Markemmanuel

Four more weeks remain until the Philadelphia Marathon. There’s a lot of training and planning to be done.  I booked my plan tickets and my room. I determined that caused my plan’s meltdown during my last marathon. I’m already scheduling races for Spring.

I hesitated buying plane tickets to Philadelphia and a round trip flight cost me fifty extra dollars. My lesson is learned. If I know it’s a good deal, don’t hesitate. I decided to stay three nights and leave immediately after the race. I want to watch the Chicago Bears play the Philadelphia Eagles at home.

I’m staying at the Apple Hostel to save cash. It’s $35 a night at the hostel. One night in Philly would have cost me $165 a night for one of the hotels close to the starting line. The hostel route leaves me plenty of beer money and cash to enjoy Philly. I hope I will find quality sleep the night before the race. My cash flow is constrained and financial debt weighs down on me. I have to take that risk.

I figured out why my legs cramped up during this year’s Chicago marathon while I ran my long day today. I burned most of my fuel in my body and didn’t breathe properly. Last year, I carried about 500 more calories in a race that burns roughly 4000 calories. I guess my body doesn’t store glycogen as well as other people’s bodies. I also didn’t warm up properly before Chicago. The hostel is two miles away so I’ll do a nice slow jog to the starting line, stretch, then jump into my corral with the Clif Bar Pace Team. I’m crossing my fingers and hope to finish in less than 4:29:59.  I want to remind my body what 26.2 miles feels like so it can remember it for future races.

There’s a drive within me that that has remained dormant for so many years and it’s finally waking up. After Philly, I’ll be resting my body and begin training for the Illinois Marathon in May.  I plan on training with a CARA group and attempt to set another PR under four hour.  An epic ride is scheduled this spring as well. I need to take care of myself, stay injury free, and avoid getting sick. Setting these goals and achieving them is another part of the foundation I am building for myself.

Eighteen miles of uninterrupted trail running, thirteen miles hiking the shoreline with a cool Lake Michigan breeze at our back, three peaceful nights camping in the wilderness, two glorious sun sets, one beautiful moon rising (ahh… bella luna, my beautiful belle) followed by a gentle sun waking from his sleep summarizes the grand finale of my unofficial end of the summer.

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Matthew and I head to our yearly retreat on North Manitou Island at Michigan’s Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. We end the summer relaxing on the beach near Swenson’s Barn, get away from the hustle and bustle of life, explore the island, and reflect. This year, we plan to do a little trail and beach running as we prepare for the Chicago Marathon.

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