Not registering for Boston -- yet

So the big item on my agenda today (besides work, my recovery walk tonight, and stuff like that) was to register for Boston in April.  Since Boston has filled up quickly the last 2 years and since so many people will probably qualify at Chicago this coming weekend, I wanted to get registered this week before everyone running Chicago signed up.

Signed on the BAA website -- no go: 

Registration for the 2011 Boston Marathon will open on October 18, 2010 at 9:00 a.m., and be held exclusively online at http://www.baa.org/. Registration is expected to fill quickly, and interested runners are encouraged to register early. The field size for the 115th Boston Marathon is 25,000 runners.

So new plan.  Register at 8:01 my time on 10/18. 

Boston was kind of the key variable in our spring vacation plans.  The race is on our wedding anniversary and hubby kind of wanted to spend our anniversary in Italy in the town where we got married.  But he obviously knew that Boston had been a goal of mine longer than I've known him actually.  And since he's so proud of me, he was envisioning a trip where we fly east for Boston, I race, and then we fly on to Italy, possibly with a stop in Pittsburgh to visit or pick up his parents (if they're able to go to Italy with us).  And a stopover in Paris for a couple days.  I was actually kind of irritated with him for continuing to talk about it, I just didn't want him to jinx me. 

I had to remind him how many times I ran a marathon hoping to break 4 hours and it didn't happen.  This was only my first serious attempt at a BQ time, and I was fully prepared for the fact that it might take several marathons before I actually did it.  I was thinking if we didn't go to Boston and if his parents didn't come with us to Italy, maybe we could do Italy and Egypt instead. 

But now Egypt is scrapped in favor of Boston, assuming I get registered on time on 10/18.  And while I still will need to get to Egypt in the next few years, Boston first!! 

Physical inventory is okay today.  Sore quads on both legs.  Some stiffness in my calves.  Left biceps femoris is painful.  Tight groin muscles.  Ravenous hunger continues.  Other than that, all good.  Probably another night of very solid sleep ahead of me.  This week I need to start making decisions on my other fall racing plans.  So many options! 

• Oct. 17 -- 10k in Ft. Worth -- maybe, unlikely
• Oct. 24 -- 5 mile Uptown Run -- maybe, unlikely
• Nov. 7 -- DRC half marathon with Adam -- definite
• Nov. 14 -- RNR marathon (or half) in San Antonio -- maybe
• Nov. 14 -- Ft. Worth half marathon or 20 miler (no chance I'd do the full) -- maybe, unlikely
• Nov. 21 -- Mote half marathon in Ft. Worth -- strong maybe
• Nov. 25 -- Turkey Trot 8 mile with hubby -- definite
• Dec. 5 -- White Rock marathon (or half) -- maybe
• Dec. 12 -- 10 mile in Ft. Worth -- maybe, unlikely (even though it would be a guaranteed PR)
• Jan. 23 -- Too Cold 15k -- very likely

But I need to start some serious thinking about life after our spring vacation.  What's next after Boston?  Do I try to keep improving my marathon time or do I retire from the distance having met my goal?  Do I start looking at ultras and/or trail running?  Do I focus on shorter distances and getting faster?  Do I pick up something new like cycling?  I really like running and I really like marathon training -- I love my running friends and I love the calorie burn.  I guess I'll defer decisions on those questions until after my other weekday buds run their races and I see if there's a good group for Boston, and what their plans are after that.

And another one in the books

Exhausted so no time for a long post, but my overwhelming observations of the day -- major crowd support (in line w/ NY marathon) and negative split my @ss (so glad I didn't attempt that). 

No major pain but definitely sore legs.  Met someone named Patrick during the first mile and ran with and talked to him through about 13, which made it much more pleasant.  He was 19 and running his first full.  He was doing great and when we split at 13, it was so he could go ahead.  We unfortunately got a bit out in front of the 5 min fast pace group and we stayed there.  Around 13 some people near us were saying the pacer was running too slow and off his times.  I stayed near that group for much of the remainder of the race. 

I kept waiting for the pace group to pass me.  One time I photographed my friend Mary running White Rock and gave her the pics.  Her comment was, oh look at me and how happy I am, completely oblivious to the fact that the 4 hour pace group is bearing down behind me and would pass me in less than half a mile.  Well, I hit the bridge right around 19 and I heard this woman lean over and say to her daughter, look at all those balloons coming, honey.  Shite.  They passed me around 19.5, just across the bridge, and I stayed with them through about 20.  And then let them slide, knowing I had a slight cushion.

What I didn't expect was how much the sun and the hills over the last 6 miles would sap me.  I slowed a lot.  But I finished.  And oh yeah, for the first time in my life, I qualified for Boston!!  And as icing on the cake, hubby also had a 10 mile PR (guaranteed actually, first 10 mile race, but was on pace for a half PR as well).

Felt bad after I finished but fortunately hooked back up with Adam and we went to lay in the shade of a trash can while I waited for my legs to stop cramping and for the urge to vomit to pass.  We then went to find hubby, folks, his girlfriend, her folks, cousins, etc.  Went to the hotel, cleaned up, packed, went to lunch, then a party and then the airport.  Back in the Big D with smiles on our faces. 

The best part was hearing my name.  I actually didn't see any of my relatives (saw cousin's boyfriend and threw arm warmers at him) -- they yelled for me, but so many people were yelling my name that I didn't notice.  Should have told them to yell my last name.  Oh well.  Happy night.  Going to bed now.

Oh my... the nerves...

Chilling in the hotel room.  Friends who ran St. George today have posted crazy good times.  The two times I know both qualified -- David with 3:18 and Beth with 3:33.  Wow!  I hope to make it a hat trick!  But good grief, I'm not going for times like them! 

I avoided most of the horse show this morning.  I was in the arena for about 5 mins and my allergies were killing me.  So I went outside and made a few phone calls -- returned one good luck call from my local bestie and called my 2 friends running Wineglass tomorrow to say good luck to them.  Then hubby called me when my uncle's horse was showing, so I got back in and watched that.  It was pretty impossible for any of us in the audience to tell which horse did the best, but he ended up winning!  We all got to go onto the .... ring?  field? whatever it's called with dirt where the horses run around inside, and pose with the horse and my uncle for the winner's photo.  Then we all went to lunch and then we drove the last 7 miles of the course with Zach and Lawren.

There is an UGLY hill between 21 and 22.  Then 22 to 23 is a gradual but steady up.  My goal is going to be to hang with the 5 min fast pace group until that hill and then we'll see from there.  There's also an insanely ugly hill just after mile 2, but we never had a chance to drive that, and who cares at mile 2 anyway...

But there's a beautiful downhill finish, and the rest of the course is pretty fabulous too -- beautiful leaves turning colors.  Very, very, very nervous but also quite excited. 

Gear is laid out on the room's coffee table, but still need to actually put it together -- bib on shirt, chip on shoe, etc.  Doing that as soon as I check in a couple blogs, then we'll head downstairs for another pasta feed (after I ate a HUGE plate of it for lunch). 

Final stats through today (again counting the 3d of July as the 4th), just to reassure myself:

0-30 miles:  2 weeks
30.1-35 miles:  7 weeks
35.1-40 miles:  4 weeks
40.1-45 miles:  5 weeks
45.1-50 miles:  1 week

Next post will be interesting! 

T-1

Wow.  This time tomorrow, I should be approaching the starting corrals.  Nervous and excited.  My asthma is bothering me a lot more than usual now, and has been for the last 18 hours or so.  I think it's the cold air, and reminds me why I don't live in the north. 

Yesterday we went to the Mall of America for lunch and some shopping.  Then we went to the expo.  Smaller than White Rock's and RNR's, but bigger than St. George.  It was pretty good.  Didn't have time to drive the course though, unfortunately, so that will have to go on today's agenda. 

Zach and Lawren met us at the expo, which was fun.  Her ring is so pretty and they seem really happy.  Then we all came back to the house to hang out for a while and the 4 of us went out for coffee, then we all went out for dinner, waiting for Adam to get here.  We changed restaurants once b/c the wait was too long, but then settled at a pizza place.  Old Chicago, apparently a chain.  Service was atrocious but food was fine.  I couldn't believe Adam was drinking.  He was joking about sabotaging himself.

Anyway, slept well last night, now waiting for Zach and Lawren to come get us so we can head out to breakfast, then a horse show, then lunch, then driving the course, hotel, dinner, laying out our gear for the morning.  Wow...