bring the pain #9

i've been flip flopping back and forth about whether or not i wanted to run the full in new orleans. i registered for this marathon last june, and the plan was to keep working after vegas and go as hard as i can. you all know about my aches and pains and how it troubled my training. i then started wavering on the full and started thinking about the half.

a childhood friend ran his first marathon in baton rouge the same weekend i did vegas. he LOVED it. we discussed running new orleans together, for fun. in my wavering, i forgot all about it, until he mentioned it on facebook the other day. so it started me thinking. and after my sleepless night a couple nights ago, i started thinking that i can still do this. so today, i headed out for the test, a 20 miler.

i'm happy to say i made it. it wasn't the easiest 20 miles, but i've felt much worse, many times. it was a decent run, and i was able to keep the pace around a 10 minute mile. before vegas, i was doing 20 milers about a minute faster per mile, but i understand the shape i'm currently in. i understood the shape i was in then, and knew i had been in better shape than that even. however i'm happy for today's victory. i can't change the shape i'm in at this point for this marathon, so i accept it for what it is and celebrate that i did it. my last long run, 3 weeks ago, was a horrible 18 miler that left me walking and sick in the last 5 miles. the week before that, was a tough 16 miler. and the week before that, a pretty slow 14 miler. today, there was no guarantee i'd finish running 20 miles, but i did in an ok time with no walking.

so....new orleans marathon is back on the table. it won't be a PR, and i feel pretty confident it won't be my worst. it'll hurt like an SOB, but i'm going to have fun, run with a friend, and celebrate finishing my 9th marathon.

bring it on #9!