08 September, 2009

what to do, what to do

I'm in a muddle lately.

I've been debating, for weeks now, whether to run the NYC Marathon on November 1st, or to defer my entry until 2010. I haven't been able to finish a long run yet, due to stomach issues that seem to come on sometime around mile 6 or 7.

Two major issues come to mind:
1.) I haven't been able to finish a long run yet, so don't have the training on my legs or under my belt for race day, and
2.) Even if I can start the race, there's a good chance, based on the stomach issues I've had in my last few marathons, the 100-on-100, and my last few long training runs, that I'm going to end up walking the bulk of the marathon. I did that in 2008, walking the last 20, yes, you read that right, the last 20 miles. And it's just not how I envision my marathon.

I'm going to NY on marathon weekend. I have a flight down, and two nights of hotel booked. And I have my race entry, via the lottery. Which gives me the freedom to cancel. I can defer even up until the day before the race. So will keep training, keep trying to run long, and will hope for the best.

Worst case scenario, I found a half-marathon about 10 miles from home, the weekend AFTER New York. If I cancel NY, I can always do the half. That way, even if my stomach kicks in and I have to walk a bit, it won't be for that far.

1 comment:

Becca said...

Hey! Take heart, girl! It sounds like your "Plan B" of doing the half the weekend after would not only be less damaging on your bod, but be something you could feel amazingly confident about, anyway. I have been in your exact position a couple of times in my racing life, and let me tell you, running a marathon anyway, when you know your body is not ready, doesn't just suck on race day from about mile 15 on, it usually has implications that last a while after race day. You can do permanent damage to tendons that preclude you from doing ANYthing for weeks after. Don't do it! Trust me. You should just focus on getting healthy and balanced. I really like your blog, by the way. Good luck and get well!! :)