The aftermath

For being a Marathon in which I suffered a lot, I have had much less aches and pains afterwards than I am accustomed to. Maybe after 10 Marathons my body has finally got used to the distance. If anything is holding me back from going for another run just yet, it's that my lungs still feel worse for wear.

I thought about going to the gym today but then I realized I wouldn't know what to do and would end up standing around like a first timer. I'll probably do a little rowing (I need to strengthen my back) and a bit of treadmill walking tonight.

If knowing what to do fitness-wise tonight is a dilemma, then what about setting my next goals? The only thing I feel fairly sure about is doing the Madrid Marathon on the 24th of April, probably "en plan tranqui" (easy). Eli asked me today whether I would be running the New York Marathon next year - I'd love to of course (perhaps a little less focused on the time) but in spite of running the first half of the NYC Marathon in less than the Half Marathon qualifying time for my Age Group of 1:25, only a proper Half Marathon counts (or indeed full Marathon in 2:57). I already have a qualifying time of 1:20:23 this year, but it is not as much of a sure thing as it was a non-NYRR (New York Road Runners) race.

Otherwise, I'd like to get back on the bike a bit more. We're off to Asturias this weekend so maybe I'll take the road bike along for a ride. We'll see...

Check out the salt stains on my compression socks

Several people who know me well (including my mum and my wife) have pointed out that I am not getting any younger and that maybe I should just accept that PBs are a thing of the past. The thing is I was fully prepared to accept this before the summer but the training ended up going very well, and everything indicated that I could run it in a fast time, if not a best time. This is not the first time that the Marathon has put me in my place. I think that is exactly why it continues to hold so much fascination for me. But yes, I am getting older, just not 15 minutes older!