MTT First Run Recap

Marathon Training Team....  Take 1.

(Sports Backers Stadium on a A Sunny Sunday Morning at 7:30am)

...cue the runners.... Hot mothers arrive in the parking lot.  No really, T, DeNiece & I are HOT Mothers.
...cue the weather... HOT as a mother !&*(@!er.
...cue the long run... (awkward pause) what long run?  They forgot the run.  (Paper rustling)  It's a marathon training team, I'm 99% sure there's supposed to be a long run....

But seriously, Sunday was the "before we start training meeting", and to save sanity, the teams simply met during the normal time, and then ran together.  For 4 miles.  Technically, Marathon Training starts... Today, Monday... and it's a REST DAY.  After yesterdays "long run" of FOUR MILES, I'm sure everyone needs a rest.

Of course, T & I didn't run 4 miles.  T & I ran 6 miles, and then went to the meeting all sweaty and gross, where we sat for 30 minutes while our muscles got stiff, and then we moved and listened again for a few minutes while our muscles got stiff s'more.  It's all good, because my heart rate came right down and I felt great when they said for us to "GO".  And then we ran 4 miles.  On the 4 mile run it was hard not to try to beat everyone there.  No seriously.  We're crazy like that.  And... we totally kicked booty, by the way.  Sure, plenty of people kicked our booty too, don't worry, but we HAD already run 6 miles thank-you-very-much.  So we're out there kicking booty, trying to remember not to weave and race, and a woman in the group in front of us fell... and started screaming that she'd broken her hand.  It was so sad.  On the first day of training to fall and break something.  Oh I am sad for her and I hope she is OK.  But T & I didn't stop.  First off, a Coach was right there.  Another, I don't have Ice or a Cell Phone at that point - there's no point in stopping and just being in the way - I certainly wasn't going to be any help at all.  So we just ran by her, and in the process picked up a few runners who ran the last 2 miles with us.  So, after all was said and run, we were handed a training book.

Which I opened when I got home... and nearly cried.

The facts are these.  I signed up for the MTT because T & I don't currently share the same goal.  See, I'm running a Marathon in November.  And T is running an 8K that day.  I can't expect she'd WANT to run my 20 milers with me.  So THAT is why... it's a goal thing.  Though that said, she has a closet goal going on... either she doesn't realize how much she's talking about it in front of me... or...  she does.  

Because I know (and like, a lot) one of the PINK NATION MTT Coaches, I signed up for the PINK NATION MTT.  T is allowed to "run bandit" on my MTT runs in part because of this connection, and in part because she is TMB of RACING WITH BABES.   Only, see, PINK Nation is novice.  And, I'm pretty sure (deep breath) I'm NOT a novice.

Novice doesn't mean slow.  Don't worry, on the 4 mile run there were plenty of people who kicked my booty.  As I was saying, Novice doesn't mean slow.  Apparently Novice means, on paper at least, LESS RUNNING THAN I'D LIKE TO SEE IN MY MARATHON TRAINING PLAN.

There.

I said it.

~gasp~

Is, everyone... OK?

I knew all along that I would want to add miles to the PINK NATION plan and all, but now that it's in front of me on paper I'm getting cold feet and instead I'm thinking about switching MTTEAMS to the Intermediate team.  But before I do something crAzy, let's review the pros and cons, and the people who read my blog, please chime in.... Do I Stay PINK, or go SNOT.
No really.  Those are the real choices.  And gosh, right there, the answer seems really really obvious....

PINK NATION PROS:
1. SpeeDee is a coach.
2. Pink is a cooler color than Snot.
3.  I think the moto of PINK NATION might be "COWBOY UP", which I LOVE.
4. If I run PINK, and I'm going to HAVE to be adding miles every week to the long run to make my "base" goals, I can start earlier than 7am and theoretically, be done earlier.  (i.e. - the long run is 14 and I want to run 18, I can start 40 minutes early)
5.  If T can't come, I will have SpeeDee on my run with me.

PINK CONS:
1.  The PINK training plan is... short.  I mean, the runs are shorter than I like.  I am going to be adding miles on every run, about 10-15 miles per week.  And I was thinking three 20 milers.  The PINK plan has ONE 20 miler.  This means that one week I'm adding 2 miles before my 18 miler.  One week I'm adding 4 miles before the 16 miler... but some weeks I need to add 7 miles before a PINK scheduled run.
2.  If I stay PINK, I can rarely car pool with DeNiece.

SNOT PROS:
1.  DeNiece is on SNOT.  We live a block apart.  IF we were both running at the same time, the same distance, we could car pool sometimes.
2.  SNOT is the closer to the training plan I had anticipated choosing.

SNOT CONS:
1.  DeNiece is on the FAST SNOT group, where I would be slow SNOT.  We're NOT going to be running together, even if we run together.
2.  If I join & run with the SNOT Team, on the group long runs I'll have to start at 7am.  It's HOT in Virginia.  Last year we were starting our runs at 5:30 some days because it was THAT hot.

Well, what do you think?  Stay with PINK?  Or change to SNOT?  Or, none of this makes sense because I'm rambling?