P*ssed about Columbus

Sorry for the vulgar term in the title, but it's just how I feel. Even four days after the marathon, I can't shake my disappointment with my Columbus Marathon time. A 2:59? With my training and experience, I should have smacked down at least a 2:55 and probably even a 2:53. Forget about the right hamstring problem (which persists). A 2:55 should have been the result. I was training like an animal. A 17:45 5K on Labor Day. Killer track workouts. Tempo runs that would make many a runner puke.

And yet I wound up with a 2:59.

Above: Yours truly at the Columbus Marathon, en route to an underachieving time of 2:59.

A small part of me says, "Yeah baby, we broke 3 even on a right hamstring that blew up only a few weeks before!"

And yet a much louder voice in me screams, "You bag of sh*t! That 2:59 should have been a 2:55!"

I want redemption. I've even found myself pondering running the Inland Trail Marathon in Elyria, Ohio on Nov. 2 to go after my 2:55 goal. But then my better senses take hold and I tell myself that it wouldn't be a good idea to race two marathons in a period of two weeks unless my name is Mike Wardian.

I don't even think a fast Fall Classic Half Marathon will quell my disappointment.

So I need to put Columbus behind me and focus on today and what's ahead. In November, December and January, I'll be base-building. Then in February I "relaunch" and get back to 100-mile weeks in preparation for a 2:55 Cleveland Marathon and sub-19-hour Mohican 100, unless I choose to run the Burning River 100 instead. I don't think I can wait until August to run a 100 so I may have to jump on Mohican again. I'm very ready for another 100. If there was one in the area next week, I'd do it.

Which brings me to my 2009 race schedule. Since it's really hard to travel with a full-time working wife and baby, my 2009 schedule will largely resemble what I've done this year with a few notable exceptions. I may run the Lt. JC Stone 50K in Pittsburgh on March 21, unless I'm able to talk Anne into letting me run in the Mad City 100K national championship in Wisconsin in April (which would then cause me to start hardcore ultra training earlier and run the BR100 instead of Mohican for recovery's sake). Then on May 3 I may return to the Steel City for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon as preparation for a 2:55 or better at the Cleveland Marathon. Why Pitt? We have family there. If we get a 24-hour event in Northeast Ohio in 2009, I'll probably add that, too.

So it's probably a good thing that I'm thinking about a great 2009. I guess when you run a disappointing race like I did at Columbus, you just have to move on. So I'll move on.

***

One final note. A few weeks ago I bought some Asics Gel Kayano 12's. Since they're an older model, I got them for $99 online. I wasn't sure what to expect, other than I was kind of hoping they'd feel like all my other shoes (which are $90-$100) so I wouldn't get hooked on $135 shoes. But the fact of the matter is that my new Kayanos are off-the-charts awesome. They feel custom-made for my feet. They're ultra stable, yet flexible. They have the perfect amount of cushion. They're amazing. The only downside is that they're a bit heavy, but that's OK in a training shoes.

I told Anne that I hoped the Kayanos wouldn't feel like $135 shoes. I told her I hoped they'd feel like all my other $90-$100 shoes. But the Kayanos are definitely superior in every category (except weight). And now I'm hooked on Kayanos. God help us