“In running it is man against himself, the cruelest of opponents. The other runners are not the real enemies. His adversary lies within him, in his ability with brain and heart to master himself and his emotions.”
GLENN CUNNINGHAM, American runner in the 1930s
Now that the dust have settled, I’ve come to terms with my disappointing performance in the Marines Corps Marathon. However it was truly my first marathon so I’ll take it for what it is. 5 hours and 12 minutes. That time is now a benchmark for future marathons. It will take months and months of training to best that time but I am up for the challenge. I lost something very dear to me at MCM, if you happen to see it around mile 18 near Haines Point please leave it where it is, I’ll be back to claim it in 2009.
CRAMPS. The reason for my breakdown. My calves locked up and my thighs were contracted to such a point that it was very difficult to run. I had to let up and walk. I had been running for more than 3 hours, my sodium level was depleted to a point that cramps was the only way my body could tell me that its not safe to keep pushing. From the very start I never drank any gatorade, I took water at every water stops but neglected the gatorade. HUGE MISTAKE. The electrolytes in gatorade would’ve helped keep my sodium level and cramps in check. It was a learning experience, for future training I will be using salt pills and gatorade to ward off the cramps monster.
I signed up for the Maryland Double Dare on Saturday committing myself to the Frederick marathon in May and the Baltimore marathon in October 2009. I will also sign up for the Marines Corps marathon again. It will always be special to me, not because it broke me but rather it taught me how to be humbled. I will officially start training for the Frederick marathon in December 2008. I will be using the training program outlined at http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_4/128.shtm running 6 days a week while progressively increasing the long run distance week by week for 20 weeks.
For now I will keep to the pre-training schedule as detailed in the table below.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Off | 4 miles | 6 miles | 4 miles | 6 miles | 3 miles | 8 miles |
As Glenn Cunningham put it, running truly is a contest between you and yourself. A most formidable opponent, who know and feed on your doubt and fears. The satisfaction comes from the knowledge that you’ve bested yourself time and time again.
RUN
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