See you in St. Louie!

The Go! St. Louis Marathon is this Sunday, and I am going in the hopes of NOT repeating last year's debacle.  In case you don't want to go back and reread it (it's NOT pretty!), basically I had a bad stomach bug but started the race anyway (darn stubbornness!).  I painfully covered 22 miles, with the last mile being the slowest at 25 minutes.  I finally decided to drop out and earned my first DNF (Did Not Finish) plus a trip to the nearest hospital and two bags of IV fluids.  This sadly led to my first DNF state in my quest for a marathon in all fifty states.  That was, until Rick wonderfully suggested that I try again this year.  This is a big sacrifice on his part and means so much to me. 

This will be my 22nd marathon, and you'd think I'd know what I am doing by now.  Yet each one is very different.  Last year's run proved how sensitive each delicate system of our body can be.  Though I want to hammer it in terms of running for deep revenge for last year's miserable experience, there is only so much one body can do.

Here are some reasons that this marathon will be a struggle for me:

*It's fifth in a series of four marathons and one 50K over the past 6 months (Marshall University  November 7, 2010, Rocket City  December 11, 2010, Mountain Mist 50K January 22, 2011, and Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach February 19, 2011).  The "marathon-a-month" thing can only take me so far before I begin to feel the effects of too many long distances in a row.  I am at the limit now.  I can feel it in my daily runs, which are leaving me drained and achy and with waning self-confidence.

* My recent PR (3:18) at Myrtle Beach was only a month and a half ago.  You can't expect to PR at every race, as Rick reminds me.  This may be one to take it easier on after such a good experience in that one (though on the flip-side, shouldn't I expect to be able to perform reasonably the same?).
 
*Training has been pretty poor for this marathon.  The 25K race I intended to use as my main good training run turned into an easier paced run.  As Jane says, at least I'm well rested!  Sometimes that can be a good thing.
 
This race left me beaten down, humiliated, and quite jaded about marathon running.  It is no longer about "when I finish" but "if I finish."  That became a new phrase to me last April.  And I'm ready for some revenge!  Whether if it happens in the form of another 3:18 or something more realistic (I am shooting for a 3:30), I am eager for the cathartic experience that finishing this race will bring.  {Well, upon second thought, maybe that isn't the word I was looking for!}