Rethinking Boston...
/I don't think I'm going to run the Boston Marathon in April. I've been going over and over it in my mind. As excited as I am to have qualified for Boston, I just cannot muster any enthusiasm at the moment for the race itself. I looked at a calendar and training for Boston would begin on December 27th. The thought of diving back in to full-blown training two months from now is enough to move me to tears. I don't think I could make myself do an interval workout, even if you held a gun to my head. I didn't realize how tightly wound I was until my marathon was over. Now, I just want to relax for awhile.
Of course, there's always the option of running Boston "for fun." Not worrying about pace and just high-fiving people, walking, and sipping champagne along the way. That holds some appeal, but then I consider that this may be the only time I run Boston - either because it's the only time I qualify or because I'm only willing to make the trip once. Either way, I'd like to say I actually ran the Boston Marathon and gave it my all. But I can already tell that, mentally, I'm just not in the game.
So my plan is to have some fun this year. Run a lot of local half-marathons and trail races. Do some fun runs with friends and meet for bagels and coffee afterward. I'll train, sure, but not with the focus and intensity of this summer. Then, ideally, I'll be prepped and ready to gear up for a hard training session next winter to run Boston in April 2011.
"Boston" has always been a huge goal for me but it was the qualifying for it that mattered. Whether I actually run the course or not isn't as big a deal. My only real regret is my friend Lisa is going to turn 50 on April 19th and run the Boston Marathon that day. I'd love to be there with her, but I'll have a bottle of champagne delivered to her on the course, so maybe she'll forgive me. =)
And who knows? I'm only a week out of my marathon. Maybe if I get a month of rest under my belt I'll be like, "Yeah I'm gonna run Boston this year!"
I ran 3 miles yesterday on the treadmill and was huffing and puffing by mile 2. My God, it sure does go away fast!
Cheers,
Dena