This is my longest post ever - it's about the race I ran this weekend. It's chock full of wisdom - or something like that....

Did you ever think you've got a ton of things to write and then, when you finally have that moment when you can sit down and write, you're stuck? I'm feeling that way at this moment. So I guess I'll just start....

I was kind of touched that a few folks who read this with some regularity - and I keep being pleasantly surprised that there area - inquired about the race this weekend. As I've reminded folks over the past few weeks, I was looking forward to running in the Miami Marathon this past weekend. And i had really been anticipating a strong performance - if not a PR- after hitting my best time yet in the Philly Marathon a few months back. This race looked like a great opportunity to do so - a good flat course that started at 6:15 AM to help avoid some of that Miami Heat (the weather not the thing Lebron James plays on). I was also happy to have the opportunity to visit my Dad and fiancée who spend the winters there now.

Anyway, I felt well prepared to do well. I had been following a Runners World Smart Coach training schedule to the letter. I had even been lightening my pacing which as anyone who runs knows is hard to do. The hardest thing to do is protecting you from yourself when it comes to overdoing it with training and I really thought I was doing this. Now, I guess the fact that I was running every day for the last 60 had to represent some additional strain but I really wasn't that worried.


Well, let me just jump into it. I had a terrible race - or should I say I ran what I considered to be a very disappointing race given my recent experiences. For absolute clarity, my last run in Philly was a 5:10 and I was absolutely shooting for sub 5. My chip time for Sunday was 5:40 - yes 5:40. Now, I don't want to sound the least bit disparaging of anyone for whom that number represents a wonderful pace. As we're constantly telling the teens that run in our program is that everyone should run their own race - and their best pace. And on reflection, that number would have been a vast improvement over my first four marathons which were in the 6 hour range.

But it's about expectations, appreciation and doing your best with what you're presented with. We've talked about my expectations. The reality of the day is that I - unwisely - went out too quickly and didn't pull myself back in the first half. So, what happened? Well, I cramped up around mile 15/16 to the point where I actually called my wife and told her to wait a 1/2 hour before coming to meet me. I didn't want her to worry if I was later than I anticipated and I didn't want to pressure myself to get there. Bottom line I was actually thinking of quitting. During most of these, there's a part of the race where I seriously ask myself why am I doing this? Who would care if I quit? But this time it was really strong. Really strong. But I still said no. I would no if I quit and I really couldn't take that. So I pushed it. I ran a mile. I walked a mile.

When I got to mile 20 or so, I was thrilled to see a friend from a work training program who was also struggling. While I wasn't happy to see her struggling, she seemed to be in the same boat and it was wonderful to have someone to pass the last five miles or so with. I was thrilled for her that she was able to get her energy up and have a really strong last mile or so - it was her first and I was happy that she finished strong.

As for me, I more or less hobble/ran till the end and was happy to see my wife and daughter waiting at the finish line for me. And I was happy it was over.

I was initially ready to say that this will be the last for me. But over the last two days, I've come to some conclusions and I'm pretty happy with them. And while I still would have loved my sub 5 time, I'm going to move on from this experience with a couple new chunks of wisdom. I hope at 47, I'm not sounding preachy or anything but I guess that's the beauty of these marathons and why I haven't been content to just doing them.

1. Some days it's just not your day. Ironically, in my professional life I've come to see this as well after a little bump in the road. For whatever reason, karma, the sun, the moon, the tie you're wearing or the color of the wall, it's just not going to swing your direction. So, what to do? Still give it your best effort, know that you put in the best prep you could and know that if it's meant to be, it will be there another day. And the "it" could be a best race, successful presentation, winning some business or something else.

2. Kind of a variation on the above, give it your best effort, don't leave anything on the table and DON'T QUIT. Again, I was still proud that I had put in the best training I could. (Admittedly, I wouldn't try an abridged one month training again). And after sucking it up, I'm still proud to have finished the race, one where I was questioning my ability to do so.

3. Running with someone is incredibly helpful. Actually the person I ran with and I had just met each other at a training for work and didn't know each other that well. But it was wonderful to have someone to talk to and distract me from the challenges I was dealing with. This experience really had Teens Run Yonkers written all over it in the sense that we're constantly reminding our runners that it's effort over outcome. In addition, the mentor is there as a guiding force especially in those longer and tougher moments that can come towards the end of the race. The bonds created during those moments are so amazing and valuable.

4. Respect the distance of the marathon or (insert name of whatever race you're training for). In life, respect the full challenge and depth of whatever you're attempting. This is not an excuse but I was either underprepared for the distance - or overextended from the consistent running without a break. The reality is that I decided and registered for the Miami Marathon on 1/6 - so I was essentially using a three to four week training schedule. I was thinking that I would still have some of the residual training benefits left over from my last race in November. Wrong! In retrospect, I hadn't run a quality long run at an above 12:30 pace since finishing in Philly in late November. The little 5 week training thing between races was fine but this lag was way too long and I simply hadn't put in the distance training required. And trying to make it up by doing a 15 miler the previous weekend seems even sillier writing this now.

So those are my takeaways. What next? You're still reading this? Wow! Anyway, what next is a smart amount of recovery with short runs for the next couple of weeks. And then sights reset on a marathon where I'll have at least ten weeks to train. If you're wondering if I've already identified it, absolutely. The Pittsburgh Marathon on May 6.