Where will these shoes be running next?
[tweetmeme source=”luau” only_single=false http://www.URL.com%5D
So…
Now what?
What’s next?
Damned good question.
Boston 2011 has come and gone.
A 3:10 Boston Marathon would have made it easy – the Vermont 50 in September followed by running the New York City Marathon with Autism Speaks in November with some shorter races between now and then.
But I think I have some re-evaluating to do over the next couple of months. By late-May/early-June I need to make a decision of WHAT is it I am training for. I have to decide what is more important to me this year – Is it scratching a 50-miler off the bucket list or is it taking one step closer to a sub-3:00 marathon? Can I do both?
A couple of things to consider:
- The fall marathons I would be considering (a return to Smutty, maybe Bay State) don’t happen until AFTER registration for Boston 2012. This means that my chances of getting into 2012 would still be based on my 3:19:19 from Smuttynose 2010. Based on that performance, I will not be allowed to register until the 2nd week AND will have to hope that my 1:40 buffer is fast enough to squeak in. The likelihood of there still being spots available for me will be pretty slim. So, does it even make sense to attempt a 3:10 – 3:15 marathon in October. To add insult to injury, even if I do manage a sub-3:15 but not a sub-3:10, I will be back in the same boat as I am now because of the lower time standards for Boston 2013.
- If I run New York this year with Autism Speaks again, I will definitely approach it as a fun run. I would probably still try to improve on last year’s time, but my approach would be completely different, with my first half being a lot more relaxed. That being said, my New York Marathon strategy should not be hindered by a 50-mile trek in September.
- I AM considering a small marathon at the end of July. The 24-Hour Around the Lake Race has a BQ-Certified marathon built into it. The marathon is 8 laps around Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, MA. That’s pretty monotonous, but it’s also flat, like the elevation varies between 25 and 32 feet above sea level flat. One other quirk is that it is run at 7PM at night. That would be interesting and I think that as long as I didn’t get greedy, I could actually make a decent run at a sub-3:15 – that is, as long as the temperatures aren’t too crazy at 7 o’clock at night in late July. A sub-3:15 here would put me in on the 5th day of Boston registration where I think I would have a better than 50-50 shot of getting in. In addition, the pull of an early fall marathon taking me away from the Vermont 50 would disappear.
So…
Decision, decisions.
Run Luau Run 
I like option C the best and have fun running the NY marathon too. But I know nothing about these things, so take what I say with a big ole bucket, not a grain, of salt!
Come run the Buffalo Marathon with me (well only half of it for me) at the end of may. Flat, fast course, you can sub 3:10 on it, I’m sure. typical temps around 60 degrees. Plus it’d be great to see you!
Sounds enticing, but that’s a long way away.
I understand this feeling all too well. While the decision must ultimately be your own, I will say that running the Vermont 50 last year was an incredible experience. The challenge cannot be beat, and the scenery is positively gorgeous. A marathon at the end of July would be perfect training for the 50, as well.
If you have any questions about the VT50 – feel free to contact me. email: mariaismaslife@gmail.com. I’ll be happy to offer whatever info might help you with your decision 🙂
Thanks Maria, I will definitely take you up on that!
My only comment is “May the Force be with you” whatever you decide!
With my horrendous failure in Boston, I have a lot of re-evaluating to do myself. But, believe it or not I have been thinking about it EXTENSIVELY since the MOMENT I crossed the finish line Monday. I talked to my coach at length yesterday about this exact same thing. He told me I need to decide whether I want to run FASTER this year, or push myself FARTHER. He said that he knows a BQ is within my reach, but I’d have to work on running FAST all summer and choose an early fall marathon (if I want to run Boston 2012). Or, I could put-off my BQ hopes until 2013. Honestly, I’d been thinking about this even before our conversation and I’m leaning toward Vermont.
The draw of Vermont and the 50-miler is almost overwhelming to me. I have to admit, running Vermont WITH YOU and the rest of our VT50 team, including Sarah, Adam, Jeremy, et al. is a BIG part of that draw (at least the heartstrings part). But more than that, I think my running is going in that direction anyway. I don’t know how much faster I can run (nor for how long I can continue to get faster at my age), but I KNOW i can go longer and longer. Really, my ULTIMATE goal would be a 100-miler. I’d like to run Vermont under 11 hours so I can qualify for the Western States 100 lottery.
That being said, I know I have unfinished business with the Boston course. It’s broken me twice. It won’t break me again. However, I also know that Boston will always be there for me (even if I have to BQ at 45 or 50). You’ve already run your BQ. I know they moved the goalposts and now you feel like you have something NEW to strive for, but you can check “BQ” off of your list now (you also promised to run Vermont if you ran your BQ at Smuttynose ;)). Plus, I think that once I’ve completed a 50-miler, 26.2 will somehow feel like a walk in the park.
I’m also in the lottery for NYCM. I’ve been kind of hoping that I don’t get in as it will be entry #2. This would ensure that either I get in next year, or if I don’t get in next year I have guaranteed entry for 2013. Whether my coach agrees with me or not, I am planning on running a marathon in the fall anyway. I might just do the half at Smutty as a recovery run. and I’ll be running the Philadelphia Marathon in November with Lex.
I think you know what I think your choice should be 😀
Maybe I’ll be able to have my cake and eat it too.
ugh, what an annoying decision! I think I like C the best, although I think mentally I would struggle with a flat looped course, but you are a much bigger badass and would obviously be fine. and I’ve heard that 50 miler is a great one, which has nothing to do with anything, but, hooray!
I really wished BAA would’ve simply tightened the standards. The rolling registration really changes things.
Yeah. I hate it. Leaves a grey area for a lot of people – YAY! I qualified, but BOO I probably won’t get in.
How do you celebrate that?
Luau, if you run the Around the Lake, you could enlist people to run a 5k to pace you. Great way to hit a time. If I was going to be in town that weekend, I would definitely join you for one.
and also keep it lively – mile 16/17/18 featuring ___! get something to really look foward to. haha.
you are so dedicated/committed to running! all options are impressive. Wish u the best with whichever one u choose to take on!
i wish i had advice.
but driven people never need advice. they never need it.
you, in the forest for a bit…but the vast majority of what people tell you will feel like BS.
if there’s one thing i know, it’s disappointment.
and it’s taught me: very pitch-black, dark times…they turn advice into gibberish.
you’ll hear tons of support, feedback, pep talks, advice…and all of it will feel empty for awhile.
and it should feel that way.
that’s what it is.
so what happens is that, when you’re alone with a disappointment: 1. your own inner voice feels vacant, absent…and 2. other voices feel vacant, absent.
and that’s precisely when your own compass kicks in, feels stronger.
feels much, much louder.
no one can tell you the next part. not because they don’t know, but because it’s already there. buried, inside of the disappointment…there it is.
pain creates need. that’s the way it works. that’s the way it gets better.
from one M to another, i can tell you this with absolute certainty:
DISAPPOINTMENT IS THE HIGH WATER MARK OF EXPECTATION.
and in being so, it gives you a clear target…a place to aim for.
that’s one of the few things i love about this life. the way that it hurts you, raises the water mark. the way that it dares you.
running, i may not get. but disappointment, that i know. and it’s secretly a blessing.
a notch on the compass.
a target.
M,
This is one of the best comments ever. Thank you for this. I will read and re-read this comment many times as I prepare for whatever my next step may be. Thank you.
No doubt M, what incredible insight!
“DISAPPOINTMENT IS THE HIGH WATER MARK OF EXPECTATION.”
I wanna make a t-shirt out of that!