Find a little help from my friends...

Well, my third and final half of the season is done, and if I do say so myself, it was probably the most enjoyable that I have had so far.

As for the race, hats off to the Columbus Marathon for coordinating a really fun race.  The course was very flat and had enough turns to keep you interested.  There were lots of bands and people out to support the runners, which made the miles go by quite quickly.  As for the weather, I do not think I have ever ran in better temperatures than that race.  It was borderline chilly (mid 40's) to start the race and then proceeded to rise into the 50's by the end of the race. 

The best part of the race was having two other people who ran beside me and pushed me the entire race.  Jordan and his boss Mike ran with me (or should I say I ran with them) and the whole race we all seemed to take turns in the lead, pushing through the crowds and seemingly increasing the pace as the race went on.  It was fun to chat with both of them and just talk about whatever was on our minds at the time.  We were able to continue in this manner until about mile 12, when my body said "No more!"  And Jordan and Mike left me in the dust.  There have been a few times in my life when my mind says go, but my body just wouldn't respond and this was one of them.  Jordan was nice enough to stay with me for a little bit, but ended up leaving me in the dust and caught up with Mike.  I ended up finishing with a 1 hour 40 minute time, which blew my mind.  I would have never even touched this time if it would not have been for Jordan and Mike pushing me through the race.  Jordan ended up with a 1 hour 39 minute finishing time, which is phenomenal.  Here is a link to a video of Jordan finishing the race, and here is one of me.

As for my own training this week, it was a bit non-existent.  I decided to take a week off.  Instead of running I did crossfit and cut fire wood.  Both were a good workout, but no substitution for running.  As of late, even before the Columbus half, I have been struggling to stay motivated to run.  I think one aspect is the amount of time you have to commit to running, especially now that higher miles are in the workout plan.  Another aspect of things is that I have been finding it hard to continue with training now that it has been getting dark earlier in the evening.  Before, I could go for a run at 7 or 8 and had plenty of daylight.  I know it has been a gradual change, but for some reason it crept up on me, and now it seems like all of a sudden it is dark at 6:45, and soon to be even earlier when daylight savings time hits.  Lately, work has also made it a bit difficult to get motivated to run, to which I am sure everyone can relate.  Seems like the combination these has made the next couple of months look a bit like an uphill battle. I was able to get out for a short 5 miler today, which was enjoyable, and even a bit hot in the afternoon sun.  Still battling with this side issue.  I think I may go and have a doctor look at it and see if there is anything they can do.  I strongly believe it is muscular related, because when I take an anti-inflamatory before I run, it seems to be a non-factor.

With that being said, my goal this week is to finalize my running schedule up to the marathon in January.  I think my main goal for this next stretch of training will be to remain realistic.  I know that after the race last week, Jordan and I both looked at one another and said, "How are we going to run another 13.1 after this?"  I have since realized we ran the half at a 3:20 pace, which would litterally kill me (Minner you are nuts for running a marathon in under 3:10).  Jordan, Jen, and myself were also fortunate enough to meander to the 26 mile marker of the full marathon to watch the runners come in and munch on a delicious treat from the North Market.  After watching the people come in, it was amazing the difference in peoples demeaner and consciousness as they passed.  Don't get me wrong, everyone looked tired, but some looked like they were still in control and had something left in the tank... some looked like this guy.  I made it my goal not to be the guy coming in who looked like, if given the choice, he would choose death over taking another step.  I have been contemplating how to accomplish this goal, and I think one key for myself is to set realistic goals.  I know I have been saying that I would love to break 4 hours this marathon; but I just fear if I push that hard I will become that guy, and it is quite important not to be that guy.  Anyway, it is too early to tell for myself what my final pace will be, but I am starting to think that under 4 hours may be a bit much.  Nonetheless, I will continue with a three day a week running schedule, with crossfit as supplemental to my training whenever possible.  I will post my schedule once I have it finalized.

I hope everyone is doing well in their training and staying injury free.  I am looking forward to getting together this November for a run.  Hopefully everyone can make it to wherever/whenever we decide to run.