Screwed

Sometimes the best laid plans get screwed. I was planning on running the Columbia Marathon next year, but last week the organizers cancelled it. I thought it was odd that registration hadn't opened yet, but they still had the date reserved. So it was supposed to be going on March 8th.

That means I need another marathon either on March 8th, March 29th, or April 5th. Actually, Feb 1st would work too. Well, need is a strong word. We're trying to streak the Marathon Maniac 3 star level, which is 4 full marathons in 31 days, or 4 marathons in 4 different states in 51 days. We've already got the Myrtle Beach marathon in SC and the Umstead Trail marathon in NC, and friends have been asking us every year to do the Shamrock marathon in VA. Those are each 2 weeks apart, Feb 15, March 1st and March 16. So finding a 4th marathon in another state would be great. If it doesn't work out, meh, 3 fulls is still a strong spring. 

Got a spring marathon in the plans? You should be into a training plan by now.

Mizuno Musha 5, new Zoot's, Mizuno Wave Rider 15's

I bet I'll be hitting these marathons in some green shoes, it seems everything I've gotten lately has been bright green. Those Zoot's in the middle are new, I found a good deal from LeftLane sports that I couldn't pass up. They were cheaper than The Clymb! Nobody's cheaper than the Clymb.

My beloved minimalist Musha 5's are being retired, as of tonight. I ran intervals in them tonight to see if I'd want to wear them for a 5k coming up this weekend. the answer is no. a full grumpy cat no. Ever since I really got over the right foot tendon problem (I don't want to call it an injury) during Ironman training cushioning has been at the forefront. Since the Ironman 3 weeks ago, I've been noticing other tenderness in that same foot. Not the same tendon as before, just sort of a general ache in there somewhere. That's really a normal part of the recovery process I think, and why I'm still taking it easy so I'm not worried about it. But it does mean I should be done with the minimalist shoes.

Tonights intervals were done on the treadmill, half mile intervals at a 10.0 speed (6 minute pace). I did 4 of them and stopped when my abs started giving out. That's good, solid speedwork.

This post was supposed to be a pictoral about my 12 mile long run from Saturday, but I forgot to grab the phone. It was over 70* in Raleigh, and a perfect fall day to run. I hit the Ironman Raleigh course, taking Hillsborough street to the State Capital building and back, then hitting the greenway on Meredith College for a couple of extra miles. Oh the things I saw on that beautiful autumn afternoon, including the leaves on the campus of NC State and the people downtown. I even saw Kelley and the girls driving back from her dad's house.

Finally, a Cast Iron Club update. After that 12'er, I'm sitting on 29.19 marathons on the year, then with tonight's 5 it's 29.35 marathons. The goal is 30, so I'm getting close.  Only about 17.4 miles to go. With that 5k on Saturday, it might take into next week before I finish that up.