In six days I’ll be toeing the line for the Colorado Marathon.
I have a lot of thoughts about my second marathon and the training cycle that I’ve experienced. So many things are different this time around. Everything is different, actually… I can’t think of a single thing that’s the same.
I’m looking forward to this race for so many reasons. Mostly, I have a huge group of friends doing this race and it’s going to be a complete blast.
Season- my first marathon was California International Marathon in Sacramento in December 2010. I had an autumn training cycle; this time I got to experience a Spring training cycle, which was fabulous.
Training- I trained with the 3 other members of Team Alpaca; Dave, Nico and Jen. We met for various runs throughout the week and did long runs together on the weekends. I always had company to motivate and get me onto trails and routes that kept things new and interesting.
Training plan- I left the plotting and tracking to others and jumped in whenever it felt good, doing speed, distance or trail running as the mood hit. I never got burned out.
Racing- I raced during this cycle when other team members raced, just because it sounded fun. I ended up PR’ing in both races and placing 2nd in my Age Group in the Boulder Spring Half Marathon.
Long Runs- I did five runs over 20 miles this time around, the last of which was the Desert R.A.T.S. trail marathon a week ago.
Nutrition- I’ve dialed in what works and how I’m going to fuel during the race.
Pacing- my pacing is faster this year as well, and there’s been speculation among Team members that I’m going to drastically crush my previous time. I don’t want to commit to that, but my competitive nature is peeking through and I have some ideas about a goal race time that I don’t want to talk about.
I feel incredibly ready for this race. The distance of 26.2 miles doesn’t scare me in the least; I’ve seen the beast and stared it down. Spending 3+ hours on my feet running sounds like a helluva good time, and I like the pace that I’ll be shooting for. The only thing that would make this better would be if it were a trail run. ☺
