Not Marathon Training

As of yesterday at ~1:29 PM, I am not in training for a marathon for the first time in a while! Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on whether I am sitting or trying to descend stairs, I am now in training solely for the Ironman! Yahoo!

Yesterday, I completed the 114th Boston Marathon in 3:22:16...not a PR, but I shaved almost 10 minutes off of last year's Boston time, so I am pretty pleased. It was a gorgeous day. To be fair, it was an almost perfect day, and I have a tiny sunburn to show for it! I am not a PR-monger. I drive a lot of other runner's crazy because when I hear questions like, "What time are you shooting for?" or "What pace do you run for your long training runs?" I don't really have a good answer. I don't wear a watch except on race days, and I rarely look at a clock before I leave the house for a run and/or when I get back. I do a little speed work, and stick to a primarily mileage-based training schedule, and that is fine by me. Actually, it is more than fine, it is the best!

What I will remember most about yesterday is seeing Team Hoyt and giving them a cheer, seeing Neil at the end of Heartbreak Hill when I thought my legs might actually stop working, the screams of the girls in Wellesley making it impossible not to smile, and the way I felt when I crossed the yellow and blue finish line and hugged a nice Greek man to celebrate our accomplishment. I got to run the Boston Marathon yesterday! I am so unbelievably blessed to have the health, ability, and opportunity to do these things!

Now, I am back in Delaware, and off to the gym to work the kinks out after the car ride home. I may even sample an ice bath tonight if I am feeling brave. Tomorrow it will be an early morning in the pool, and then I will be back to work. For the rest of today, I will wear my marathon jacket and my compression socks and savor my finish a tiny bit more.