Phoenix. Scottsdale, actually. The Valley of the Sun. Hot.
The Fairmont Princess. Home of the PGA tournament here. $250 per night. Reeks of money. I'm staying at a Days Inn miles away.
Maybe 1 could give us some observations on her recently completed marathon. Training. Course. Aftermath. Compared to other marathons that she has done.
Have a great rest of the weekend.
Philosophy, History and Commentary from Lt. PC
1 comment:
i have shied away from posting out of fear. fear that readers will not find my words as entertaining as 3's. i am only posting today because i have been called out. i am sure my 'reflections on a marathon' are of interest of very few. for those few......
when you are evaluating a marathon, you must evaluate more than the race. the entire weekend experience must be considered. for this reason, my favorite has always been the twin cities. you can't beat sleeping in your own bed, eating the food you're used to eating, and being able to come home after to sleep on the couch...not to mention the number of friends who turn out for support. 'racers' argue that the twin cities is a tough race because the last six miles are up hill. this is true. interesting that until this most recent race, i had always run my fastest times in the twin cities.
weather is another factor that plays into my choice of race. i believe that early october is the best time to run. generally, the weather is pretty good for race day; cool but not cold. racing in october requires training all summer, which means training in the heat. i argue that you can get up early enough for long runs that you can beat most of the heat. plus, in the summer all of the park and rec. drinking fountains are on, and you don't have to worry about carrying water with you. i also like training in the summer because i don't work, and in the past wasn't in school. training is stressful and time consuming, and it's nice to only have a few weeks where work and running overlap. most of all, training in the winter in minnesota sucks. people don't shovel, it's cold, and when it's windy, it's REALLY cold. at least in the summer the wind gusts cool you off.
my worst run ever was in san diego. there were many things i didn't like about that race, but i won't bore everyone with them now. i felt (and looked) like i was going to die.
riding in the trunk in chicago comes in a close second.
i felt the best i've ever felt the two times i did the twin cities with missy.
the most recent run was challenging for different reasons. i was worried about running away from home because my past experiences showed that i wasn't too successful. my summer of training was my best ever, and i was worried about racing by myself for the first time and blowing it. this was also the first time that i actually cared about my time. i really wanted to break 4 hours. i did it, but i am still a little disappointed because i felt like i was prepared to do better. weather is weather and you can't use it as an excuse.
my one beef with the quad cities is that all racers got the same shirt, whether you ran the 5k, 1/2, realy, or full. a little distinction, please. someone who ran 3 miles does not get a shrit that says 'marathon' on it. they gave us all different medals, but who goes around wearing their medal?! (i think i live with someone who will...)
i will continue to run one a year; more than that is too much. i like the training, and i like the feeling of being completely exhausted at the end of the race.
if anyone besides dad is reading right now, WOW! i don't like talking about running because it is interesting to so few people, especially the other members of my family.
.....shout out to 2 who is going to come up for 1.1's weekend. i'll need your map-reading skills! it will be my first time on the "fan wagon"!
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