Post Marathon brings out a mixed salad

It's always interesting to me how I feel after a Marathon has been run.  Especially one that was my 'A' race. 

It's not been 3 days, and I've gone from being happy that it's over and being able to take a break from the non-stop demands of training hard, eating right, sleeping enough, and other sacrifices, to my feelings turning into a little anger and disapointment, since I didn't quite reach my goal.  I was so close, and I had it within reach but was forced to bow out due to a silly error, and now my mind is racing with ideas. 

I've got the Stockholm marathon planned on May 30th, as a fun run while I visit my parents in Sweden, but the course is so much friendlier than the Boston course, that why can't I just go for all the marbles and crank out a 2:59:59 there!   I've got a whole 38 days to recover!  I  recovered for 32 days after CIM and ran a good 50KM trail race.  And that included 2.5 weeks of no running due to hamstring issues. 

The Team picks back up for training on May 11, for the Portland Marathon (oct 4), and I was initially going to have this be a 'B' race and not go all out on it.  You can't continuously go for broke as you simply need to give yourself a break or eventually you'll experience burnout.  But now, I have 3 painful minutes hanging over my head, that shouldn't exist, so I don't think i can just go run Portland, without knocking the cover off the ball. 

Then there's my big challenge on Jan 10th, 2010.  The Bandera 100km trail race.   I am REALLY exicted to run that trail race.  Based on my performance at the 50km option last January, I really think that if I put in the correct training from September to Jan, I can do resepctably well in it. 

Then there's Boston 2010.  I have already looked at Hotel rooms close to the finishline and will probably jump on one in the next month or so.   There are some good choices available, and I am so hungry to go avenge my mistake, that I wish I could run it again this weekend. 

Don't think I'm not happy with my 3:03:06, because I certainly am, but there's a big difference between struggling my way through the last 2 or 3 miles to finish crawling in at that time, and being physically forced to slow down to that finish time when everything but your two calves is primed, pumped and ready for a strong finish.   

If you would have asked me 2 weeks ago what I was going to do after Boston, I would have told you that I would be looking forward to relaxing.  But as it stands today, things are different.  I'm hungry.  I'm hungry for my sub 3.  I'm REALLY hungry.

Who knows though, maybe the dust just hasn't settled and in a couple of weeks, i'll accept my 3:03, and just accept that Portland in October is my next 'A' race.

However, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I don't have the Stockholm Marathon course sitting here next to me on my desk, and I'm salivating at the look of the elevation chart with a little bridge to deal with 2 times, and a few silly climbs here and there.