Charlottesville - 2008

Its official, the next marathon is just a few months away. I signed up for the Charlottesville Marathon scheduled for April 19th. The course is supposed to be very scenic but also very hilly. I'm back into the swing of training after taking a nice week off after the Phoenix marathon. I'm very excited about the upcoming race and especially the fact that its so close to home!

Phoenix Marathon - January 13, 2008

Atlanta seems like a long time ago. But Atlanta was a painful race, so I needed some down time before the next adventure. I headed to Phoenix Arizona to participate in the P.F. Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon. I had run in the Virginia Beach Half Marathon late in 2007 and was pretty impressed with the "Rock N Roll" brand.....well organized, efficient, smooth running. I was hoping for the same in Arizona and I was very pleased. Jennifer came along for moral support (thanks babe!) and a buddy of mine from Tech, Chris Mallin came along to run the 1/2 marathon.

Arizona was beautiful and the weather in January is unreal. Basically perfect weather for running, about 45 at the gun, and around 60 degrees when I wrapped up the race. Much like the Atlanta run, I had battled injury prior to Arizona. After a 16 mile training run I developed some pain in my Achilles. The pain worsened to the point that running was not only not helping, it was nearly impossible. With only 8 weeks to the marathon I was not happy with this development. I took an entire week off then tried to work on the elliptical and bike....just working on getting cardio in. I ran 4 miles on asphalt in the 8 weeks leading up to the race....not the best plan.

Although very worried about how I would do in the race I ignored the advice of Jen to back into the 1/2 marathon. I figured I would at least give the full a try.....even if it killed me. The course was flat and I surprisingly had ZERO pain in my Achilles. It was a little tight, but overall held up quite well. The course was nice, not the most scenic, but much better than Atlanta. I got to see Jen at 3 different points during the race which was great. The last time I saw her was right around mile 20 and I felt wonderful. At that point I was actually on pace to come in with a 4:15, knocking nearly 15 minutes off my PR. But alas, miles 22, 23, and 24.....I truly hate those three miles. The 2 mile stretch between 23 and 25 is most painful and I had to bring the pace back a bit. Its amazing the mental boost you get when you see the 25 mile marker....I picked it up a bit and had enough in the tank to sprint in the last 2 tenths of a mile, resulting in a 4:19:47.....a new PR.

Like the marathons before it this was an emotional experience. I teared up (as I have on all three) when I saw that 26 mile marker. Its official, Im hooked on these things. I cant thank Ramsey enough for getting me started. I have already signed up for Richmond '08 (November), and I am considering Charlottesville '08 (April).