Life after my first DNF...

… is not as bad as one may think.  In the business of marathon running being "tough" is usually associated with one’s ability to defeat adversity in a race. What people tend to minimize or forget is that being tough has absolutely nothing to do with being stubborn or not smart.  We often think that a good runner is one that goes for it no matter what, one that defeats adversity by pushing through the “wall” or one that trains and races in pain. I used to be one of those runners. But the past six months have taught me that being tough is much more than those things.

My running has had ups and downs in the past 12 months.  I went from running an almost perfect race (in Eugene) to run a terrible race in Berlin and then to sit down for almost two months with a hip injury. I know what it feels to completely defeat the 26.2 miles, but I now also know what it feels to sit down by my widow to watch people running. I also know that by not listening to my body I not only diminish my chances of running fast, but also increase my chances of injury. I now know that being “tough” implies making difficult decisions even when they go against the popular belief. It implies being careful sometimes.

I know what it feels to run a fast marathon (3:09:01) and leave the stadium without any problem, smiling, feeling invincible and looking forward to run again. But I also know what it feels to run a bad race and feel down for several weeks after it only because I didn’t make smart decisions and ran a bad time. Most importantly, I know what it feels to run in pain and how difficult it is to recover when the itch for running is in you every single day. I decided to DNF in Boston because I can feel that my health is coming back. I DNF because I didn’t want to take risks and trash my legs in a day that is going into the history books as the slowest Boston marathon in history. In short, I DNF because I didn’t want to throw by the window a training cycle that is getting better by the day.  I DNF because I thought, and still think that I can run a strong marathon in 5 or 6 weeks.

In a way, I feel that a DNF in Boston will bring me to a different level as a marathon runner. The level that I hope will allow me to run a sub 3 hr marathon soon.  More on the race (or training run) in a post to follow.  

Cheers. 

Armageddon weather forecast...

Ugh, ugh, ugh!  The weather forecast for Monday is not good.  It will be very hot and sunny. The temperature predicted for Hopkinton, where the race starts, is 70 degrees.  It will be 85+F by the time runners make it to Boylston Av. Basically the worst possible weather for marathon runners :(

Training for a marathon requires a lot of time and effort.  We control (or at least try to control) what we eat, how we hydrate, how we rest, and how we train for 16+ weeks, hoping to have a breakthrough performance on race day.  Yet the marathon and mother nature sometimes have something in store for all of us. They have things that we can't control. We -marathon runners- don't like things that we can't control. One of them is the weather.

There is not much marathon runners can do about a hot day. It's not a matter of being tough or pushing through it. When the body's temperature increases it recruits blood and oxygen to the surface of the skin to help cool you down. It's an internal mechanism to regulate the body's heat. When the blood and oxygen is forced to the skin, it is taken away from the muscles so they cannot work as hard as they would normally and the body slows. That's the fact. Period.

So the question is how much should I slow my pace down to make it in one piece to the finish line? Well, I honestly don't think I can run a 7:20-7:30 pace for 26.2 miles in those conditions.  I am coming back from injuries and my stamina is not peaking yet. So I am going to err on the side of caution this time.  I am going to go slow, very slow.  Maybe 7:50 or even 8:00 per mile.  That will put me in what should be an easy (that's what I hope) 1:45:00 half marathon. By going conservative in the first half not only do I hope to be feeling good coming the toughest part of the course (miles 15-21), but it will also allow me to finish in 3:30:00 or so.  Not my best performance, but not bad at all given the expected conditions.

I already said that I just want to feel good... I don't know if that will be possible given the weather. But at least I want to run a "smart" race.  I need to save my legs, my body, and my mind for other races.  Boston is a goal that I have had for a long time, but it is neither the only nor the last one.  Of course, I want to finish.  But I want to finish in one piece. Running "smart" means using this "log run" as a base for future races.  I have not even made it to Boston but I am liking how I am approaching this marathon.

I know the conditions won't be good and I am going to do something I haven't done in my previous races. I am going to ENJOY.  Rather than complaining and stressing out about the weather, I am going to enjoy every single minute of my trip to Boston and the race.  I am going to run a comfortable pace, chat with fellow runners, give high fives to the spectators, and relax. I will always be able to find other marathons with better weather and easier courses to run a PR. I don't know if I will ever run Boston again...I am going to make the best out of it. 

6 days to Boston

I will run my first Boston marathon in 6 days.   Training for a marathon is not an easy task, it requires lots of discipline and determination.  But it also requires a body that can take the pounding almost everyday.  My body hasn't been 100% since I ran in Berlin.  I have struggled with injuries for more than six months. So my training for Boston hasn't been as consistent as it usually is.  Going into Boston I know that I am coming back, but I am not 100% yet.   The muscles in my hips and core are stronger and I am working on correcting all the imbalances created by the injuries.  One week before running in Berlin I knew (but didn't want to admit) that my body was breaking down. With less that a week to go to Boston I feel that my body and my running are going back to where they were a year or two ago. I am running better and stronger than seven months ago, my legs are bouncing happily again, and I am not experiencing as much pain as two or three months ago.  My workouts are more consistent and I can feel that my running form is more efficient.  Yet I am lacking a bit of speed and most probably stamina for the last 6 or 7 miles of the race

I am going to run in Boston because every serious runner dreams about running in Hopkinton, Heart Break Hill and Boylston Ave. at least once.  I am not the exception.  I have trained really hard in the past three years for this moment.  It is not about the last six months, it's about a goal that I set long time ago.  I am going to run, but I am not going to make the same mistake that I made in Berlin. This time my body and not my mind is going to do the running. I will go as fast or as slow as my legs want to go.  I want to feel good an recover the confidence in my running.  I know that if I run an intelligent race I can run much better than in my last marathon. My body is coming back and that could mean great running in the next months and big PRs.  This time I am not looking at one marathon at a time, I am looking at the big picture... and the big picture is a sub 3 hr marathon in the fall.