Thank you everyone for the comments and emails regarding the MDI Marathon. I really do appreciate it. Recovery is going very well, but I'm still sticking to my plan of no running until Sunday (also, if I violate that rule, I owe my father 20 bucks).
Physically, my legs feel great. The plantar fasciitis did flare up big time and I felt it a lot on Monday. However, by Tuesday it waned dramatically and now it feels like it's back within its normal parameters, if there is such a thing. That's good.
Mentally, not feeling so great. I fully realize expecting anything more out of myself last Sunday would be unrealistic, all things considered. However, I've been pretty bummed because I know I can do better. But talk is cheap. The logical thing to do here would be to give myself an opportunity for a quality marathon run, so that's what I'm doing.
I'm going to register for the Hyannis Marathon this weekend. The race is on February 22nd and the goal is to qualify for Boston. For my age group, that means running in 3:15:59 or less, which translates to 7:28 per mile.
The nice thing about this race is that I could use a BQ time for either this year or next. If I qualify, I plan to use it for 2010 if all goes well. With the Western States 100 looming in late June, after Hyannis it will be time to rest up and start training specifically for that. Plus, Boston in 2010 would give me something else grand to look forward to (if I qualify).
Back to Hyannis... this could also be sweet revenge. Two years ago, I felt I was primed for a BQ time and I got cocky and went out too fast. I couldn't hold the pace and I crashed and burned big time and DNF'd. It'd be nice to go back there and kick some butt. It's a fast course, just have to be able to tolerate the cold, which I don't have any problems with.
To be honest, I'm not terribly crazy about this marathon in particular. I've had fun there, but comparing it to the MDI Marathon is a bit like comparing a peanut butter sandwich to a steak dinner. What would help is if they would have staggered starts for the 10k and half marathon runners, yet we're all lumped in together at the start on a narrow street. Ugh. Two years ago I positioned myself at the front and that helped, so I'll just to be sure to squeeze up in there early.
Looking forward to running on Sunday, and gradually bringing my mileage back up. I have formulated a training plan of sorts, but I'll save that for another post.
