So What's Next?

I’ve been asking myself this since Saturday. I tell ya, not being able to finish a race that you trained nearly six months for really messes with your mind. I can’t stop thinking about how my training is going to go to waste if I don’t hurry up and do a full marathon. Or that people think that I’m a quitter because my race got cut and I didn’t do another one to make up for it. Last night I even dreamt about running the Colfax Marathon which I honestly have no desire to do at all.

When I heard that there was a chance our race would be cancelled or cut short before I headed to Nashville I immediately started investigating other race options. The first one that came to mind was the Colorado Marathon in Fort Collins. Of course it is sold out. It must be one of the easiest courses ever. It is completely downhill and has an 18 % BQ average. Maybe next year I’ll be able to register before it sells out.

The other option was of course the Colorado Colfax Marathon. Now that thought of running down Colfax for hours on end does not excite me at all. In fact is makes me want to sleep. At this point it would be feasible for me to run it. It’s less than three weeks out and it’s convenient for me, no real travel required. Plus it’s not sold out. I not really considering it but should I feel the urge to do it I have the option. My fear is that I’ll hit a wall half way in a think why the hell did I do this to myself? I should have listened to my body and taken time off to let it heal. On the other hand that voice in my head is saying come on, you need to do a full marathon since your race was shortened.

But as I’m typing I’m sitting here taking no action. Honestly I am just burned out. I spent 23 weeks training through the holidays, winter weather, another bought of tendonitis and a calf strain. I am mentally and physically exhausted. I think the best thing I can do for myself is take some time off. Does this mean I’m going to stop running until it’s time to train again? Not a chance. But I think I’m going to take a break from the distance. I’m definitely not going to do another 6 month training cycle ever again. Four months is more than enough thank you.

I’m thinking about trying out some Bikram Yoga or getting back in the pool. Mix up my workouts a bit. Plus doing activities other than running will give my ankle and calf time to heal. I do have some races in my sights for this summer/fall.

I’m already registered for the Crossroads ½ Marathon on September 19th and I’m planning on doing the Inaugural Rock N’ Roll Denver Marathon on October 17th. Those are the only two distance races on my plate for now. I’m going to run the Bolder Boulder 10k on Memorial Day and definitely Rogers River Run 5k which is the race that started this all. I’ve been so wrapped up in training for my distance races that I’ve forgotten how fun it is to do a short, fast race. I’m bound and determined to set some awesome PRs this summer.

If you weren’t able to finish the marathon you trained for, would you run the next available one? Or would you take a break to recover from all the training?