It's Official....I registered for the Hartford CT ING Marathon in October. A little less then 180 days and counting....
I made my decision to register after the race I ran this past weekend. It was the Rutgers Unite CGI Half Marathon. The course got shortened at the last minute due to flooding, son instead of the 13.1 I was ready to conquer, I only had to run 9.55 miles. Although my time and pace were great compared to previous races (7:59 min miles) I was bummed because I could have kept up this pace for another 3.55 miles and completed my fastest half to date. But life goes on.
After the race we went out for post run beers and one of the girls that was there with us, mentioned that she had run a full before. I began talking to her about the training and she said "if you can run a half you can definitely run a full." That day I made up my mind that I was going to register and there was no turning back. I hope that I can continue with my training for the next 6 months so that I am ready.
All along, I have thought that I could do it without following one of those silly training plans and just listen to my body and get it done, but after talking to some friends, I think I am going to cave and use a training plan. I would be pretty bummed if I got an injury just because of my own stubbornness and wasn't able to run the race I have my heart set on.
After the Marathon (bear with me, I am about to get a bit ahead of myself here) I am going to register for the Disney Goofy run, which is a half marathon on Saturday, followed by a full marathon on Sunday. 39.3 miles in less then 48 hours....oh boy...I think if I can get through the full and be ok, I will be able to do it though, because currently, running 13.1 miles is much easier then it used to be. I can only imagine how easy it will seem once I conquer 26. So those are my long term goals for the next year.
As far as short term goals...here they are: I have a half coming up on May 15 which I hope to complete in under 1:55. This will be a challenge because my running buddy/pacer will not be running with me :( But a friend from the gym will be running it, although she is much faster then me. Who knows, maybe I will surprise myself and be able to keep up with her (in my dreams). The day before the half, I am running the MetroDash, which is an obstacle course designed by Navy Seals. It involves all sorts of climbing, jumping, lifting and sprinting and I can't wait. My summer is going to be filled with racing, and I can't wait!!!
