t h e m a y f i l e s is foremost a family blog, chronicling everyday life. Life including natural, healthy eating (with recipes thrown in at random), home educating (with ideas popping up sporadically), an attempt to homestead on .2 acres (with very meager yields), raising 3 of 4 children with a rare genetic disorder, and lots of highly personal family triumphs and failures. You may also find an eclectic array of musings on politics, exercise, sewing, emergency preparedness, backyard chickens, and religion. This blog isn't a campaign to glorify anyone or anything. Just simply a record.

9.16.2011

Marathon Induced Insanity

Saucony Kinvara II's  My favorite running shoe on the market!


I don't think I have posted yet I decided to run another marathon.  I am now less than 24 hours away from the big race.  I am running the Top of Utah race in Logan, Utah.  The course passes within a mile of my parents home, so it seems like a bit of a hometown course for me.

The training this summer has been phenomenal.  I am running faster than I ever have in my life.  I ran a half marathon 4 weeks ago and beat my personal record (PR) by 9 minutes with a 1:26.  That is a 6:38 mile pace.

If you know me at all, you'll understand the intense emotions I have been feeling this week.   Really, it sometimes feels like self-induced insanity!  Training for a marathon is a huge investment of time.  All the stars must align on one day for things to work out and have the best race.  Weather, bowels, equipment, rest....

I have researched all the in's and out's of the course, weather, elevation, average mile splits....I try to leave no possible scenario unexplored.  On my long, hard runs, I've tried to latch onto that pain to push through to the end, and then the feeling at the finish.  I need moments to be able to visualize in my mind those last six miles.

The Ogden marathon was such a disaster for me, I am praying not to repeat.

My goal is 3:15 or under.  That is an aggressive 12 minute PR.  But all my training runs, and recent times suggest it is possible.  So tomorrow at 7 am MST wish me luck!

3 comments:

janice said...

All the Zoradis are cheering you on! God bless you and may you have relaxed breathing, no cramping, and the ability to see the finish before you get there. Love you.

Unknown said...

Good Luck tomorrow. Everything will be wonderful. P.S. It's nice to read your blog again.

Sara said...

GOOD LUCK!!! I hope that your race goes really well and that you are able to get your PR! I wish I could say that my training was going well. Things have been crazy here and the weather is not helping. Plus I have to do it all on my own and between 5am-6am. You are lucky to have such a good set up. Hopefully next move I will find a great running group!

Can't wait to hear all about it!