#njmarathon2018

Just a random rainy fall photo of the backyard. It's pretty nasty out there, but that didn't stop me from getting out for some miles. I'm going through a bit of a reassessment period right now after years of #marathon races, 15 in all. I haven't really been the same since the knee injury of two years ago, my last marathon, #njmarathon2018, went poorly, and I bailed on doing the marathon at Richmond earlier this month, opting for the #halfmarathon instead. Clearly training for 26.2 miles has become much harder, and at least right now, not as enjoyable. So I'm thinking of focusing on shorter races for a while, nothing longer than 13.1. And I also want to recapture the speed and power I seem to have lost. So today, instead of a #longrun, I went for some #hiit - 5 miles with some really hard 30 second sprints in the middle of the run. And it felt good! I have a plan hatching in my head about how to get fast once again, and I look forward to blogging about those soon!

Tough reality check today on this whole #richmondmarathon2018 thing. This morning I did the @dcroadrunners #nationalcapital20miler as my first 20 of the cycle. I knew heading into the training cycle it would difficult to balance my coaching responsibilities with training. Then add in the fact that I left self-employed consulting and its flexible hours to accept a full time job recently, and it all got that much harder. My training hasn’t been “bad” - I have had some really good workouts, some less so - but the strain on my schedule has been overwhelming at times, and the volume and consistency have not been there. And there’s nothing like a really #longrun to make that all obvious to you. Today I set out at my #easyrun effort and did that pretty comfortably for about 14 miles. Then it all started to fall apart. By the time I got to 17, I started taking a 1-minute walk break every half mile. If I couldn’t pass today’s test, with perfect weather and following my time tested nutrition strategy to a T, that simply doesn’t bode well for a #bqmarathon goal race in 6 weeks. The good news is, my fitness is probably just fine, maybe even excellent, for a strong #halfmarathon. Hell if I could do 20 today with nearly 3 hours of #timeonfeet, I should certainly be able to handle a hard 90-95 minutes for 13.1 miles. I just need to maybe do a little more #speedwork and increase the intensity of my #temporun workouts. So I’m leaning towards making the switch to the half. I’d rather have a good race at that distance than another disaster #marathon like the one I had at #njmarathon2018. I don’t want to repeat that ever again. And there will be other marathons. #runblr #fitblr #marathontraining #fallrunning #mcmillanrunning #mcmillanrunteam #damnthatwasalongpost https://www.instagram.com/p/BoW01PPFl7y/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1s2gjwdux1rq0

#postmarathonrecovery proceeds tonight, first time I can say a run has really felt good since before #njmarathon2018. I floated along effortlessly today at near #marathonpace and couldn't help but wonder where that great feeling was last Sunday. It's just how that goes sometimes. Anyway, I'm glad to see I am bouncing back. And as always the post-run beverages at @caboosebrewing never disappoint. Tonight I switched it up and went with the the Rambler maibock. So easy after a run. #runblr #fitblr #springrunning #craftbeer (at Caboose Brewing Company)

Only 3 days until #njmarathon2018. Today was a super easy day that just called for a 30 minute run. I needed to head over to #lifetimefairfax for a special event so I jogged over. Then while at the club I did 30 minutes of #vinyasaflow which really helped open up my hip flexors which had been tight ever since #gwparkwayclassic10miler. I noticed the difference on the jog back home - it was like a night and day change. I ended up with 3.7 miles for the day. And that's a fine number for now. Time to pack and travel tomorrow. Guess I better get organized. #runblr #fitblr #marathontraining #springrunning #springracingseason #ltemployee #lifetimerun #mcmillanrunning #mcmillanrunteam (at Mantua, Virginia)

@njmarathon is in the books, for better or for worse. Not the race I hoped for, truthfully it was a disaster, but it's time to move on. I've got some #postmarathonrecovery ahead of me and a chance to do something other than #longruns. So it felt good to get on the hybrid bike tonight for a few miles. It was too nice not to get out! I stopped by the track at #fallschurchhighschool to check in on #leelancerstrackandfield. I'm not coaching this spring but I'm already organizing for #leelancersxc this fall. Anyway, I've missed #cycling during #marathontraining and with a break of about 3 months before #richmondmarathon training starts, I plan to get in lots of rides. #runblr #fitblr #bikeblr #coachlife #springisawesome #njmarathon2018 (at Falls Church high School Mccullock field)

Race day morning at @njmarathon and it's a little wet. Glad I packed my unlined cycling rain shell even though I may have to shed it an hour into the race. Aside from the rainsrops the temperature feels very comfortable and good for racing. Back in a few hours! #runblr #fitblr #njmarathon2018 #bqorbust (at Novo Nordisk New Jersey Marathon)

Next to last big workout on the road to Long Branch. I had to postpone this for a few days because of schedule complications, but glad I finally got it in, a 14 mile #fastfinishrun. In keeping with the advice a few years ago of my friend and great masters marathoner @keithfreeburn I broke it up in two pieces. First I ran my neighborhood 7-mile loop at easy effort in my regular trainers (@brooksrunning PureCadence). Then back at the house I did a quick shoe switch (and switched to a singlet while I was at it) to my marathon racers, the @nike LunarTempo. Then I was right back out the door and ran the same loop. This is a tough, hilly route, a far cry from the flat terrain of the Jersey shore. For a 3:20 marathon, I need to run 7:38/mile, and 7:42 on this course is a good indicator I can do that. It’s also a confidence builder after last week’s very rocky #longrun. Next up: #gwparkwayclassic10miler, the final dry run before @njmarathon. Hard to believe it’s so close now. #marathontraining #springrunning #njmarathon2018 #runblr #fitblr #bqorbust (at Mantua, Virginia)

Near the finish of the @njmarathon I finally saw @lynnucla and gave it my best to paste a smile on my face. OK, at least some of it was sincere. After all, I was happy to see her, and to almost be done with this hellish race. I really thought everything lined up well for me today - hitting my marks in recent workouts, nailing my dress rehearsal race at #gwparkwayclassic10miler last week, a flat course. But it wasn't meant to be. One by one, I watched my A through D goals run past me and disappear from sight. In the end I was left with "just f@&$ing finish." And that at least did happen. There was no way it wasn't happening. Good race or bad, it's now time to recover and rebuild. Then I'll be motivated to train hard for #richmondmarathon later this year. #runblr #fitblr #njmarathon2018 #marathontraining #springracingseason #mcmillanrunning #mcmillanrunteam #dcroadrunners (at Long Branch, New Jersey)