Eye of the Tiger

  Maybe it's just a coincidence.  Probably not though.  I never thought about the pattern until this week, but, in the week before at least the last three marathons I have run, I have been sick.  Generally, I have been ok by race day.  But, the days leading up to the race have been filled with coughing, congestion, and praying that I will feel better by the weekend.  This week is no exception.  The maddening thing about it is that I rarely get sick the rest of the year.  I don't know what brings on these colds before marathons, but, I don't get sick before shorter races.  I guess I also don't spend months training specifically for other races either, so there must be some connection that surpasses my ability to comprehend.

Nevertheless, I am moving forward with my plans to leave for New York and run the marathon this weekend.  I am nervous and excited about it.  I believe both feelings are natural.  But both of those emotions ramped up a little when I watched video of the course on youtube.  If you're interested, here's the link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnxknAnBVk0 

I also got psyched looking at some of the still photos.  It's inspiring to see the moving mass of humanity on the bridges.  I'm kind of ambivalent about New York in general.  As a native Chicagoan, I'm not a huge fan.  But I have nothing against it either.  Running the New York marathon has never been a huge goal of mine though.  It's more the case that lots of my friends have run it, including Rick and Tom,the guys I run with every weekend.  They all say it's something you need to experience.  So I will.

Any time I run a marathon, though, I want to make the most of the training and try to run a good time.  I know you have to adjust your goals a little because of the crowds and hills in the Big Apple.  And I have.  But I still want to have a respectable effort.

The last two marathons I've run were a bit slower than I was hoping for, and I've tried to think about what may have led to that.  I don't believe it was necessarily the training.  In one it was the conditions.  In the other, I believe it was all in my mental preparation.  That's why the title of this entry is "Eye of the Tiger".

I believe I have tended to view the marathon, on occasion, as an experience to enjoy.  That was the case when I ran Boston (in the slowest time I have run at the distance).  It was also the case in Paris, when I tried to take in the city as well as run a good race.  I accomplished only the former goal in that one.

On those few occasions when I have run strong marathons, it was more the case that I viewed it as a race.  That puts it more in a perspective that I can relate it to my (long ago) days in Cross Country and Track.  It means that I want to run aggressively, and concentrate on pace and strategy.  It also means, as I read one world class runner say, having the frame of mind that you will run through a brick wall if you have to.

So that's what I hope to do.  This marathon is a bit of an experiment for me because I have done no speed work.  That is not the advice any experienced coach would give you, but I have done plenty of distance, and three 20 milers leading up to the weekend.  My races this summer have served as a little bit of speed work and have also gone relatively well.  That tells me I should be able to run strong in New York, if the conditions cooperate.  The forecast looks good right now.  So the rest will be up to me.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Comments

[Kevin]

I'm jealous. Hope it goes well.