Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Final Thoughts

There have been many, many emails exchanged between Coach and I since the marathon and I have some final thoughts.
  • I wasn't upset with the fact I could not run the time I thought I should be able to run. I was upset that my body would not go and I could not keep it together mentally.
  • But, I need to let that go and be okay with the fact that the course was REALLY hard.
  • I need to stop competing with others even if really the competition is only in my head. I am only responsible for myself and only how I can perform against myself.
  • I have a lot of mental work to do before "the big one" next year. Coach and I have also learned some physical weaknesses that were exposed this weekend that will need sharpened before Ironman.
  • I want to race more.
And now, I'm letting go. The soreness is still strong but subsiding and I'm starting to get hungry for what's ahead. This will be the first time since I got injured in 2004 that I will not be training for a marathon during the year. Sure, I still have some goals I want to achieve in the marathon but doing something else for a while will only make me a better marathoner. It's going to be a long two weeks without any workouts, but I'm excited for what's next.

3 comments:

Molly said...

I am just glad you made it home safe! Coach has a good idea of what she's talking about and like I said I think this was a good experience leading into your IM training. Rest well!

Teresa said...

Enjoy your recovery!

tn

GetBackJoJo said...

That mental piece got me for years and years. I hear your disappointment, and I feel for you. Your training did NOT indicate the race you had. Had it been a more reasonable course you would have had a different race for sure. That said, you moved to a different place in getting through and then processing it, and you are going to become a much stronger runner and triathlete for it. Elizabeth will get you there. Keep faith.