It’s been exactly two weeks after my second marathon. For twelve days it’s been eating at me at what happened the last 5k of the Houston Marathon. Things were going to so well that I was on pace to be two minutes faster than my pace group; until “the wall” hit me and I slowed down to crawl and I missed my PR by two minutes. My mom summarized best as she hugged me post-race, “That’s only the second time I can recall you not hitting the goal you set.”
Post-marathon blues have been living in my head ever since. What could I have differently? Should I have trained in colder weather? Do I need to run three hours a few times beforehand? What about lifting, something that’s been non-existent in both my marathons? For this marathon I ran over 60 times, more than I ever have for a race, should I have did one less run less per week? I’ve stuck to a running plan whatsoever, should I mostly stick one for my next marathon? What about my daily eating habits? Did great on hydrating during this marathon, but declined eating GU gels, should I use them next time? Did all the hype from friends, family, and students put too much pressure on me?
Questions! Questions! Questions!
But one question is now answered. My third marathon will be ran in December on the other side of the country; my fifty-race month in a row and possibly the end of my race streak! When I got the thought in my head about running a marathon in June 2026, my dad put another race in my head. To make matters more interesting, this December marathon is nearly sold out already! Knowing that, I asked my dad if I should sign up tonight. He suggested I wait until it’s even more full. After checking their social media pages, I noticed a significant lack of inactivity including not having an Instagram page, to which I felt I had no other choice but sign up for my third marathon tonight. Sorry dad…
Before you hit the panic button, this marathon has a lot of prestige! According to its page: it’s the #1 Boston Qualifier race. (851 runners ran faster than a 2:55, compared to 300-400 runners in Houston.) It’s one of the top ten largest marathons. It’s another race that has 2:55 pacers, unlike the one I wanted to run 2026. Many running magazines praise it.
Part of me is immediately regretting the decision. I just finished four months of training and can finally relax but chose to sign up for another marathon. I’m also not fully healed and feeling some marathon bumps still. My body has 40 months of continuous running on it and I’m feeling it. Then there are the “what ifs”. What if my legs can’t make it another 10 months? What if I don’t run the time I want?
Another part of me loves my inner mindset to make this marathon my best finish yet. The decision to buy a marathon book. The poster board with ideas for how to run my next marathon better. The Boston Bib with the time I want on it. The google searches for marathons. Downloading my running plan for this December. I love it all. The guts to type this blog.
I honestly don’t know if my legs and body can make it another 10 months of running. I am tired! My legs are banged up. But I do know, I want another crack at the marathon. By choosing December, it gives me plenty of time to casually rest, study, and game plan. It gives me enough time away to feel ready to train again. Come August I’ll be hungry again to start training, just like I am with teaching.
This marathon will not be shared publicly like my last one, but rather the opposite. I want to stick to a plan. I hope during it I’ll get physically stronger, eat healthier, and enjoy the training. I still want 2:55.
