4:18:51

I finished my third marathon yesterday. It was a little slower than Denver, but I felt a lot better during and after. The oxygen level in the air due to a 4000 foot elevation drop had something to do with that, I'm sure. Plus, it was nice and cool and very dry. Essentially it mimicked my training conditions but with more air to breathe and shorter, less intimidating hills. I had been told that the course was a bit hilly, so Christine and I (former TnT teammate and current running buddy) took that to heart and pushed ourselves up ridiculous inclines in preparation. We were delighted when the "hill" between miles 10 and 11 of which we had been forwarned felt like nothing more than a speed bump on our way to an easy 4:05 finish. By mile 21 I was still feeling great (thanks in part to the full-body Biofreeze spray at mile 19 - it tingles!). By mile 23 I had slowed my roll - we were a little behind after a serious drop in blood sugar for Christine that led to a fainting scare and resulted in a four-minute walk. She recovered, I couldn't seem to get going again. The pain and fatigue of the race (and the long, hard training season for back-to-back marathons) was setting in. She trotted on ahead and finished in 4:15. I began to dream of how lovely it's going to be when the longest distance I have to think about running for at least 3 months is 10 miles.

I'm putting the marathoning on the back burner for now - do not be alarmed, however! I have my racing calendar full in 2009, to include two full marathons and two half marathons. I just need a short break from the long distances. I'll be back faster, fitter, and fresher.

After discussing my training plans for 2009 with my coach, we decided it's best for me to focus on strength and speed for the Winter/Spring. Qualifying for Boston will require more than just logging miles. Also, I'd like to get a little more creative with my running plan/training calendar next year. The Wild West Relay was an experience I'm longing to replicate. The Imogene Pass Run in September is one of the top priorities (other than NY in November) for the year. Next up though is the Canyonlands Half marathon in March. Between now and then I have a 5K, a 5 Mile and a 10 Mile race to ease back in to training, speed up and tune up.

Also, I really want to start swimming this winter; just to give my joints a break. I love being in the water. I've slacked on my Yoga practice as well and I'm looking forward to getting back into that. The studio around the corner from work offers "Hot" Yoga classes in the winter - that sounds really appealing on the many days when the mercury drops.

So I'm excited about changing things up - keeping running at the fore, of course. I'd say I've earned a bit of a break.