Everyone Has the Same Two Questions

After years of fairly non-stop training, I allowed myself to have a bit of a hiatus after finishing the Abbott World Marathon Majors in April (including my blog updates). The lack of stress I had without having to gear up immediately for the next round of training was...delightful. I ran proudly without my watch for weeks, usually doing a casual 25-30 miles per week. I also started doing more cross training after shorter runs. But then...this came:

My Six Star Finisher Medal!!! It's sooo pretty!

The back - totally getting my name engraved on this bad boy.

And suddenly I'm excited to start talking about marathoning again and thinking about what lies ahead. Remarkably, I've gotten the same two questions from people over the past few months so I thought I would just jump back into my blog with those!

1. So now that you've done all the Majors, which is your favorite?

I have spent quite a bit of time contemplating this. The answer isn't simple. It really depends on what you consider "favorite." If you're talking performance, I should say the Tokyo Marathon, because it was my personal record. But that's not where my heart goes to right away. In fact, there are so many considerations...best course, best crowd support, best expo, best finish, most unique....I would pick a different race depending on what you meant by the asking. There are two ways to view it that I think are the closest to getting home on the question. The first is - if I had the chance to run only one of them over again, which would it be? And that would be The Virgin Money London Marathon. There are a couple of things that stand out to me about that race. The expo is amazing. Second to none. It's big, dramatic, with amazing official gear. The atmosphere on the course is loads of fun, with all of the official pubs en route - it feels like you've interrupted a giant party. And the finish...there really is NOTHING  like that finish, with all the Union Jacks lining the last quarter mile in front of Buckingham Palace. Simply breathtaking. However, that is a very emotional race for me, as my dad is English and I have grown up holding that part of my heritage very close to my heart. I'm honestly not sure if others would have the same experience. 

So, the second way I consider the question is - if I had to recommend one race to someone who hasn't done any of them, which one would I suggest? Hands down - the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. I love this race. I've run it three times. It's the only marathon I've repeated and I will certainly do it again. I love every.single.thing. about this race. The expo is large but easy to navigate. The course is a dream; flat and wide. They prepare for weather and have extra fluid, water sprays and ice if it's hot. The crowd support is out of this world, and running through those streets with all those people is how I imagine Ferris Bueller felt during his parade performance. Also, it has the easiest entry and exit BY A MILE compared to any other WMM. It feels like a bit of a cop-out because it's so close to home (relatively), but it's true. We have an absolute gem here in the mid-west. 

As I said, there are so many wonderful things about the others that I think every person who ran all six would have such a different experience. Tokyo was so culturally unique, New York was such a fun course, Berlin was so historic and complex, and Boston....well...that is a race for those who truly love the marathon.

2. So, what's next?

There are a lot of obvious next steps for me to consider. I could try to break 4 hours. But, that's only a 30 second differential...and I'm not feeling motivated to train hard just to take 30 seconds off my time. Taking it a step further...I could try to run a Boston Qualifying time (I'll be 40 in a few weeks and my time will be 3:45...only 15 minutes off my PR). Fifteen minutes is still a lot, but it's doable and I've taken off 14 minutes each in the last few of my marathons. But I would definitely have to be committed like I haven't been before. There's the seven continents club...running a marathon in each of the continents. I've got 3 down...and honestly I would sign up for 3 additional ones easily if I didn't have Antarctica hanging out there. Don't get me wrong - I am actually not bothered by the extreme temps. I have trained in sub zero weather in Michigan and I actually believe I could push myself through that with proper training. The problem is I am extremely motion sick and I have been told by those who have done it that it is a ROUGH ride on the boat to get there. It's apparently home to some of the worst seas in the world. And, only runners are allowed to go. So I would have to say goodbye to my husband in South America, where he would wait for me for many days to return. I just do NOT like the sound of that at all. In the reflective state I've been in though, I've had some revelations. When I look back on my favorite races...they have not been my PR races. I definitely enjoy the experiences the most and the feeling I have when people tell me that they've become inspired to start running or try to reach a new distance. So right now, I'm leaning toward trying to become a guide for a visually impaired or physically impaired runner. I love the idea of helping someone accomplish their own goal, and I've now done so many that I am confident that I can help someone reach that finish line. I think part of this has come from the couple of times I've coached Girls on the Run. I love, love seeing the sense of accomplishment on the girls' faces when they complete the 5K at the end of the season. Being witness to that is life enriching.

So, for the time being I'm going to keep enjoying my runs with my friends and think a little more seriously about what I am going to sign up for next. I know that subconsciously I must be gearing up because I've started wearing my watch again....