Off season

Well I have been "off season" since 11:15 am yesterday when I dove across the finish line in Philadelphia in my desperate attempt to finish under 4 hours (which I did with 2 whole seconds to spare) . 

So that was about 32 hours ago.

Now I am supposed to be resting.

I feel good physically. 

But I am unwell mentally. In between the dentist, oil change, laundry, and packing for Arizona I have been obsessively checking MarathonGuide.com, Hi-tek Racing Calendar, and even the Springfield Harriers Website (they have. 50K on December 15!). I almost registered for Hyannis Marathon ( end of February) about 20 times...

But I think I better stick to my coach's carefully developed training plan (I am my own coach by the way!!) and concentrate on the bike for now. For the curious that mostly means bike trainer this time of year.

There's an interesting article in Triathlete Magazine this month about avoiding the temptation of an off season Marathon in order to have a better overall next year. The reason is that a full Marathon supposedly takes a lot out if you, and I do believe that even though for some reason I never really physically feel it in an identifiable way.

The author suggests concentrating on developing a speedy half Marathon or challenging yourself to run every day for 50 or 100 days instead. I might try this.

I think after running 5 regular marathons and one 50 miler in 2012 it seems like following that advice might be in order so that I don't develop any injuries and my training does not fall apart again in late Spring/ Summer.

If you hear me talking about registering for Hyannis, remind me of the above!