In need of something lighter

Boy, the post-marathon funk can be a doozy. Especially the post-Boston Marathon funk.  It’s been several weeks now, and yet I haven’t bounced back into a training state that feels fun, or directed, or productive.  I have ‘burnt-out’ written on my forehead. More like ‘ burnt-out without a new PR to show for myself’.



At least I look happy at the finish AND I'm wearing a cape.



I don’t need another big, looming, built-up, emotional goal like Boston (or a marathon in general), but I need a goal to keep me leaping out of bed in the morning.  I need a fun, small, manageable goal that I can tackle without the emotional commitment. Essentially, I need a psychological break from hard training…while still doing hard training. That's possible, right?

The 5k and 10k are going to be my friends for the next few months. They are generally low commitment, in that if you have a bad race you can hop into another a couple weeks later without stressing your body.

Perfect. This is what I need. None of the build-up-for-4-months-and-put-all-your-eggs-in-one-‘race day’-basket.

Of course, coming off of marathon training, I am not in ideal shape for laying down a 5k PR.  I’m hoping I can crack the 19 min mark by continuing a similar type of training (tempos and long hard runs), while throwing in a couple track sessions (cue "track" rundies).  The best part about this shorter training? Reclaiming my Sundays during the summer months! 20 milers really put a damper on the rest of my day (imagine zombie fatigue + eating a lot), and I'd like to hike, bike or rekindle my friendship with the sun instead.

The true, underlying motive to my 5k/10k racing scheme is to run some PRs and redeem myself (in my eyes) after a disappointing finish (time-wise) in Boston.

I'm in need of something lighter. Light-hearted and lightning fast.