An inagural marathon for my adopted city of Oaxaca has been announced for this Feb 28th, about 3.5 months from now. So, should this be my first marathon?
I'd like to tackle the marathon, but it is a bit daunting to do your first one at mile-high altitude. And, this being Oaxaca, it's bound to be a hilly course. The goal would be to finish. Later on I can entertain thoughts of a Boston qualifier, likely on a flat course in a state-side race.
I'm in decent shape, and I've run my first two half marathons this year. There is just enough time for me to do a marathon buildup. But, I've had a sore achilles tendon on my right leg. I ran some stellar workouts in October but just took a week off and partied my way through Dia De Muertos and feel like a slug just now! And I'm back on coffee. Big deal you say, but I have an electrical heart issue, coffee can give me an irregular beat and slow my running right down.
The achilles tendon. I can do alternating hot/ice treatment to get the circulation going and bring the swelling down. I can warm up better and rotate my running shoes, and I can eat pineapple and berries, the nutritional recommendation for this problem. So I think I have it covered.
Honestly, I'll have a tougher time quitting coffee (again!). Also, I'm in a band and mezcal lurks around the band. I'll need to motivate myself to back off these beloved poisons if I wanna do a marathon!
Finally, there's my history as a runner. I'm a miler at heart, running the event in earnest for about six years as a kids. I managed to get my head around the half marathon this year. Can I do the same for the full 26.2 mile run?
We'll see. I'm thinking on it here. More thinking to come. But, I will hit the Oaxaca hills this week and log the miles, starting a provisional marathon training program, keeping my options open.
Note: Here it is a few days later. Just ran an 11 mile hilly run to see what a relatively long run feels like off current fitness. I can say, ouch! I'll just have to keep going long and see where it leads.
Steve, aka the Grumpy Runner
Email me to book a Oaxaca running tour
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