Like a Ship without an Oar...

PMS, or post-marathon syndrome, has set in. I can't figure out where to go with my training from here. I'm on day 19 of marathon recovery (26 days typically--one day for every mile raced). Next Friday will be my last recovery day. I can resume speed work, start thinking about my next race, and even begin a new training plan. But what? When? Where?????? I feel sort of lost and unmotivated about the whole thing.

I'm training about 20 people to run the Country Music Half-Marathon on April 24. I could always run that since I'm doing the training anyway. Or not. It is so crowded and those 50-person deep port-o-potty lines at the start are no joke! It's also very costly---up to about $90 for the entry by now, I imagine. I doubt I'd set a half-marathon PR on that hilly course, but I'm fairly certain I could beat my time from 2 years ago when it was my first half. I've shaved about 10 minutes off my half times, but that's mostly by running flat courses! On the hilly ones, it's more like.... 5 minutes.

I don't have fond memories of that course from last April's heat wave marathon, either. I'm sure it wasn't that bad, but at the time, it seemed horrible with the unexpected heat and humidity. The sound of ambulance sirens pierced the air throughout the race, and literally hundreds of people had to go to the hospital. Not a good memory.

I've toyed with the idea of getting redemption on that FULL MARATHON course. I'd just have to hit 2 or 3 long runs between now and then... maybe a 15-miler, an 18-miler, and a 19-miler. But I don't think my heart is in that, either. I'm marathoned out after 31 weeks of training.

Coming up are a few things I think I'll add to my calendar. On April 10 or 11, there is the Purity Moosic City Dairy Dash 5K and 10K in Nashville. I haven't run a 10K in a year and a half. It's probably time. Then there is a 5K here in my current hometown on May 2 and one in my growing up hometown on May 9 or the following week. At some point in May, there is usually a duathlon (biking and running) here. That could be fun, even though I have a rickety OLD mountain bike. In June, my running club puts on a 5K/10K race that I have worked at, but never run in. This year, I hope to find a way to run it (as well as volunteer and be a good little club member).

Reading this month's Runner's World that came in the mail yesterday, I saw a 6-week 10K training plan for people coming off marathon/half-marathon training who want to get back some speed. Hmmmm...... Maybe I can just be a middle-distance runner for a while.....