Time for an oil change?

At the beginning of the year, I was looking to dive deep into running and marathons. My friend Tim (Maniac #409) said he was looking to run 3,000 miles. He ran a 6 day race this year, I thought that would be a good goal for him, but not for me.

I started the year, by running a little here, and a little there. In the first two months I was running when I had time and felt like it. In January I ran only 17 days, putting in 178 miles and one marathon. In February I ran only 16 days, but ran 195 miles and one marathon and one 50k.

In March, I took on the spring with a vengeance. I was enjoying the change in weather, I starting upping the mileage. Sometime that month, in which I ran a record 301 miles, I thought about the goal of 3,000 miles. My friend Tim at that point told me that things were not going to work out for him to run 3,000 miles. But being a college student I could make the time to put the mileage in.

For the remainder of the spring I was on a roll! I ran only one marathon a month from March through June, but my mileage was crazy. April I posted a new record of 310 miles, May I ran 283 miles. In those three months I ran an average of 5.25 days per week, and about 68 miles a week. I was having so much fun and loved every minute of it.

In June I ran the Pacific Crest Marathon (my anniversary marathon) for the third straight year. But that is when I increasing my marathons pace for the year. In about an eight week period I ran five marathons and one 50k. After Pacific Crest (June 23), I ran my next marathon on The 4th of July and five days later I ran the SEAFAIR marathon (July 9). At the end of this eight week period I ran my first double. On Saturday, August 11, I ran the Crater Lake Marathon and the next day I ran Haulin' Aspen in Bend.

After such a crazy period, I was ready for a break. During the months of June and July my mileage was down. I ran 221 in June and only 207 in July, but in August I ran 255 miles. I was riding my bike as a way to cross-train and keep my body fresh.

In September I was looking to take it easy. But that didn't happen. I started working with my mom on getting her ready for the Portland Marathon, by doing a lot of long walks (10-20 miles). I felt so good in September that I just keep pushing. This is when 3,000 miles became a reality. I ran a new record of 346 miles in September.

After the double in August I felt like pushing to the next level. I figured if I could do a double (and a tough one) I could run a 50 miler. So I looked to Autumn Leaves (Nov 3), as my first 50. That meant focusing on long training in October. I led the month off with the Portland Marathon (Oct 7), and then in the next two Saturdays did some ultra-training. I ran 31 miles and 40 miles in the those two Saturdays. I finished the month of October with 304 miles.

My first 50miler was a huge success, with a time of 9:22. I felt great. But I took it easy the next couple of weeks. Last year, the fall was tough I lacked the motivation to keep going and didn't feel up to running, plus I had nagging pains. This year was a different story. I felt fantastic and I think the cross-training and easy months in June and July helped. I figured I should just keeping going. I love the Seattle Marathon and decided to join the Maniacs for a pre-marathon marathon. That's right my second double, I ran fantastic and had so much fun. In November I logged another 267 miles.

So that leads me to this month. I have had so much fun running like a "freak". As of today I have logged 2,945 miles. I need just 55 more miles and I have a whole three weeks to go. I will have no problem running 3,000 miles, and am looking now at 5,000km (3,107 miles).

On Sunday, December 16, I will be running the Christmas Marathon. Sometime during that race I will hit the 3,000 mile mark. It's fun to have goals and reach them. It keeps me motivated and on track.

They say that every 3,000 miles you should have your oil changed in your car. My car is due for an oil change, but what about me? Do I need to change my oil? Do I need to rest up?

Maybe, but after seeing so many Marathon Maniacs going so much further then me, I ask myself "how far can I go?" I saw that Larry Macon (Maniac #120) has run 91 marathons this year, and has run 79 the last two years. That makes me look little, but what can I say?

I'll push strong this week, I'll run 60-70 miles and get 3,000 on Sunday. But I will continue until the end. Like a marathon that you are going to PR, it's not good enough to walk across the finish line, you have to push hard till it's done. In January and February I will rest a little, and next year, I look to average 45-50 miles a week. This has been a year to remember and I'm glad the Lord has given me the strength to continue.