Waiting

Right now, today, I am waiting.

I'm waiting to hear if my application for the Boston Marathon will place me in the top 20,000 or so applicants. According to Internet Chatter, it probably will. But still, until you hear it from the BAA, it doesn't count.

I'm also waiting for the next 2 weeks to pass to bring me to the starting line of the Chicago Marathon. It's going to be a blast, as most of my Team Type 1 teammates will also be racing.

I'm still fine tuning my goal for the race and will decide based on whether or not I get into Boston and how the weather turns out that day. With my PR of 3:17:30, I'd like to go for a sub 3:15. But IF I don't get into Boston and if it's a perfect marathon day, I might be persuaded to go after a 3:10.

Right now, I'm thinking I'll split the uprights and go for 7:20 miles, which is about a 3:12. But that's just what I'm thinking while I'm waiting.

Being in the taper, of course, means worrying while your waiting. My foot feels weird today, which is odd since I only ran 20 miles this past weekend, when most of my weekends are more than 30. But that's part of the taper game, too; the worrying. I'm sure it'll pass. And if doesn't, hey, there's Advil.

Of all the things I hate, I hate waiting the most. I nearly jumped into a local 5k this weekend, simply because racing isn't waiting. In fact, it's pretty much the opposite of waiting. But after last week, I was dead-dog tired, and instead used the weekend to recharge with tons of sleep. Waiting is easier when you're sleeping.

Post-Chicago, I'm not sure what my plans are. There is talk of a December marathon with Team Type 1, and I'm totally up for that. At the same time, this entire year has been solid training for me. Mentally, I feel 100% prepared for a December marathon, but I'm a little worried about these creaky bones, so I'm thinking that after Chicago, I might shut myself down for one solid week, just to heal. Or maybe not, because healing looks - and feels - a lot like waiting.

The Un-Super Hike

Regular readers of this blog may know that I was supposed to do the Susquehanna Super Hike & Ultra Run last weekend. Alas, Irene had other plans and the event was cancelled due to horrible trail conditions.

While that was certainly a bummer, it probably wasn't the worst thing for my training. Last week's hectic trip to Cleveland left me pretty weary by the weekend, and on the day the Super Hike was supposed to be, I actually slept until 11.

The good news? I ran 8 miles on Saturday and 21 on Sunday, so I had a good weekend of training, which is critical with the Chicago Marathon just 4 weeks away. I more 22 miler this weekend, and then the taper begins.

As far as my Chicago Marathon goals, they're somewhat predicated by if I get into Boston. Boston's new registration means a guy like me (who qualified by 2.5 minutes) can't register until the 19th, and I'll probably find out if my time is fast enough on the 26th.

IF I get into Boston this time around, I'll likely shoot for a 3:15 in Chicago, which is only 2.5 minutes faster than what I ran in May. But if Boston fills up and I don't, the aggressive goal would be to go after a 3:10 in Boston. If I hit that, I'd get preferential Boston registration for 2013.

But 3:10 sounds kind of quick to me, and all in all, I'd be more comfortable going after a 3:15. Then again, I've attempted more stupid things...

When in Rehoboth...

I had no plans to run a race this past weekend, being just one week from the 28.4 mile Susquehanna Super Hike, and in the middle of my last big build for the Chicago Marathon. But then the family decided to spend the holiday weekend at Rehoboth Beach. And then, as fate would have it, a race that got postponed last week for Hurricane Irene got rescheduled for this week. And if that weren't enough, the starting line was literally about 150 yards from the front door to our hotel. Just like that, I was signed up for the Sundance 5k or Sashay.

If you can't tell by the title and if you're unfamiliar with Rehoboth, let's cut to the chase: the charity the race supported was a homosexual support center. Why do I even mention this? Really, for one reason and one reason only: it was one of the most fun 5k's I've ever been a part of.
Consider: * Bloody Marys and Beer on the finish line (at 8am). Check
* Amazing food spread including quiche (quiche????) at 8am. Check
* Copious awards and enthusiastic cheering when they were given. Check

Seriously, what a cool surprise for a 7:30 am race. That said, I knew my focus for the weekend was my 20 mile run on Saturday, which went fine... 8:31 pace through awesome Cape Henlopen Park. But doing a race the day after a 20 miler meant I was the opposite of rested and tapered. Truth be told, I was tired and sore. But still, I'm too stubborn to turn down a 5k so close to my hotel.

In the end, I was mostly pleased. I ran a 19:40, which is where I run a ton of 5k's when I AM rested and tapered, which could mean this build is going really well. In addition, the 19:40 was good enough for 6th overall and first in my AG. In the end, I was tiny bit disappointed, as second place was a mere 40 seconds faster than me, and I really feel that I could've made things interesting had I gone into this race ready to truly run fast. But still, everything I'm doing right now is all about Chicago, and when I take to the Windy City in October, I won't be remembering what happened in a little 5k in September, even if they did serve bloody marys!

The bonus news for this one was that my daughter, Allie, also grabbed 3rd place in her age group, and my wife completed the 5k, too. We've done races together, before, but this was our first on vacation - a cool treat, indeed.

Extra bonus: A young lady with Type 1 diabetes came up afterward and asked about my Team Type 1 jersey, and we chatted at length about the team and the disease. It's always awesome to meet other D's out "in the wild," particularly at the races!

Results for the Sundance 5k or Sashay can be found here.