After nailing four PRs in a row in as many short distance races (5K, four-mile, five-mile and 15K), I had grown weary of speed. It was time to switch gears and get back to longer, slower distance running. That means I needed to select a marathon.
Looking for a late September race to coincide with my 40th birthday, I found the Clarence DeMar Marathon in Keene, N.H. It is a relatively small race, capped at 600, but it seems well known. When I mentioned it to a fellow runner, he recognized it immediately.
With a race date of Sept. 28, two days after I become a "Masters" runner (the only qualification for which, it seems, is to turn 40), it put me in week five of the 18-week Hal Higdon Advanced training program. I have jumped into training in the middle before, so it should not be too bad, but the past two long runs (19 and 20 miles) were pretty rough.
Nonetheless, I am determined to rock this race in my new age group. A PR is not necessary, a Boston qualifier would be preferred (especially since my qualifying time is pushed back to 3:15), but a solid race like the one I ran in March is all I truly want.
Looking for a late September race to coincide with my 40th birthday, I found the Clarence DeMar Marathon in Keene, N.H. It is a relatively small race, capped at 600, but it seems well known. When I mentioned it to a fellow runner, he recognized it immediately.
With a race date of Sept. 28, two days after I become a "Masters" runner (the only qualification for which, it seems, is to turn 40), it put me in week five of the 18-week Hal Higdon Advanced training program. I have jumped into training in the middle before, so it should not be too bad, but the past two long runs (19 and 20 miles) were pretty rough.
Nonetheless, I am determined to rock this race in my new age group. A PR is not necessary, a Boston qualifier would be preferred (especially since my qualifying time is pushed back to 3:15), but a solid race like the one I ran in March is all I truly want.
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