Country Music Half Marathon

Last Saturday I got an automatic entry into the New York City Marathon by running the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville. I ran an even 1:18.47 for 26th place. The weather was cold, rainy, and windy. The course was pretty hilly.

Since returning from Peace Corps Niger in the middle of March, I have struggled a bit in re-transitioning to anaerobic workouts. While in Niger it was hard to do more than just run 60 or 70 minutes a day. I had to train before 6 a.m. to avoid regular temperatures over 100 degrees. The diet was rice, rice, and rice. Our malaria drug, Mefloquine, was really hard on our systems. But I also learned a lot about toughness in Niger: the people there are so incredibly resilient. In the long-run, Niger will make me a stronger athlete.

Right now I go out and hammer ... and only run 5:30 pace. Then it takes me 3 or 4 days to recover, meaning as soon as I start to recover from one workout I am wearing myself down again with the next. But I do not want to cut back too much on volume: Volume is always the most important ingredient; Sunday is always the most important day.

So I am tired all the time. I wake up in the middle of the night to pee and hobble around like an old man. I am relearning a type of running a decent college runner might take for granted. There is a big difference between the ages of 26 and 22: I can no longer stay out all night and wake up at 7 a.m. for a hard 15. I have to pay attention to nutrition. I have to pay more attention to recovery. I have to pay more attention to everything. Maturation by force.

1:18.47 on dead legs. Not pretty. But I am in New York now, and my sights are dead-set on November. Any race between now and then is just a high-quality workout.

On Sunday, May 4, I will run my hometown race, The Rumson-Fair Haven 5-miler.

Here is my training for the past week:

Monday - AM 6 PM 6

Tuesday - 10 - with 5 times (2 on, 2 off, 1 on, 1 off, 30 on, 30 off, repeat)

Wednesday - AM 6 PM 6

Thursday - 10, in Nashville

Friday - 5, strides

Saturday - 15 - Country Music Half Marathon, 1:18.47. Did not cool down because of blister.

Sunday - 13

Week - 77