Marathon #6 is the Publix Georgia Marathon and it is less than two weeks out - and the anticipation is building! As I discussed in my Hyannis recap, that was a messy, cold slog through some lousy weather, but just the thought of running in mild temperatures has me rejuvinated.
I enjoy visiting Atlanta this time of year, as on several occasions I attended the BellSouth Classic held at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, GA, a PGA Tour event that used to serve as a warm up for the Masters. It used to be held the last week in March, and as I recall Atlanta was typically in the high 60's/low 70's, making a 7am start very comfortable running weather.
The Publix Georgia Marathon starts and finishes at Centennial Olympic Park, and from what I've been reading, this is well-organized marathon that takes us through a very scenic tour of Atlanta.
Scenic, yes - however it is one tough marathon. No doubt about it. I thought when I planned out my races over twelve months that Roxbury would be the hardest - I'm not so sure anymore.
The course has been referred to as one having "rolling hills", but you may as well delete the word "rolling" and insert "jagged." And the final 13.1 may be described as nothing short of fiendish. 18.5 to 19.5 is a sharp climb that might require a carabiner and some strong climbing rope, while Mile 21.4 through the finish is uphill - that is a serious rise with only a slight .7 mile reprieve at Mile 23 before the ascent begins again.
In terms of finish time, I am going into this one with an open mind. Just want to run it, give a great effort, and enjoy the spin through Atlanta.
From a physical standpoint, my calf muscle strain at the medial head of my gastronemius muscle seems to be improving nicely. This type of strain requires time and patience, and I have reluctantly held myself back to let it heal lest I re-injure it. This strain has been on again, off again since late December. I 'tweaked' it during my final sparring round at Taekwondo testing, and have aggravated it twice since - both times when I'm bouncing on the balls of my feet, and cut to the right while sparring. That action is, as far as I can tell, what triggers it. I haven't done TKD in three weeks now, and hope I have allowed it enough time to heal.
After Hyannis I had the quickest recovery time after any marathon to date - I was naturally sore immediately following the race but woke up on Monday as if I did my usual long run the day before. Went up and down stairs without a problem, and probably could have done a recovery run without much issue at all. Knowing that another 26.2 was just weeks out I opted to not run and rest my legs M-F. My first run was a 12.5 miler this past Saturday and I averaged 8:57 min/mile, then a short 5.6 miler yesterday and avg'd 8:20. I felt pretty decent after both runs, so I will look to get in about 40 training miles this week, maybe 8-10 early next, and then I will give myself a 3-4 days rest before heading down south.
Three weeks in between marathons is not a lot of time, but that is part of what 12 marathons in 12 months is all about - conditioning myself, mentally and physically, for the rigors of a 26.2 every turn of the calendar page. I feel like I have a solid enough base to handle another one in just under two weeks. I better - because this will be my last marathon in the 35-39 yr old age bracket! Yikes! I'll be 40 when I run the Flying Pig on 5/1.
I suppose aging, like endurance running, is all a state of mind. At least that's what I tell myself : )