Perhaps one of the best traditions in college football, Notre Dame players touch the 'Play like a Champion Today' sign as they leave the locker room and take the field to compete. It is a simple gesture, something that pays tribute to the past, but at the same time is a promise to the immediate task at hand.
Nine marathons down, and in less than 48 hours I'll be running in marathon #10 of my 12 marathon 12 month challenge, the Clarence DeMar Marathon in Keene, NH. Temps look to be sticky and in the 70's by the time the race finishes up. We're expecting some light rain as well, so conditions might be reminiscent of Vermont City back on Memorial Day where I put up a 3:47:31.
My intention is to hit this one hard, and will put the hammer down as far as it will go because it is probably my last legitimate chance to break 3:39:19 this year, my marathon personal best set at Sugarloaf in May 2010. Can I do it? Can I even come close? I don't know, but will heed the advice posted above.
The following week is the Smuttynose Rockfest Marathon, and though most of the route hugs the coastline, and produces more BQ's than any other New England course, I don't know how much I will have left in the tank for an all-out charge after running 26.2 the week prior. I could hold back at Clarence DeMar for a PR shot at pancake-flat Smuttynose, but just not sure how the legs will respond to back-to-back weekend marathons - my potential fatigue amplified the fact that this week I received the go-ahead to test for my Red Belt in Taekwondo on October 1st, the day before. I'm very stoked about that, as it was a major goal back in January to attain my Red Belt by year's end.
Taekwondo testing is a marathon affair in it's own right, a rigorous five hour measure of requisite skill, physical endurance, mental acuity, and culminates with several rounds of contact sparring and board breaking. So waking up the next day and running 26.2 is certainly doable - and I will - but not the ideal way to prepare for the rigors of a marathon.
I'll have two weeks to recover after my Taekwondo testing/Smuttynose 'weekend of fun' because race #12 will be the ING Hartford Marathon on Saturday 10/15. As I've alluded to before, it will invariably be a Tour de France 'Champagne Stage' because three marathons in four weeks is a lot of running. That being said, I won't hesitate to deplete my reserves because I'll have plenty of time to rest and recover, but want to finish up my 12 marathon challenge with quads and hamstrings in tact, and hopefully, celebrate afterwards with a bit of style!