I've basically taken a week off from running and from blogging; it's been a nice week. I think I've logged less than two miles since the race and I feel great.
A few months back, I had initially kicked around the idea of running a local road mile last Friday. I thought that despite running a marathon, if I didn't run a step all week, I might be recovered in time to turn in something in the ballpark of 4:30. The early post-marathon signs--extreme stiffness followed by extreme soreness lasting well into the week--were not promising, although by Thursday afternoon, I was feeling good enough to try jogging up a hill on campus to get to a seminar. The result of this little experiment was a deep pain in my calves that couldn't really be described as a cramp. If I were to throw out a medical term, I'd probably say that "claudication" describes it best. This phenomenon is experienced when blood supply to a particular area of tissue is no longer present.
Natalie and I went to the race on Friday, nonetheless, because, by this time, I had convinced Natalie that she could win the race (and the $100 prize money) pretty easily. I warmed up with her for about a mile, and this put the nail in the coffin of any cockamamie ideas ff running the race I might have been cooking up on the drive over to Oneida. Natalie did indeed pull out the victory, although she wasn't too pleased with her time. On the bright side, she's got no where to go but up this summer, and she seems pretty motivated. As a bonus, we met a guy who offered us free registration to Biolermaker (which I didn't realize is already closed :( ).
So other than missing the mile, I have to say I've really, really enjoyed not running this week. My initial rah-rah attitude about getting back on the training saddle has taken on a more tempered perspective. I still want to do it, but I'm at least cognizant of how much I like being lazy.
With this in mind, I thought Ro$$'s post on the race and his relationship with running was well done. I completely get it. For me, the idea of giving up competitive running is certainly not something new. I've in fact done it several times with reasons falling everywhere over the spectrum of purely circumstantial to fully intentional. That said, each time I say goodbye to the prospect of ever setting a PR again, it sparks a tinge of regret somewhere inside of me. I suppose the marathon experience was fun because it gave me something to look forward to, a goal I could achieve as long as I was willing to run over the winter.
I'm pretty sure it was this latter reason--the process toward a greater goal--that made me think so readily about another marathon. It's also nice that people have become so fond of our little blog. So, where to from here?
A few weeks ago, I had tossed around the idea of running the inaugural Empire State Marathon in Syracuse this fall. Maybe I still will, but while it's nice to run fast, I've mostly seen the marathon as a means to an end (getting in shape), and the prospect of two marathons in a year doesn't excite me much.
The next idea was Boston. With my time, I was basically assured a spot given the new qualification standards. The qualifier for our age group is 3:10, but if you're X minutes faster than that time, you're allowed to apply Y days early. There are two problems with Boston, though. First, Gordon might not be able to qualify unless his New York time gets him in, and I'm not sure that it does this late in the game. Maybe his half time? I'm not sure. Second, the race is in April. While a spring marathon got me through the Syracuse winter, it really precludes much in the way of track races in the spring. Will pointed out that I should just do something in January or February. This is a great option for several reasons, but there are strong rumors of a Hall indoor comeback coming out of the State College rumor mill. On the plus side, this time of year works pretty well for student schedules.
In conclusion, I'm not sure what should happen from this point for le trois, but I've got an idea for what my preference is. I would say for me, fall is out. I'd like to run some miles and 5k's in what's left of the summer, and the idea of starting another long build in a week or two doesn't sound too great. I'm sure Ross will agree with that idea. Again, May was nice in some ways, but I'm realizing now that it's also pretty late. At the expense of indoor, January and February seem like the best plan. Bonus reason: Why not sit on my butt for two weeks when there's two feet of snow on the ground?
So without further ado, I bring you my top-five candidates for a winter destination marathon. I'd also like to take this opportunity to gauge participatory interest from our followers, Cornell alumni and others. We will probably keep the name of the blog (which, despite the fact that I stole it from Kate Irvin's Melange à Trois blog, is pretty good), but might as well add a few contributors to keep things spicy. Ross and Gordon have not weighed in on this yet, though, so let's hear it.
5: Carlsbad, January 22, 2012
4: New Orleans, March 4, 2012
3: Houston, January 15, 2012
2: Birmingham, February 12 (?), 2012
1: Miami, January 29, 2012
More here.
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