slow and comfortable as I could, then after the 13.1 mile marker I stepped it up a bit. Nothing drastic, just a little more effort/pain. When I passed the 20 mile mark I felt good (not great) so I started my race. I finished 3:47. Seven minutes off my goal and the 2nd fastest time ever! (my fastest time was 3:43 in 1995 – Sooo long ago, I don’t think it even qualifies as a PR anymore).
Decision time
So It has been 6 and a half years since my last marathon. I have waited too long to enter Chicago and now it is closed. If I want to run it I’ll have to sign up for a charity and ask all of you to help me raise $$. I could also run The Grand Rapids Marathon. It is only a 3hr drive away and I have run it before (It is a great race!). It’s January and I’m feeling good. Should I run a marathon this fall? At my age I think I’d like to start my training now. What do you think? Would you support me? If I use this blog to chronicle my training would you read it?