Well, this week has dissolved into a particular kind of chaos, so there won't be much time for race report writing. To be certain, when it does come, it won't be a terribly long one anyway. I've now run 4 Chicago marathons, 8 road marathons in total, 2 trail marathons, and 10 ultras. That's 20 marathons and ultras in all. Point being: The sheen has worn off a bit. Especially for a course I've now run 4 years in a row. I still have some things to share, and some interesting details about my race, but I can give you the short of it now: I finished with a 3:58 and change. That's a course record for me. It's only the 3rd time I've broken 4 hours, and it's the 2nd fastest marathon I've run - though it's still far off that great 3:44 I ran back in May.
So, I'll be back with more, but for now I've got to muddle my way through the MASSIVE task I've been handed at work. It's not just a pile of stuff, there's genuine fear involved. The good news is that I've been able to apply my gained wisdom as a newly minted 20-time marathoner to the problem - and I'm not just being quaint, this is a mind-set that really is saving my sanity. I'm reminding myself every day to just take it one step and one mile at a time, not getting ahead of myself, or thinking about the end too soon. I just need an even pace, a calm head, patience and determination, and I WILL get to the finish line. (Wish me luck...)
3 comments:
Greg,
Congrats on the sub 4 marathon, great accomplishment!
Last summer I had the task of painting the exterior of my house. Considering I had never painted a house before, and was uncomfortable climbing high on a ladder, it did not appear to be an easy job.
Like you, I used long distance running as a motivator to keep me from giving up - one brush stroke at a time, and try not to finish the job in one go. I worked on the house 2- 3 hours a day, starting in May, and by the time early October rolled around, had finally finished. It felt like a decent accomplishment, and it actually helped my running confidence, as I knew I had learned the patience and discipline needed to one day attempt a 100 mile race.
Good luck with the challenge of your job, I'm glad your running skills are helping you to keep everything in a positive perspective.
JW
Good luck!
:)
Good luck with the job project. Ultra runners can accomplish anything! Hope you find some great new races (long & short) to prevent burn out in 2010.
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