With my 7:36/mile pace last Saturday, I am encouraged to be just :07 seconds off the pace I will need to maintain to qualify for the Boston Marathon. With just five short weeks to go, I know that it will be too close to call.
There are so many things that non-runners do not realize. As a lifelong athlete I have played or participated in many sports. The biggest difference with my new passion is the time and preparation and how it could all be for naught if the weather does not cooperate. Come down with a cold or the flu? You can still play most sports effectively, but running a marathon? Forget it.
As I make the final push for Cincinnati, the same thoughts enter my head that have entered it before Cleveland and before Baltimore.
- Be careful.
- You’ve got to watch where you are running in the dim light of the morning.
- Take care of your body.
- Pay close attention to what it is telling you.
- Eat the right foods.
- Don’t eat the wrong foods.
- Get plenty of rest.
- Concentrate.
With a Boston Qualifying time on the line, these things become magnified. I pray for the right weather. I hope for the exact formula of rest and 100% muscle recovery and maximum performance on just the right day. Perhaps this has become too technical. For now, I still enjoy the game and the mental preparedness that is necessary, but I see how this could wear you down at some point.
For now, I plod onward with a clear direction and a clear understanding of what is necessary. I am scared. I am confident. I am running.
No comments:
Post a Comment