"Start with One Step, No Matter How Small..."

HAPPY NATIONAL RUNNING DAY!

When I started my winter training cycle, I really wasn't sure what I would be training for. Specifically that is. I knew that I wanted to run the Borgess 1/2 marathon in early May so that I could gauge my progression over the past year. I figured I would fill in the calendar with a few more races, mostly 1/2 marathons and a few 5 and 10k's thrown in.  What I hadn't planned on was running a spring marathon. Looking back I'm not really sure why not. I Think mostly it had to do with not having one that I REALLY wanted to run. My last marathon (Indy Monumental) had gone well and I PR'd in what I consider my first good marathon. So why was I in no rush to schedule the Big Boy? I honestly can't come up with a solid answer. I still had the "want" to run another and the goal of qualifying for Boston, but it wasn't in the plan for this spring.

So hear I am in the first week of June, looking back at December, when I had nary a thought of running a spring marathon...and I didn't run A  marathon. Instead.....

 I've run 3 marathons

 

In 3 different states

In the past 3 weekends!

WHAAAAATTTT! If you would have told me this three weeks ago, even I wouldn't have believed you. So for those of you keeping track I just doubled the amount of marathons I've run, in the timespan of less than 15 days! But I've gotten ahead of myself. I told you about Cleveland, the pace run that made new friendships but the race ended horribly. Then there was Bayshore the PR that resides next to someone elses name. So what do you do after you PR in a marathon while running under someone else's registration? That's right you go out and try and do it under your own name.

I posted on FB asking friends for reccomendations on a June marathon. After Bayshore went as well as it had I figured I could take a couple weeks easy and then try and PR for me this time. Well the problem with June is the weather can get EFFING HOT! I definitely didn't need a repeat of Cleveland. Then someone mentioned that the weather forecast for the Sunburst Marathon was looking ideal. The only question was, could I run a third marathon in only 14 days, and if so did I even have a chance to come close to my PR? Only one way to find out.

I mulled it over for a couple of days but had to decide by Wednesday last week or else registration would be closed and the decision would have been made for me. Then Wednesday morning I got a text from my buddy Dan...."Hey Irish boy, you runnin Sunburst?" It was a sign. I had to at least try.

Racking up my third in three would have additional challenges you may not think of though. You see a couple of weeks ago I promised my sister that I would DD for her on Friday the 1st. The night before Sunburst. She's a school teacher and being that the first was the last day of teaching for the year, she wanted to go out with friends and celebrate. I wasn't going to go back on my word, but this meant that I would have to drive down to South Bend the morning of the race....which started at 6:00AM, meaning I had to leave around 3:30. Holy. Eff.

My one hope was that they would get smashed early on and be done by 10 at the latest. Hey a guy can hope can't he? So there we were at the third bar, at 10:30 and they were STILL ON THEIR THIRD BEERS! Are you kidding me!? Who takes 3.5 hours to drink 3 beers, when A) you're celebrating. B) You have nothing to do the next day. C) You don't have to drive!?!? It's beyond me how responsible they were behaving. My friends even stepped up to the plate to help me out. A round of Jack Daniels shots later and we were starting to see results. Finally after another slowly sipped beer they were ready to leave. At 11:30. Eff me.

By the time I was in bed and asleep it was close to 12:15. I had the alarm set for 3:20 and it came quickly. I had all my things ready the night before so all I had to do before rushing out the door was brush my teeth and put on clothes. Or put on clothes and then brush teeth. The order isn't really important. Especially at that ungodly hour.

So I'm dressed and heading out the door with all the necessary stuff....except for something to eat. Shit. It's way too early for anywhere other than gas stations to be open. I stopped at the first one before getting on the highway hoping that they might have some bananas or something. Well they had donuts. I do love me a donut, just not sure how that sugar dough bomb will sit in my stomach let alone, provide any nurishment. Screw it. one Glazed buttermilk donut and large coffee please. At least I'll get some stimulant from the caffeine.

The drive, thankfully was uneventful and was over soon enough. I had arrived at the College Football Hall of Fame to pickup my packet and ready myself for my third marathon in 14 days. And you'll hear all about it. Tomorrow. Haha! Who feels jipped right now? Show of hands ------ Sorry! You're going to have to wait it out. Unless you already know what happened. In that case count yourself lucky! Or just don't care. Either way.