I was so significantly blindsided and disappointed about my lack of marathons this year, after my years of devoting time in my life to running them well. However, I know that I am still an expert on the distance and upon being back inshape I will probably attain everything that I want out of the race distance and personal records. Even though I look like I am behind in the world major marathons and running the goal time, I’m really not. Marathon running is a lifelong sport that evens out, even if after a training cycle of hundred mile weeks something makes the race not work at the last minute, it is just a sick learning experience. How do you work through torture and still end up with your personal goals? I’m being sarcastic when I say torture, but it feels like torture to devote your life to something and have it taken away, like a particular event not working out. No one is magically elite in a field, it is supposed to be difficult work and upsetting when the goal does not come to fruition. World major marathons are kind of like my graduate degree, people are really rude about me not having either by my age. I like to laugh at those people, and not let that attitude impact my daily life. I would rather have my ten years of work experience in software and obtain my graduate degrees simaltaneously to advance in the career I already have, than not have any work experience and the letters. In marathon running, after the past ten years of running the long events and learning how to do them well, I imagine when I run the big name marathon I’ll place pretty well. If I run the fast time, do I care where I am? Not at all. It can be hard to ignore or grow through criticism, but the biggest things that matter are so personal that common critism from outside of my circle is not valid in reality. So I like to be very organized, do things a particular way and think long term. My coach, he never ran a marathon until he was in his forties, competitively, so I am really not concerned about achieving my running goals.