The clock is ticking on my automatic qualifier for NYC 2017. I have until Feb. 17 to decide. As some of you may know, I was disappointed at NYC this past November, as I was hoping for a sub-3:00 and cramped badly toward the end (quads and hams). Cramps had never been a problem for me in long runs.
I am registed for the NYC Half (March 19), and was hoping to PR there and then perhaps run a spring marathon or a fall marathon. My half PR is pretty "soft," as it is from 2014 (1:26:10), but I have been dealing with a nasty right IT band for the last six weeks. I have had to cut back my mileage drastically, and even had to stop on a couple of runs. That IT band (lateral knee) can really sting. In the last week or so, it has improved some, but I have only six weeks left before the NYC Half.
So, this is the question...
Should I run the NYC Half with the aim of getting a 1:28 or better, so as to qualify for NYC 2018? In this scenario, I could go for my sub-3:00 at Richmond this November 11, and then run NYC again in 2018.
Or, should I run NYC again here in 2017 (November 5), rather than in 2018?
I find myself craving some "revenge," so to speak, on the NYC Marathon, but I want to make a good decision, for the clock ticks in more than one way, as I am 48 years old.
Angryjohnny, Er., etc. are you out there?
All the best to everyone.