Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Allright, where were we?

First, a few reflections on the Boston Marathon. I'm really, really satisfied. The whole experience more than lived up to the hype, and we had a super fun time there. I'm proud of my race. It was harder than I anticipated- those hills were tough! The cold weather and wind probably did have an effect on my pace, even though I was oblivious at the time. But I had a great time, I high-fived probably over a hundred people, and I screamed and yelled WHILE running. I pumped my fist and raised my arms as I crossed the finish line. I have no regrets.

But, I know the whole affair is finally nearing its end. The stories have been told, the pictures shown, the MarathonFoto prints ordered, the receipts added up (ouch!), the laundry done, and the souvenir magnet placed on the refrigerator. My legs aren't even sore any more. I'll admit I'm really sad to see it end. I'm familiar with this post-marathon lull, the period after the big exciting event and the before the commitment to a new goal, but this time it's even harder. I'm really done recovering, and now it's on to rebuilding. I have some goals, but man, Boston is going to be hard to follow.

I've promised myself that I'll take two full weeks off from running after Boston. So, I won't be doing any running for a few more days. My legs feel great though. I've started cross training again though- Sunday I did 500 easy meters in the pool. Monday I did the elliptical for 30 minutes, and this morning I swam 1000 meters in 25 minutes- a BIG improvement in my time! I haven't made it in to the gym for weight training yet, but that's coming. I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine but keeping the variety- running, swimming, weights... and I'm definitely going to get a bike! I'll probably go with an inexpensive hybrid bike, so I can use it to commute to work and for fun rides on weekends, and to try my first triathlon (or two!). I can always get a nice road bike later on if I decide I like it.

So, in an effort to stay positive, I'm going to throw out some goals:

1- Carneros Wine Country Half Marathon- July 15th - I'm already registered for this race and SO is Zach!! His first half! :) I'll go for a PR, which currently stands at about 1:45.

2- Work on my swimming. Try some open-water swimming and maybe get some instruction. I've really come to love swimming and would like to improve.

3- Triathlon... no exact event picked yet, but there's a great "Try the Tri" series in my area that I'd love to do. It's really focused on beginners and it's in a local lake (pond, really) so no scary open ocean swimming. Then I think we'll go down and do the Mission Bay Tri with my mother-in-law Melanie, in San Diego. She's been into tris for a few years now and is my inspiration for doing a triathlon!

4- Marathon... I haven't picked one or really decided for sure, but I can see myself trying for a marathon PR this fall. Maybe at CIM again? Not sure. But I'm thinking 3:35.


Thank you again to everyone who reads my blog and has offered me support and encouragement! It really means a lot to me. :)

7 comments:

GB said...

Great goals ahead, Jen. I'm also going through that post-Boston phase. A little melancholy, a little sad it's behind me, but really excited for all that's ahead. Hope to see you at some of the bay area races, or at the CIM.

Unknown said...

Wow, that's a great mix of goals. Triathlons are a lot of fun to train for because of the mix of disciplines. You will find that it doesn't break down your body nearly as much as running does because the bike has far much impact and the swimming has none. The funny thing is, I actually ran my best marathon when I was training for triathlons rather than just running...but that's just me.

Sounds like a great plan.

Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...

ABOUT TIME ur Back, Geesh I thought U retired to Pizza & beer, sitting around with ur medal around ur neck & lying around in ur Boston boxers & Jacket---LOLLOL

OOOPS my bad looks like you were resting and putting a game plan together to continue this journey...looks good & welcome back--hehe

Mir said...

Hi! I read GB's blog and I came across a link to yours. Nice running at Boston! It looks like you wrung everything possibly out of the experience. I hope to be there next year.

In a way I look forward to those post-marathon goal-setting sessions...it's like starting off on a long run on a new route, where you don't quite know where you're going to end up. Good luck with your goals!

J. Scott Cameron said...

congrats jen on a wonderful 111th! cheers, scott

Papa Louie said...

Congratulations on running the Boston Marathon. I wish you great success with your goals. Triathlons have changed my life. Have fun!

Ryan said...

Excellent goals. Love to see you celebrate success, rest and start looking forward. Congratulations on your wonderful Boston experience. I'll look for some tri advice when I tri for it '08...