Well, it's been quite awhile since I've updated this. It's been one crazy month. My best friend got married, my brother and sister graduated from High School, I've been slammed in my Marketing class for my M.B.A. and I ran another marathon:) Needless to say, I've had a pretty busy schedule. After Boston, I recovered pretty quickly and was able to get a good 20 mile run in before Kalamazoo. I have to admit Boston put a damper on my confidence a bit and I ran the Inaugural Kalamazoo Marathon much more conservatively than I should have. I finished feeling as if I had a lot more left in the tank and I wasn't even sore the next day, except for my left foot which got completely jacked up due to the shoe choice that I wore in the race (not nearly enough support, bad idea). I did however, set a PR though in running a 3:04:25 and finished 21st overall and 3rd in my age group, so I can't complain. Also, it left me feeling much more confident as I gear up for the summer race season. I am going to be running a ton of races this summer, but overall I have a few main goals that I want to accomplish by the end of the year. They are as follows: Run a sub 3 hour marathon during my training for Chicago, Run a sub 1:18 half marathon at the Valpo Half Marathon in November, run a 10k in under 36 minutes, and set a pr in the 5k (hopefully getting close or under 17 minutes). I am going to be completing several Marathons, and others races throughout the summer in preparation for the Chicago Marathon (my main goal). I would love to break 2:50 there, which I think is a very reasonable goal.
That being said, the Marathons that I am running to gear up for Chicago I plan on running at a less then all out pace. I have incorporated several trail marathons, which I have never done before. Next weekend will be my first at Yankee Springs. I am planning on running roughly a 3:30 Marathon and getting in a good long run in. I really don't know what to expect in a trail run, but I assume my pace will be slowed due to the terrain. Also, they only have 4 total water stops for the 2 loop race (which I think is ridiculous), so I may run with a water belt or backpack, which will surely slow my pace.
My race schedule for the next month is as follows:
Run to Climax 7k-May 30th
Yankee Springs Trail Marathon-June 4th
Cereal City 10k-June 11th
Kalamazoo Klassic 10k and 5k-June 18th
Charlevoix Marathon-June 25th.
I am excited to see what the months ahead have to offer and am looking forward to getting back to some hardcore training after finally getting my foot feeling back to normal (I could only run a total of 30 miles in the 2 weeks following the Kalamazoo Marathon). Needless to say, next time I run a marathon, I will be running it with a shoe that offers a lot more support than the Brooks ST 5s (very bad idea). Oh well, you live and you learn.
I am going to continue to update my blog on a weekly basis and as I begin my training for the Chicago Marathon I will probably do so with less detail as I did for Boston. I will however posts race results and good workouts as well as how my training has been going. Until next time.....
Here is a quote to leave you on and one of my favorites: "Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not demanding more from yourself - expanding and learning as you go - you're choosing a numb existence. You're denying yourself an extraordinary trip."
— Dean Karnazes (Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner)
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