What next?

So Lia, who also just finished her first marathon… ask what is next? I will admit after an initial high after the marathon, I found myself a little down during the first post-marathon week. I wasn’t sure whether it was from physical exhaustion, lack of the endorphin fix or the obvious pain, but a least another piece of it was… what is next?

For 8 months I had a detailed plan to get me from sloth to marathon finisher… and it worked! In the week after the marathon… I had an amazing accomplishment, and no plan. Don’t get me wrong… I knew that I wanted to qualify for Boston. I just wasn’t sure how I would do that. Also, unlike the marathon goal, I am not sure I physically CAN qualify for Boston. I just don’t know if my engine has enough get-up-and-go for it.

One thing is obvious to me though, while my running speed has increased a bit, it doesn’t appear to me that it will magically increase enough for me to qualify for Boston if I continue to train the way I am. Thus began the search for the new and improved marathon plan… totally redesigned, fortified with 10 vitamins and minerals, a 3 in 1 formula (because we know any one formula is not good enough alone), Dr. recommended, wife approved plan that will get me from ‘what next’ to the starting line at Boston.

Two training plans jumped out at me. Actually 3… I considered getting a personalized training plan from McMillan running. I dropped McMillan because I was afraid they would look at my runs and say, no way… you can’t make it that soon. The two other programs I looked at where FIRST from the Furman Institute of running, and the more popular Pfitz 55 plan. The biggest difference I see between the two is that in the Pfitz plan you run 5-6 days a week… heavy miles, and the FIRST plan you run 3-4 days a week (with cross training on other days) but you run faster and with more intensity.

I know right away why Pfitz is more popular. Check out them miles! Bigger is better right? When someone asks you how many miles you ran in an a particular week… they never ask how fast. Runners compare the size of their miles… it is the bragging point, the brownie button. Miles are the big honkin’ Texas belt buckles of running. But here is the thing… I need to run far… and fast, and I am not sure if a lot of miles is going to get me there right now. I bet it would over years of training… but my timeline is a bit shorter than that. Maybe it is entirely unrealistic. I admit to wondering that myself. But given what I am going to try (cut off 1 minute of each mile pace for an entire marathon), I think the FIRST plan gives me the best shot. Why? Because it lets me push the speed limit more often, and offers rest between days to let my legs recover.

The biggest problem I see, is well… I can’t run as fast as I am supposed to for the plan yet. I did the calculations, and the first run I am supposed to run 3 mile and a quarter sprints at a 6:44 pace with rest in between. WHAT?! My Ipod says my fastest mile was 6:50… and I was sprinting! (And that was just for one mile… but repeat that effort 2 more times on the same day?!) Let’s just say… it will be interesting to see what happens with that.

So now I have a plan. I have my excel spreadsheet mapped out to October 7th when I will run the Portland marathon. Every day… every run… it is all there. All I have to do is execute it, and pray for the best on race day. I know my odds of injury will be greatly increased with the speed work. I don’t know if I can even succeed with it. Twenty five minute PRs don’t just grow on trees.