Moving beyond NYC

So it's been a bit more than a month since I ran the NYC Marathon. I've had time to reflect, regroup and repair...now it's time to refocus and begin the next phase of my running career.

My NYC result was both disappointing and satisfying....I was no where near my goal time, but given my hamstring issues over the months leading up to the race and the difficulties encountered during the race, I was happy to have finished.

In hindsight, I made to key mistakes - one before the race and one during. The combination of both resulted in disaster.

First, my buddy Glen and I must have walked about 15k sightseeing throughout NYC the day before the race. Second, I got caught up in the energy of the crowd and went out too fast the first half of the race, especially the first 15k or so. As a result my quads and calves started crapping at about the 25k mark. From there to the finish it was no fun.

So lesson learned....I won't do that again!

My plan over the next few months is to address the issues that led to my hamstring problems through strength training and to increase my speed over the 5 and 10k distances. Meaning I won't likely run a marathon in 2012, but plan to run a number of shorter-distanced races and focus on speed work.

I may even try a duathlon or two, as I've taken to cycling and I feel that activity will help improve my leg strength, take some stress off my body normally created by running and contribute to an overall improvement in my running results.

Stay tuned!