I hinted and now I’m confirming that that I’ll be doing the Marshall University Marathon this fall! Let me explain why, the course & training and my goals for my fourth (!) marathon.

Why The Marshall University Marathon

After not getting into Chicago, I had a list of marathons I was considering. I heavily considered Twin Cities, but I also didn’t want to be training several weeks off from what the group was doing. Marshall will be the easiest (as far as training schedule goes), the cheapest, and another state to check off. Although, I’m not sure I’m excited about the double loop course…

The Course

The course is a two loop course throughout Huntington, West Virginia. I’ve never done a two loop course, but for some reason I don’t think I’ll like it. I’m afraid I’ll want to join the half marathoners as they finish instead of starting a second loop. I’m also worried (as always) about pacing myself with the half marathoners. Usually you split off earlier though, not at the point where they are done and you’re just half way.

Training

We’re already into week 7 of training. I didn’t have a great start. I was feeling slow and weak, often falling behind my group. Still finishing but not feeling great. After each run I was thinking “I can’t even run 5 miles, how can I run 26?” The last few runs have gone really well though! I think the heat and humidity had something to do with my slow start. Hopefully.

Unlike previous marathon trainings, I’m not following the schedule exactly. I’m playing volleyball once on Wednesday and three times on Thursday. So, instead I’m doing Thursday’s runs on Wednesday. Very, very slowly. Last Wednesday I ran 4 and my legs never loosened up after our 5x800s the night before.

Goals

#1 Time. Like my Flying Pig goal, I’d love to hit the 4:45 mark at Marshall. As the training session goes on I’ll have a better idea of how attainable this is. I was close at Indy last year last year and I think if training goes well I can get there.

#2 Stay Mentally Strong. I know that my body will be ready after 18 weeks of training, so as long as I can stay mentally strong I know I’ll have a good race.

#3 Enjoy it! After letting go of not hitting my time goal, I was able to enjoy the Flying Pig Marathon. I did not enjoy the time leading up to that, but hopefully I can be more mentally prepared this time around (see goal #2).