Well, it's been 5 days since the Missoula Massacre. Okay, it actually wasn't that bad and looking back on it, the good memories outweigh the bad by far. It did just occur to me that Massacre would be a great mascot for a Missoula-based sports team, but it's probably too violent for our ultra-sensitive society today. Okay, enough discussion of the social atmosphere of the nation. On to running...
My legs have actually felt great this week. Once the initial aches and pains wore off (which only took a couple of hours) my legs have felt better than they ever have after a marathon. I'm itching to run another race...maybe part of me wants to exorcise the demons from those last 8 miles in Missoula. It seems kind of counter-intuitive that I'd want to race again so soon after such an ordeal. After Fargo, which was the greatest race of my life, I had absolutely no desire to take on another marathon. I was content to just sit on my brand-spankin new PR and bask in the glow for awhile. I actually canceled plans to run the Governor's Cup marathon in Helena two weeks after Fargo and I probably wouldn't have run another marathon until this fall if Missoula hadn't come up. I guess one good thing Missoula did for me is get me motivated to hit it hard again.
So, what's next?? I'm pretty certain that I'll run my first ultra, the Lean Horse 50K, on August 25th. Why this seems like a good idea is beyond me. I have never once gotten to the end of a marathon and felt like moving another step, much less 5 more miles. But, when you think about it, running a marathon is a pretty stupid idea too. I mean, come on, the first dude that did it dropped dead when he got done. Running for me has always been about seeing how far I can push myself. I've done 26.2 miles six times now; I guess I'm ready to tackle the next challenge. I'm kind of scared of what great ideas may pop into my head if I make it through Lean Horse unscathed...
After Lean Horse, I'm putting some miles on. My main running goal is still to qualify for Boston, which means I need to drop at least 8 minutes off of my Fargo PR. The plan for now is to base build throughout the fall and then launch a high mileage plan (up to 90 miles per week) over the winter in preparation for a BQ-friendly spring marathon (Eugene?, Ft. Collins?, Fargo again?, Brookings again?). I raised my mileage last winter and got an 11 minute PR out of the deal. Here's hoping for similar results this time around.
2 comments:
Wow, an ultra! That's awesome. I hope to do one someday too, and the 50k is a nice "beginner's" distance. It seems crazy to run beyond 26.2, but like you said, it's crazy to run 26.2! Plus, you could slow down a little on a longer marathon and enjoy the experince rather than race it- I think that's what I'd do. Good luck! :)
Stores, hard to believe when we were roommates in DL you could barely run one mile, good for you, you have come a hell of a long way,!! Keep it up, you crazy bastard.
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