(The Reality Check)

The first time I crash and burned was at the Austin Marathon. I went in with a goal of breaking 3 hours and started off that way too. I hit 1:30:26 at the half and felt pretty decent. Unfortunately, 3 miles later I hit the proverbial "wall". It's not until you actually experience breaking down that you truly understand the pain. My legs had finally met their match and it didn't matter if I slowed down to a crawl. Every step was agony and I felt like i had constant "charlie horse" cramps all over. It was too much and I ended up stopping at 18 miles.

(Round 2)

I was devastated. But I don't let crap like that keep me down for long. I told myself I was gonna do what it takes to break 3 hours. I signed up for the Rock-n-Roll San Antonio marathon shortly thereafter and continued my training. I started off well. I was running much more frequently and I consistently hit long distance runs on the weekends. Later, however, I started to realize that I wasn't yet ready for the 3 hour mark. After analyzing my workouts and judging by how I was feeling after distance runs, I adjusted my goal time to 3:10 and just hoped for a Boston Qualifier (BQ) time. Punch me in the face if I repeated the same mistakes as in Austin. I started at a relaxed 7:30 pace but got caught up with the half-marathoners and dropped my pace to 6:30's after 5 miles. At one point, I was pacing with another athlete who wanted to break 3 hours. I knew I was going too hard but I was too stubborn to ease up. Then mile 18 came and I felt the charlie horses in my calves once again. I stopped for a bathroom break but that only hastened my break down. And boy was I broke, lol. This time, I had no choice but to complete the race. Mile 18 at RnRSA was the furthest point from the finish line. And papa had no money for a Via ride back. I ended up completing it in 4:11:55. Since it was officially my first completed marathon, that was my PR.

So after my second attempt, I decided to swallow my pride. I'd only train for half-marathons for the next couple of years and eventually work my way back up to the marathon. It was done. The marathon had defeated me. I put my tail between my legs and went home during Christmas break to lick my wounds. As if it couldn't get worse, the weekend I came home also happened to be the weekend of the Dallas White Rock Marathon. The course actually went right through my neighborhood, only blocks away from my house. Talk about adding insult to injury. Now I'm just getting teased. I was going to watch 20,0000 people run by me, having a great time, and getting cheered on by spectators.

(...because it wouldn't be gangster if i didn't)

I took the DART rail down to the Health Expo just to have a "look-see".  15 minutes later, I was signed up for the full marathon and race day was less than 48 hours away. But this time, I was just doing a longer than usual "distance run". The 4:11:55 at RnRSA was just eating at me. I knew I'd at least run faster then that. Plus I had another factor that would keep me in check. I was placed in Corral C. That means there were about 10,000 runners in front of me. What a better way for me to keep from getting nasty again.

So I started off running pretty slow for a long while. It wasn't until mile 3 that I was finally running under a 10 min pace. I dropped it to 7:45-8:00 and held on. I met another runner who was looking to PR. She had hit 3:46 before and was pacing 3:45 right at mile 9. It was perfect. This would be the cage to the moronic, wild ass-animal that always wants to push the pace. We paced each other until we hit 19 miles. I could tell she was beginning to fade and I had been feeling good. I told her i'd continue on with a good tempo run for the last 10k and then we said our goodbyes. I knew this time I wouldn't have a problem finishing well. I was running much slower. But most importantly, it was enjoyable and there was no pain.

 It ended up being a decent day: 3:31:24. I think I went out at 1:47 and came back at 1:43. Not bad for a hobbit. I'll be looking forward to thoroughly crushing that later though. And I'm setting myself up for it as long as I actually train correctly and really focus on these 2010 goals. I feel that 2010 will be good preparation for a fast marathon. I'll do plenty of halfs, 10ks, and 5ks, as far as races go. But it doesn't mean that i'll be cutting out marathons. I'll use them as long distance runs and mini-vacations throughout the year(I plan on traveling, $$ permitting). Goals are a big part of 2010 for me. It'll help me lay out a structure and map for the next 12 months. It's crucial to have a blueprint to success. It's not like I don't have anyone watching me. Adia will be 7 years old his year. She's getting to the point where she'll be playing sports and will be more engaged in structured physical activity. I want her to see her dad set, pursue, and accomplish, the goals. If anything, being a positive influence in her life is really what its about. Alright, I probably overdid it with the novel-like blog so I'm gonna get on with it. Thanks for reading some of the post if not all of it! Oh and by the way, my new running friend at the White Rock marathon ended up running 3:39. Cheers to Karen! Let's kick arse this year!!!