It's all about the journey

Sometimes you have it. Sometimes you don't. Today I didn't have it, and it doesn't matter. The fact is, I was destroyed the last month of this training. I didn't admit it to anyone, not even myself. I put it out there and ran the first 15K in an hour. Not too fast. Right on target. If only I had known that it was too fast for this given day. I would have changed and been happy with 2:55, even 3:00.

It's OK. I had a great half marathon 4 weeks ago and have improved by leaps and bounds since Philly, even though the time says otherwise. The journey is what matters most - results that back it all up will just have to be postponed.

Up to this point, I've ran marathons of 3:56:56, 3:21:15, 3:07:49, and 2:56:39. Not once did I walk in any of those. Today I became roadkill from Beacon St on. And the Newton Hills obliterated me after I had already had thoughts of dropping out around halfway. I thought about how many people were tracking me and how it would suck for them to be looking for an update that wasn't going to come.

So I ran high 6's, low 7's, mid 7's, high 7's, low 8's and I was on top of Heartbreak. I thought I might be able to at least keep things going at BC, but after a little of Beacon Street, I gave up...in a way.

I walked. It was almost mile 23. I walked for a good 5 minutes. There was a downhill section that I ran, and then I walked up a little hill. There was a stretch of Beacon that I ran for about 5 or 6 minutes before walking again. I walked about 5 times, the final time going underneath Mass Ave. Hereford St sign made me run to the end, salvaging sub-3:20, a time I would have been ecstatic with 2 years ago. I'm happy with it. I was toast and kept moving toward the finish. I've done Boston now. I'm not too keen on doing it again anytime soon, and Philly is looking really good again for November! In fact:



I got this!