Post race thoughts

Is it normal to be dreaming of you next marathon already?  I had such a good training experience, even with the Kansas heat and humidity, and overall a great race minus a few negatives, but all I can think about is the next one.  I have the Heartland Series next spring for my third year, and Wicked Half again with miss stella ella, and a few other small races, but turning my mind to the big one.  I also have lots of other thoughts that didn't make it into my other blogs thanks to me being on a time crunch the day I wrote all three, so this post and probably several after are going to be a hodge podge of a ton of thoughts.

I am still a little sore but I can at least go up and down stairs without wanting to cry.  Kudos to those who race back to back weekends, because there is NO way in hell I could pound pavement so soon, and certainly not another 26.2 or even 13.1 just yet.  My next race is November 7th and it is a nice trail 5 K with stella ella and Mel G.  I also have a 10 miler coming up but that is in December, so plenty of time to train.

Stella ella has been cray cray lately.  She hasn't gotten her exercise quotient and I can tell.  I wish I could bike with her and not fear for my life.  I am hoping to get back to some easy, slow, short runs next week.  Coach wanted me to take it easy and cross train this week a little.  I had planned on biking, but the last two days have been spent walking back and forth and back and forth moving stuff from one lab to another.  I should have worn my vivofit, so I could track exactly how many miles i was walking a day.  Plus add in the fact that we have no AC and it is hot outside, so all I want to do is curl up in a ball and sleep.  

 I have taken to icing my ankle/left leg nightly as it seems to be the last hold out for pain.  I am hoping to get a massage week as I ease back into running.

And I am constantly HANGRY.  I have never been this hungry post a race and post not doing any training.  The other night, my speedy friend Mel G and I attended the opening of our local running store's new location.  I wanted to have a beer and sit down and talk and that morphed into my licking a plate of salad clean and then downing a 10 oz sirloin steak with mashed potatoes and green beans. I may or may not have embarrassed her with my licking LOL!    Every day I just want protein in  the form of meat.  I had to have a burger last night and seriously think I could have downed two.  I guess it is from the excess carb loading we did last week or just the serious amount of calories I burned last sunday.

I have been thinking a lot about not making my time goal.  I really felt like I had a shot at a 4:30, and I think if I could find a smaller marathon, maybe not in such a big city where i could pace myself with my watch, I would have a much better shot at it.  I also have read a ton of blogs of runners who also ran the Chicago marathon and they all had the same feelings and experiences that I did (although most hit their time goals and from corrals behind me).  Too many runners, not enough signal for watches, and lots of jostling for position.  I know my two bathroom stops did not do me any favors, especially the first one when I had to wait a few minutes for one to even come open, but I think the mass of walkers at the end really hurt me more than anything.  For most of the race, people were very good about either moving to the sides if they were walking or holding up their arms to signal they were doing the galloway method and proceeding to walk portion of their run/walk segment.  Towards the end, no one was moving at all.   I felt like a drunk sailor weaving back and forth and back and forth.  My watch was already off a mile, but I wonder how much the weaving added to that.  I am hungry to get back and try for that 4:30 again!!!!  I am really on the fence though about big or little. As I said, i think little would be better for hitting my pace goal, but I am still coming down from the amazing buzz from a big city marathon.  It was amazing and I am enjoying so much reading all the other blogs and listening to podcasts about Chicago.  I am going to plan a fall marathon and would LOVE to get into MCM so going to enter all lotteries in hopes of getting into at least one.

Well, time to move more stuff!  Have a great weekend!!!!