That’s right boys and girls – I’m going to run my first ever marathon this year! I’ve chosen the Denver Rock ‘n Roll because of the timing and because I know half of the course already (well, sort of). You see, back in 2006, I ran the half marathon and, funny as it seems now, vowed I’d never run a full. But this year, the year I turn (ahem) 40, I decided to either go skydiving or run a marathon. I ran it by the head office (wife) and she said very nicely, “are you freakin’ nuts? You have two kids – you’re not jumping out of a plane.” So, looks like I’m running.
Consequently, I’ve actually been training since June. I joined a runner’s club called Runner’s Edge of the Rockies, which has turned out to be the best move I’ve made in achieving the goal. The club has given me a training plan, motivation in the form of Saturday long runs which are supported with aid stations every two miles. The people in the group are first rate. I’m running in the 4:30 pace group, meaning they work toward the time of 4 hours, 30 minutes for the marathon. David, the club’s leader and head coach, is a great guy and really knows what he’s doing. I’ve learned a lot about training and the mental aspect of endurance sports. Being a volleyball player since high school, I am used to mentally preparing for a game that goes in spurts, and doesn’t last more than about an hour. I’ve had to come up with new ways to stay mentally strong over a period of 1 to 4 hours. At the beginning, it was difficult to maintain, and I found myself just giving up and walking part of the way. But as I got used to it, I found ways to focus.
I had my first race test last week. I ran the Georgetown Half Marathon as kind of a test, to see where I am physically and mentally. I decided I wanted to run a 2 hour, 15 minute half as a goal, thinking that if I double it, I’d meet my marathon goal. Well, I later found out (after I met my goal in 2 hours, 14 minutes) that this logic is flawed. I can’t say exactly why, but for some reason it doesn’t work that way. I’m not disappointed though – I set a goal and made it. The best part was, I finished the run and really felt like I could go further. I was amazed.
Anyway, these next few weeks will be the crux of my training. Tomorrow, I’ll be running 12 miles and next weekend I’ll be running (gulp) 18 miles, which will be the longest I’ve ever run at once. I think it’ll be a good test as to how I’m coming along. The next few weeks after that, I have 2 weeks where I run 20 miles. Wow, just saying that makes me cringe. I’ve also been focusing on eating better and plan to do some cross training between now and the big day. So, wish me luck, and I’ll be reporting in on how things are going.
