Pisa Marathon
Finish Time: 2:54:46
A 5 minute personal best.
As soon as I crossed the line I was at peace with what I’d achieved. If you’ve given everything, it’s hard not to be happy about a PB, even if it wasn’t exactly what I’d hoped for.
What went wrong? What happened to 2:49? Nothing. The day was near perfect. I got what I deserved for the effort and amount of time I’ve been training for the marathon. Last year, I was a 3:36 marathoner. This year I am a 2:54 marathoner. That’s pretty damn good. I’m mechanically and mentally healthy (kinda) and fitter than I’ve ever been. I’m signed up for Valencia in December.
2:49 or lower will come.
I’ll admit that, for now, I feel done with running. I have lost a lot of weight, which I want to build back. I want to regain some strength. The problem is, I’m not fired up about it. The desire I once had to be big and strong isn’t there. I mean, I’m less than a week removed from the marathon - it’s totally understandable to feel this way. I’ve also quit working as an in-person coach and we have an insanely big challenge early in the year which is going to take up a lot of bandwidth.
For now, rest and recovery followed by a good cycle of working on top end speed, bringing my 5k down (hopefully) into the 16’s and regaining some strength and mass.
As much as I love working to improve on my last PB, it’s always been about the training, not the outcome.
Happy Xmas and thanks to any and all of you who have followed along. This is just the beginning!