In my Marine Corps Marathon recap I mentioned I’d be doing a post on what I thought went wrong. After playing it over in my head a million times since Sunday though, I have decided against it. Thinking of every little possible thing I could have done differently or done better, and continuing to beat myself up for it, won’t change my finish time from Sunday.
That doesn’t mean I’m going to just forget about it and not learn anything from it. There is always something to be learned from every race – good or bad. It just means that I don’t see the need to dissect every factor that could have impacted my race.
Instead I’m choosing to focus on things I can do moving forward to help me hit my goals in future races.
- Stick to a strength training plan all the way through my training cycle.
- Do my best to get enough sleep on a daily basis to help keep my immune system strong and fighting off colds.
- Don’t change too many things up too close to race day.
- Get more training runs in at or faster than goal pace.
- Conversely, make sure I have enough easy runs that really are easy runs.
- Find new shoes and make sure they work for me.
It all seems pretty simple. Now, time to put it into action!
Hopefully, this will be my smile at the end of my next race – not just at mile 1.5!
What big lessons have you learned from racing that have helped you get better?
heart & sole 
I need to read your blog on the regular – I just ran the Empire State Marathon (relay) on 10/20 and it was my longest distance ever (7 miles)… I now think I am finally not scared to try out a half and then a full marathon in the future so I’ll need your tips and inspiration. 🙂
That’s awesome! I know a couple people that did the marathon that day and it sounds like a great race. I almost drove up for it when it looked like MCM might not happen b/c of the govt shutdown. Can’t wait to hear what half you decide on…if you could do 7 miles, you can totally get yourself up to 13…then eventually 26!!
I STRUGGLED through my last half…I feel like I didn’t fuel enough, and also didn’t train the right conditions. talk about lesson learned.
Fuel is so important and can be such a game to figure out! I wish I’d known more about it when I first started racing…went into my first marathon with nothing and actually stole a kit kat bar from some poor guy handing out power bars around mile 18. I want THAT ONE I told him pointing clearly at his own candy bar that he wasn’t planning on giving away, hahaha. Thankfully he was nice about it and gave me the candy bar!!
When I read your last two blogs, it made me think of a few things. First, I think one of the reasons I love sports also is that it can bring out so many different emotions. Disappointment may be one of the ingredients to actually reaching your goal the next time. I also love the euphoria you feel when you reach a goal! As an FYI, I’m betting on you to qualify for Boston. Second, as a coach, one thing I have learned is that successful athletes store memories in a 3 to 1 ratio….that’s remember 3 things you did well for each 1 thing you want to improve. So I like the recap about the positives from the race. Good Luck next time!
Thanks, Sue! That’s a really great perspective.