This past weekend was my “extra” marathon. Laura B asked if I didn’t mind running the 3:10 pace group. How could I say no. I have to say it was great fun. I had a solid group of twelve runners up until the hill at mile 18 (Daniel Plumber Rd). After we were through St. Anslems, it was down to 5. But those five stuck with me until the end. One of these runners was Evan, a 17 year old HS student, running his first marathon! It took some motivating, but Evan and I crossed the line in 3:09.34–a qualifying time for Boston. Hugs and tears, really rewarding. On the flip side, if I had run at race pace, I could have taken 2nd or 3rd overall. No worries, it wasn’t on my schedule, but next year….
Next stop in Philly in three weeks. I am going to taper and see what happens, but I know this isn’t the time to try to break 2:50. I am thinking either Virginia Beach in March, or try at Boston. I need to get back into weights and plyo–of which I haven’t done since the summer. I also need to be more consistent on my mileage. 50-70 miles a week is fine for maintenance but not enough to finish sub 2:50.
To infinity and beyond!
