Going Sub-Four

I ran my ninth marathon on January 13, 2008, at the Rock & Roll Arizona Marathon in Phoenix. I didn't train at all for that one, the longest run I did since I ran the New York City Marathon on November 4, 2007, was 12 miles. But for the first time I paced really well. I ran a 4:08:41. Which I would have been very happy with, except I trained my ass off for the Berlin Marathon on September 30, 2007, and ran a 4:07:13. So obviously I am doing something wrong with my training. I need a change.

For Berlin, I started training with Coach Joel Pasternack last May. Maybe if I were faster and more talented, he would have paid more attention to me. But I always felt like he took my money then ignored me. He wasn't very encouraging. He kept focusing on short distance races, 5ks and such, which I hate. I beat lots of people at the marathon who can beat me at 5Ks.

After R & R Arizona I was actually pretty depressed about the results, even though the race was a blast. I decided that I would do one marathon this year in late spring, and then not do another one until December or next January. I chose the Nissan Buffalo Marathon on May 25th. I would love to PR on that course, it would be like a march of vindication through that goddamned city. And I hired a new coach, an online coach from Marathoncoach.org. Brian. I like him so far. Very accessible, very encouraging. He told me not to worry about shorter races, they aren't important. Best of all, he told me that even Ryan Hall lost his track races because he isn't trained to push through oxygen debt, neither am I. I thought that was a sweet thing to say.

I like not knowing him personally. There's no pressure there. And I'm not sharing this training with anyone this time.

Mentally, I am trying to train myself to think in terms of sub-four hours. I know I can do it. I don't know why I know, but I just feel I can do that. I will, in Buffalo, this May 25th.