After Boston
After Boston I had planned to step down to the half marathon distance in training and coaching. I had been pushing so hard for so long I really felt I needed a break in body and mind. However, being the softy that I am, when one of my runners said she was going to do Berlin in Sept. of ’22 and she really hoped I would train the marathon group for fall ’22 season, I gave in and said I would.
Best Laid Plans
Of course, the old saying ‘best laid plans of mice and men’ hit hard that fall. First, she ended up running in a different group and we didn’t see each other much. Second, she got injured and had to pull out of a lot of the training over the season.
But the end result was I did lead the 4 hour group that fall. I named them the ‘Fourtastics’ and it was indeed a fantastic season. The group was out of this world dedicated, strong, and fun. They bonded among themselves and with the coaches, creating a tight group of support. I was very impressed from the start with them and in particular with a few who I could tell would make great pace leaders themselves some day.
The Dallas Marathon
I had no doubt that they would be able to meet or exceed their race goals and indeed they did. I think 8 or 9 out of 12 broke the 4 hour time at the Dallas Marathon. And the few that didn’t came really close. And for most of them it was their first marathon so meeting a time goal in that situation is a BIG achievement. I was very, very proud of them.
Meanwhile, my training wasn’t going nearly as great as theirs was. My right Achilles was hurting quite a bit the entire season so I reduced my mileage considerably to try to manage that issue.
I ran the Dallas Marathon to help lead the group but it was a brutal, brutal race for me. I finished the race in 5:15, my slowest marathon by over 10 minutes. I had had crappy races before, with plenty of pain, but nothing like this. This was me in an intense pain cave, just focused on one step at a time. Luckily I had my wife and 2 very good friends waiting for me and they were very patient as I spent quite a bit of time recovering.
Done But…
My plan after the Dallas Marathon was now, finally, move down to the half marathon distance and take an extended break from the marathon, which I did. However, earlier in the fall, before my injury was so severe, I had decided to apply for the Berlin Marathon and 4 days before Dallas I found out I got in. I was excited but it was definitely tempered by my injury situation. The harshness of the race made me worried but I figured I now had time to reduce mileage, get some physical therapy and start back up with strength training and weight loss.
Lead up to Berlin Training
And that is what I have done for the last 6 months. I lead the 2 hour half marathon group (the Tworiffics) this spring but kept mileage low, have been strengthening my whole body – my ankles and legs in particular – with weight, isometric and band work, and have made progress on losing the weight with 10 lbs down and 15 more to go.