Richmond Bound

Short and Sweet

I am multi-tasking as I write this post, but today marks day 1 of following a formal 16 week training plan for Richmond. I'm excited and strangely terrified. Remembering all of those god-awful long runs during marathon training is so painful, and this heat wave from hell certainly doesn't help. But I am bound and determined to break 4 hours this time; once I do I will never complete the (Richmond) marathon again :)  

Time to stop dicking around

I mean it. I'm eating the right foods, limiting by beer intake, and strictly adhering to my plan. No crazy diets anymore either; I'm including the rice and pasta (along with the nutritious veggies) to properly fuel for this challenge. If I'm going to do this then I'm going to do it right this time.

Recap of Marathons 1-3

Richmond - November 2013

This was my first marathon, and my best time at 4:08:52. To be fair, the other marathon I've run was in the mountains, so although this is my best time, it was not my best race. But it was my first, and I will never forget the wave of emotions that came over me when I crossed that line.

  

Blue Ridge Marathon - America's Toughest Road Marathon - April 2014

Once I crossed the finish line in Richmond I had the 'bug'. I had to do another marathon ASAP. However the next upcoming marathon was deemed America's toughest marathon, and it was up and down 3 major mountains. I trained all winter and was arguably in the best shape of my life. Just two weeks prior to this race I came off of a 1:49 (PR) half marathon time. The course was brutal, and I finished with a time of 4:55:23. According to other participants, I should add at least an hour to a regular marathon time to finish this course. Using this logic, I'd call this my best marathon.

Blue Ridge Marathon - America's Toughest Road Marathon (round 2)- April 2015

The 2nd time around this race did not go nearly as well. It was unbearably hot on race day, but cold weather and snow storms dominated most of my training runs. I was less motivated to run in the cold that winter, so I missed several key long runs on the weekends. I finished this the second time with a net time of 5:30:16, and I was miserable through 60% of the event. 

Fingers Crossed for a Good Season

Here is hoping I have a fantastic racing season, the heat dies down, and I remain injury free. I've certainly learned what not to do; I just need to pay close attention to what is/is not working for my body these next 16 weeks. I will keep everyone posted on my progress.

Cheers and happy running!

India