Let’s kick things off today with a Congrats to Ashley for finishing the NYC Marathon last weekend – a true veteran of the race, and making it through a tough race teaches us so much more about our abilities & strength.

Frequent marathoners and newbies alike find the challenge in this 26.2 mile distance, always learning much more than we signed up for! In my experience, no two marathons are the same (or even close to it) – training cycles teach you different lessons, motivation comes and goes, and mistakes are inevitably made. The legs and mind have their own fun – some days they cooperate, some days they definitely do not – yet we always cross that finish line together.

All of that being said, I recently logged my third Full for the books – Marine Corps Marathon (MCM). While I thought numbers one and two could not have been more different, I challenged that (along with a lot of my sanity) with my MCM approach. Here’s a little insight into the things that changed along the way…

· Goal – 3:40 or bust! Boston, I’m coming for you!
Then, the qualifying standards changed. Dang.

· An excuse to visit DC! I’ll train hard at altitude (time of registration: living in Denver, CO), and run like the wind at sea level.
Then, we moved back to DC. Good-bye, altitude advantage! Hello, familiar streets, Northwest DC hills & running-buddies.

· I’ll follow this strict training plan, hand-crafted & sure to succeed.
See above move – packing, cross-country driving, unpacking = training plan takes a seat on the side. Priorities shifted, life happens.

On that note, I should clarify that I’ve never followed any training plan 100%. I get restless; I need stimulation & variety; I rarely turn down a group run, invitation to yoga class, hike, exploring DC on foot… basically all the things that throw off your plan? I seem very drawn to them; logic rarely befriends me during these weeks.

To skip ahead 14 weeks and 26.2 miles later, I knocked 20 minutes off of my previous marathon PR. I almost qualified for the new Boston standards. I have never run a race harder, with more gusto, or with any less sense – and it all worked out.

So, how did we get from those bullet points, to that PR? Well, as it turns out, the legs do listen to some of the things I tell them, and the mind does oblige when I give it no other choice. Here’s a little insight into realizing that training cycle #3 takes the cake:

· Be versatile. No one training plan is magic; no one’s experience with different approaches matters but your own.
Do yoga when you can; know your own limits with weekly mileage and don’t be afraid to push that boundary just a little bit.

· Find motivation; do not go through these cycles without it! You won’t survive with your sanity intact.
I love running with my friends, early morning run-dates, long runs around the streets of DC & a Starbucks chocolate smoothie after those long runs.

· Trust your muscles, especially when they’ve done this all before.
18 miles doesn’t have to win (previously my Long Run nemesis – that distance never did me any favors); 20 miles are doable, just plan ahead; taper in a way that works for you.

· Rest up! Don’t be afraid of those “off” days, or even the “slow” runs. After all, this is all about moderation – giving your legs the hard and the easy!

· Set your goal, and if you’re really ready for it, don’t have an option.
Up until race week, I thought I hadn’t trained enough to actually grab that 3:40. Then I realized that those are only thoughts – doubt only wins when your mind lets it in. Instead, I kindly kicked doubt out of the party. Not invited – adios! Goal: SET.

· Trust your training, your strength & your abilities. You put in the hard work; you will finish & you will learn a log in the process!

I took that last little nugget of wisdom and pulled it out during every mile of MCM. During that infamous last 10K, I told myself this:

“Memo to self – when you remember these miles, you will think it didn’t hurt “that bad” – that you could have gone “faster”. No. THIS HURTS, just as much as you think it did. But, you CAN keep going; trust your legs, trust your pacer, trust this city. You will finish. You will beat your goal. This race will teach you everything.

I left it all out there. It was not the smartest race I’ve ever run, but it is easily THE BEST. I believed in my legs, training & ability, but I still can’t believe I saw 3:37 on that clock.”

The full recap is here – MCM: Trust this city – and I hope the runner’s high left from the race is reflected in every word of this post! Marathons are not the only challenge we face as runners, and it’s certainly not the “end all be all” fitness test. If you choose to tackle it once, or again, just know that it’s possible.

Thanks to Ashley for asking me to take part in this series! Thanks to you guys, for giving me the space here to let the miles talk!