Why would you do that? Don't you care anymore? Nobody runs 3 marathons in the span of 26 weeks...and does well!

I am now “that guy.” What guy? The guy that everyone talks about like he's a fool. The guy running 3 marathons, each close together...and expecting to succeed in each. Since I didn't meet my expectations in Twin Cities, I decided right after that I wanted to recover and finally use my fitness. I wanted to show that I haven't taken a step back in the last 18 months. I've actually had some real training breakthroughs! I'm not done yet.

Houston Marathon was my shot at redemption. It was a good, though not great race for me. I ran aggressively, but controlled. There was some definite difficulty in running the 10^th mile to the finish all on my own ability, like some kind of time trial set off in no-man's-land. The three guys I got through the first 10 miles with decided about there that I was going to become carnage. I had other plans, though they didn't include going down to 5 minute miles just yet any more than they included slowing down.

Inevitably, I slowed down a couple seconds a mile while running alone. It's like the old adage goes, one horse can pull 2 tons but 2 horses can pull 10 tons. I was that lone horse now, pulling the load myself. In the end, I missed my US Trials “A” qualifier by 53 seconds. It was a positive frustration as it was still a huge step forward from my 2:20 I ran at Twin Cities on hamstring trouble. At least I walked away from this one on my own power!

Still though, I'm not entirely satisfied. I needed to find a way to FINALLY get this fitness to manifest! I need to prove, if only to myself, that my training isn't in vain. I found another marathon for April 6^th...my third one in a 26 week period. I've done two before, but three?

I took my customary week off of running after Houston to recover. Within 24 hours, I was fine. I ran out of calories in the race, but never locked up. That's two marathons in a row with fueling issues. Am I a rookie?

In the hospitality suite of Houston I got some great advice from marathon legend and friend, Benji Durden. Benji advised that I need to practice more with my fuel consumption, practice burning fat more efficiently. Only time is going to tell, but I think he has a point.

When I look at how the greats of the 1970s and 1980s trained and raced, I wonder why we don't run more marathons now? Guys like Benji and Bill Rogers and Ron Wayne were running marathons every time they could. They were mastering a craft.

Our current generation has too much pride (for whatever reason) to run a marathon “just” for the experience. Somehow, guys feel that in order to run a marathon there must be at least $10,000 on the line. We are also weaker and less consistent than the old-timers we can learn a lesson from. Those guys were 2:09, 2:08, 2:13 guys and Rodgers ran 5 marathons in 1976, 6 in 1977. Mind you, in 1976, he ran the Olympics and in '77 he was ranked #1 in the world and won 10 marathons in 2 years! Is it absurd to have done that? Given a 2:08, 2:10, and 2:11 his 1976 campaign, I'd call that a success more than I would call it career suicide.

I'm not going to compare myself to Bill Rodgers, but he has set a STRONG precedent for the frequent-marathoner. So here I go taking a risk, risking success to try something that I've never done before. Isn't that how we grow more successful, by pushing our limits? I'm willing to challenge my comfort zone right now and risk running better than I ever have before. I'm willing to learn lessons, to “fail,” to get experience in my craft to, hopefully, become a master. Watch for results from the Brighton Marathon on April 6^th and you'll see how this experience goes. I predict success from many measures. Let's just see what the clock says as I cross the finish mat now!

Follow my training on twitter: @runPRizzo.