The Marathon's Over...Now What?

Ready to run again?

You trained. You ran. You conquered. Well, not quite. If crossing the finish line and getting a marathon medal to wear around your neck counts toward conquering, then yes. But if you wanted more out of your marathon—ahem, a faster time, a steadier pace, a personal best or Boston qualifier, or whatever else justifies a good race—then chances are you’re wondering what comes next. You’re not ready to go out and run another 26.2 right away (or maybe you are—I know someone who raced Chicago and will be running the Nike Women’s Marathon this weekend) but you’re not that far off. The problem is that a majority of the races that come to mind—Twin Cities, Lakefront in Milwaukee, Chicago—are done and many of the big-name races—New York, Marine Corps, Detroit Free Press (have to stick the hometown race in there)—have been closed for months.

So where can a girl, or guy, run these days? Here are some of my picks—local and not—for fall races to run. Oh yeah, and they’re not all marathons because after running two in less than a month, I’m definitely thinking shorter is better (don’t get me wrong—I still want to run the Chicago Marathon again).

To the Olympics (Trials) They Go

Overbeck at the Chase Corporate Challenge

I always knew the California International Marathon was fast. I once wrote it down on a list of marathons that were good Boston Marathon qualifiers. I ran it in 2008 when I desperately tried to chase a second Boston qualifying time so I could run with Liz in Beantown the following April. I may not have qualified as I had hoped--note to self: don't try to run another 26.2 after finishing your first Ironman and a hotter-than-ideal Chicago Marathon--but I ran faster than expected, given that I could barely finish 10 miles two weeks before the race.

But could California International really live up to its fast reputation when several speedy female runners needed it to as they gunned for their Olympic Trials qualifying time in what would be their last chance before the January event in Houston? (How's that for a long-winded sentence?) The answer would be a resounding yes. For some runners, December 4, 2011, will go down as a day in history, the special Sunday when they reached one tough cut-off on the road to Olympic glory. And for a few others, they'll hopefully forget that Sunday just wasn't their day. It pains me to write that, since I silently cheered for several Chicagoans after learning of their Olympic attempts over the summer. It helps to meet filmmaker Wendy Shulik, who's been chasing the women as they try to qualify and filming them for her Miles and Trials documentary, and who will get you as excited (or close to it) as she is for Trials' tribulations.