Thursday, March 23, 2017

Four Months and Counting

When we were in Phoenix, Brian (aka Pavement Runner) was 'joking' with me and said I should run the Ultra San Francisco Marathon (or is it the San Francisco Marathon Ultra or maybe the San Francisco Ultra Marathon?), which entails starting at midnight and running the official course backwards (without road closures, course officials, spectators, etc) and then joining the rest of the runners to run the route the "correct" way at 6am... In total, running 52.4 miles...

Source

AND I LEGIT THOUGHT ABOUT IT! At first I laughed it off, but then I got to thinking and although an Ultra isn't on my "must do" list right now, I'm sure we can all agree it's just a matter of time. But after some soul searching, I decided it probably wasn't best. I mean, I wanted to but I probably shouldn't, right?! (Ha, I'm still trying to talk myself out of it.)

Originally I was thinking that if I would make this my first Ultra, then maybe the hubby would make it his first full... And just like me, he pondered the idea for a good while (until he saw the training necessary). We thought it would be pretty awesome because we would both tackling a new goal, a new distance, and crossing the final finish line together.

Hubby and I after the Phoenix Marathon
(I ran the full and he rocked the half)

But when logic and reality settled in, we decided to make the "smart" choice and downgrade. We are still going to tackle the hills and majesty that is San Francisco, but I am planning to conquer the full marathon while the hubby is going to join in for the first half (The San Francisco Marathon offers two half marathon options - the first half or the second half. We thought I'd be fun if he could start with all of us running the full and potentially run him to a new half marathon PR.).

So, tentatively the game plan is for Brian to run the Ultra (he so cray-cray) with a bunch of us joining him for his second portion and us dropping off the hubby half way through our journey.

Source

But that's not all.

I'm hesitant to share this on here because the InterWebs can be a harsh place, but I finally decided that I needed/ wanted some accountability so I would put it out for the world to see. Go BIG or go home, right?!

Although I'm not going for a world record at the San Francisco Marathon (remember, the game plan is to run with Brian, who will have already run a full marathon at that point), but I want to show up to the starting line in AMAZING shape.

Obviously "AMAZING shape" is relative, but the point is I want to work to get back to my "fighting" weight and fitness.

I have gained a few pounds recently (probably due to the fact that I was dealing with injury issues as well as what feels like a never ending taper) and it is NOT sitting well with me. It doesn't necessarily have to do with the number on the scale (although seeing it was a bit of a shocker), but more that I don't feel strong, don't feel confident, don't feel like a BA. (Okay, that may be going a little too far, seeing as I don't know that before I 100% felt confident or like a bad@$$ before I added the extra weight, but you get the point.)

Source

I'm planning on implementing small changes (more water, less snacks, more fruits and veggies, additional core work, etc) in hopes to arrive at the starting line of the San Francisco Marathon on July 23rd feeling fit, fast and free.

(Oh yeah, and in case I haven't mentioned it before, my ultimate goal is to attempt another BQ at the Chicago Marathon in October, so this training plan will be building towards that as well... I tell ya, there is no "off-season" for a runner.)

Who will I see in the Golden City?

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I won't see you in the Golden City, but I'll be there in Chicago! It's my redemption marathon, and I'm debating if I'll be mentally ready to attempt a BQ!

San said...

I'll be looking for you... I am signed up for the 1st half, too (ran the 2nd half last year! My first half ever!)

Shannon said...

First of all, you look AMAZING already, so rock on girl!
And, I admire the heck out of those who do Ultras. Now, they are a bit crazy, but hey, we all are crazy in our own way. :)

One day, I'd love to run the SF Half for sure, as I think it sounds like a great race.

Erin said...

Atta girl! I'm a social media ambassador for SF, and I'll be running the full again there this year. It's a great race! Have an amazing training cycle, and I'll see you in July. :) @erinamg