It’s been four months since I started training for the OBX Marathon. In that time I’ve battled two bouts of debilitating flu. Ran three legs of the Blue Ridge Relay. Completed the Army Ten Miler and two 5Ks barefoot. Blew out two pairs of Vibrams. And managed to goof up my hip to the point of cortisone.
Also in that time I was able to log 472 miles; 156 miles less than my goal. So with two days to go before the big day I can’t help but wonder, “Am I ready?”
Of a possible 133 training days I ran 62 (47%), rested 55 (41%), was sick 4 (3%), and dealt with hip and tendon issues 12 days (9%). Sure, I’m bummed that I wasn’t able to complete the 628 miles of training as scheduled, but I’m glad I took the days I did because I’m feeling really strong and quite healthy.
In the past 20 weeks my long distance training pace has dropped from 9:15/mi to 8:39/mi. This improvement is gonna be a huge mental (and physical) boost of confidence as I attempt to best myself with a 3:50:00 finish time (I’m not just going out to finish). I’ve also lost 18 pounds, am no longer chewing, and I’m sporting a newly broken in pair of Vibram KomodoSports.
My last 15 runs via Garmin Forerunner 210
Am I ready? I’m ready for the air horn to sound and the race to begin. I’m ready to push myself through the last 10K. I’m ready to see my wife and son at the finish line. I’m ready to surprise myself. I’m ready to best myself. So, yes, I’m ready to run the OBX marathon.
Feel free to come out to the OBX marathon or cheer from the sidelines by leaving a comment below or sending me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com. Who knows, perhaps next year I can qualify for Boston. Of course I’d have to run a 3:20:00. Oy
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