UMM SO HOW WAS IT???????????????? I think a mile real slow will help, just go really really really slow.

Nice report and race - congratulations. I can see how dropping the keys would throw you off your game.

Okay, I'm almost there. I'm still holding my streak, but the last three days have been really painful. My left leg (quad mostly) still hurts but I am walking a bit straighter each day and was able to do a mile a little faster than yesteday and with not quite as much pain. It actually had started to feel even a little better at the end of the mile and I considered trying for mile 2 but decided not to push it. I am hoping to be running normally again by Friday adn then get a few good runs in this weekend as well. But now I have no goal I busted up my goals for this year so far and have nothing to shoot for right now. Here were my goals: Run a mile every day this year - still working on it but giong strong Break 4:00 in the marathon - Done Break 20 minutes in the 5K - Done Complete all 7 USATFNE Grand Prix Series races and earn my jacket - Done Run 1500 miles this year - Done So what do I shoot for now? Just hitting that post-marathon slump I think.

Well.... problem is that doing longer distance races is tough. Not so much because of the training because I tend to do that early mornings, but the race days themselves. Our kids have huge social lives adn their stuff comes first. For an example, this weekend we had the following going on: 1 marathon 4 soccer games 1 soccer practice 1 book club meeting 2 birthdays 1 cub scout hike and believe it or not this is a typical weekend, never mind the fact that kids' basketball starts this week as well (which blows my mind that they cant plan these seasons better so they dont overlap) Yeah, I'm not really worried about speed right now and in fact am thinking about spending the next 4 months doing some low HR training with High mileage to see what that does for me. But my main concern right now is that I am the type of persont that needs some sort of concrete goal I am working towards or I tend to get lazy. My first year working out I did a marathon at the end of it. After that I built up each year and did progressively longer triathlons (culminating in Ironman Florida in 2005) 2006 I was just lazy and didnt really do much because I didnt have a goal. 2007 I worked on getting my 5K time down to 21:00. 2008 I got my 5K time down under 20 minutes and completed the Grand Prix series where I got a PR marathon. But now I sit here with no real goal in mind for next year. And it just kind of irks me - I need motivation

well why don't you plan on running the same marathon next year but off of low HR high mileage. (I figure it it's the same one then the course variables are the same - hills water stops etc)

Yeah, well I was talking to my wife after the race (and after I had emailed my online coach) adn told her that my coach still thinks I can do a 3:30 and you should have seen the look on her face. It was like "What do you mean you're thinking about doing another marathon?" So it might be another couple years before I can convince her that me doing another marathon is a good thing. Who knows though - maybe it was just the fact that I have done about a dozen races this eyar (and most of them not close to my house so they ended up being a whole day wasted). Maybe if I make next year's marathon the only big race I do (aside from a few 5Ks) she might be more receptive. Thanks Jeff