The Marine Corps Marathon is a mere 27 days away. I am beyond excited to run my 8th marathon in 4 years and to run it in Washington, DC. I am so excited to do another 26.2, my 3rd this year alone. And so far, in the back of my mind, all I keep thinking about is how I'm only 10 minutes and 39 seconds away from qualifying for Boston.
For the first time ever, I am seriously considering running with a pace group. Pace groups, for those of you who are not familiar, are led by insane runners who can not only finish at a certain time (like say 3:35:00), but can also lead a group of ambitious wannabes the whole time. They usually carry balloons or something on a stick so that they are easy to find for the whole race. They usually talk their group through the tough parts, the parts where normal runners don't want to talk, let alone make jokes or offer advice. They pretty much guarantee that if you stick with them, you'll finish at your goal time.
Every once in a while in a previous race, I'd tag behind a pace group or two if I came across them. But I've never really wanted to join one before. I'm sure you may have noticed this, but I'm not a super social runner. I don't necessarily want to have to talk to other runners when I'm in the middle of a grueling race. But maybe it would help? Maybe if I'm really in pain, it will help to know the name of the person in pain next to me?
I still haven't really decided if I'm going to do it. A big part of me wonders if it will be too much added pressure. What if I can't keep up? What if I run with them for the first 20 miles and then just lose it for the last 6 and totally tank? Could this actually lead to my worst time instead of my best? What if we don't finish in 3:35:00 - what if we're 30 seconds over and I STILL don't qualify for Boston?
And then I have to ask...who cares? Who cares if I qualify for Boston? I mean, sure it would be great. But when it comes down to it, there has to be a balance between enjoying the race and striving for excellence. How to find that balance? Does it include a pace group? Does it include taking the week before the race off...or doing a half marathon in Hershey (hint, it should include a half marathon in Hershey, since that's what I'm doing).
No matter what happens, I just want to finish marathon #8. And then, I want to make it to marathon #80. I want my race pictures to still have me giving the thumbs up or dancing on the course. Because if running has taught me anything, it's that a good time is nice, but having fun is ultimately what makes you remember a race.
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