Training for my 3rd marathon in as many years has been quite different from my training experience for my first 2 marathons: tearing the meniscus in both knees required arthroscopic surgical repair, putting me on the sidelines when I should have been logging miles. With that said, when I look back on what I did accomplish during the past 16 weeks, the numbers tell an interesting story.
First off, this is the first time my cross training miles exceed my running miles: 331 miles on the bicycle and 50 miles on the elliptical add up to a total of 381 miles of cross training, as opposed to 232 miles running. Also, in past years, I ran quite a few races as part of my marathon training program. This year, the only races I ran were the 10 mile Broad Street Run in May and the Philadelphia Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in September. To say that I am a bit apprehensive about running Chicago this coming Sunday may be a bit of an understatement. However, every time I dwell on it, I remind myself that I have done this before. Am I as prepared as I would like to be? No. Am I going to do something stupid (like try to archive a marathon PR)? No.
So, what do I want to accomplish on Sunday? Well, first off, I want to absorb and live the marathon experience. Being surrounded by tens of thousands of other runners who have similar dreams and experiences is not only comforting but it can be exhilarating, too! Next, I want to make sure that I stay focused on having fun and maintain a consistent, reasonable pace throughout the race. I still need to look though the numbers and then commit to a realistic and reasonable race time goal. That is my objective for the next 2 days.
If I know anything about myself, I know I can do this. I will finish. And, I will be back here to tell you all about it.
Happy Running!
John
