Dude, she doesn't look so good...

Here I am at the finish with less than a 100 meters to go! Yeah, I look a little pained, which as I told Nick is a good thing. I mean all I did was whine last week! Blah, blah, blah, I couldn't breath, it was cold, my hip hurt. I was a little embarrassed posting that picture of me at the four mile mark because I didn't look bad there. In fact, I looked a little too happy. So I'm pleased with this less than flattering picture of myself. I look miserable enough I suppose. It's hard to determine how miserable/pained one should look at the end of a bad marathon.

Speaking of bad marathons, this experience has made me realize that having a bad day while running a marathon is significantly different than having a bad day when running a 5K. This might seem obvious to many, but I never really considered how bad it could get. And I completely realize it could have been worse for me. I could have had to walk the last 11 miles! It could have taken me 6 hours to finish! My 5K racing range is 18:24 (my PR from college that I won't likely ever see again) to 22:xx. That's only a four minute variation! Now compare that to my marathon last year at 3:51 and my marathon this year at 4:15. Almost 25 minutes slower! I trained much harder this time around too, and ran four 20 milers in preparation. Respect the distance, lesson learned.

So Nick keeps telling I'm OTM (one track mind). He's right too. I can't wait to start running again, but my groin/hip is still bothering me. I've read it can take a month for muscle pulls to heal. Yuck! I want to be smart though. I've been doing the stationary bike, elliptical machine, and row machine in lieu of running. I've also started doing a bit of yoga. While I exercise I'm going through what I've learned between last year's marathon and this year's. I've even started writing a marathon schedule for next time (which will be awhile because I have some other things I need to do).

My biggest lesson learned centers around my training intensity. Last year I was running 35-40 miles a week, but they were all really slow (10:00 - 11:00 pace with the running stroller) and comprised mostly of 7 and 8 mile runs. I was still getting accustomed to life with a baby and just didn't feel the need to be intense. I only ran 3 long runs, the longest was 18.5. I had planned to run one 20 mile run, but got really sick and couldn't. I was sick enough that I wasn't sure I'd be able to run the race, but decided to go for it anyway. I had a great time.

This year I ran a fairly fast half marathon in May (1:33), and started to feel an intense need to continue running fast. (This was probably an issue for me in college too.) I was running tempo runs every week. I wanted to be able to run 35-40 miles a week, but never got above 32 miles. I kept having nagging injuries like Achilles tendinitis that would force me to run less mileage. The last two months I've been miserable. I started my training around March and didn't take any time off. I've just been tired and injured and looking forward to a break from training. Not a break from running, a break from training to run fast. I never stop running if I can help it, but competing can drive me mad sometimes. I know I can run a certain pace, and so I want to do it. Not competing gives my mind some rest.

Next time around, I plan to run 35-40 miles a week, have a longer run each week, and skip the speed training until about 8 weeks before race day.

Nadine, my bestest running buddy from high school, I know you're out there! I'm curious to know how you train. I know you have injury issues too. Any magical tips or suggestions? Anyone else want to weigh in? I'd love to know how other people avoid the dreaded injury!