The Last Week

Well, I now have 5 days until I run my very first marathon and I am excited, nervous, and eerily calm as well. I'm not sure how I can be feeling all of these emotions at once, but I am. I am excited to say I ran a marathon, yet I am nervous about how well I will do and if I can finish at all, then again at the same time I feel calm that everything will be fine. Weird, I wonder if every new marathon runner feels this way.

As far as last week, I ran a 6 miler on Monday and my pace was 9:30~ish so, right where I should be. Then I biked Tuesday for an hour just to keep up on exercising. Then I ran another 6 miler on Wednesday, but my pace was 9:15~ish. I didn't realize I was really pushing it, but I felt great, the legs, feet, and lungs were all functioning properly without any hint of pain, or over exertion. Thursday I was suppose to bike, but I didn't and Friday I was way too busy with life to bike either, but I ended up running 10.41 miles on Saturday in the pouring rain. Well, the rain didn't pour the whole time, but it drizzled most of the time. After 10 minutes we were soaked anyway, so it didn't matter how much it rained after that. It turns out our pace ended up being 9:17~ish I believe. I wasn't planning on running it that fast, but it was nice to get out there and run about as fast as we should be for this time in our training. It seems like I didn't take that month off, but inside I know I have and that I would feel so much more comfortable with the upcoming marathon if I had been able to train for that month.

Other than that and the butterflies about the marathon as well as curiosity about the weather (the forecast says it will be a low the night before of 37 and a high of 56 with sunshine). Let's hope the forecast is right and its not snowing. Since this is a race close to Halloween we have the opportunity to dress up in costume for the run. Since I've never run a marathon before, I'm dressing up as a marathon runner who is running a race in late October (I'll be dressing in warmer clothes). Well, I plan on writing one more time before the marathon and then again after with pictures of the event. Wish me and my buddy luck as well as my wife who gets to take care of the kids for 4 hours in the cold while I run my guts out. Gotta run.

One Week of Training Left

Now that I am cleared to run, I felt that with my limited miles that I can run, I should still bike on my off days to keep my body used to some type of exercise everyday as that might help me during the marathon. So after my first run this past week, I planned to take a 3 hour bike ride as I can't run a 20 miler before the marathon. Since it would take me 3 or more hours to run that, I figured biking for 3 hours would be beneficial. My route was very hilly and much more than I bargained for. At my half way mark I turned to head back home, but my legs were not as fresh as they were the first hour and a half. I found it difficult to bike the flat sections much less the uphill parts. I did more walking up those hills than I would like to admit, so I hope it will translate for me as far as running the marathon is concerned.

In the end it took me well over 3 hours to complete my workout. My legs were dead. Even now (Sunday) I still feel the soreness of Wednesday's bike ride. I've decided to interpret that as a good thing. Needless to say my in Thursday run, my legs were not as fresh as they were on Tuesday, but I still ran the 5 miles with a 9:40 minute mile. Anything under 10 minutes for me right now is good (at least I think so). I had a 9:35 minute mile on Tuesday so I'm feeling pretty good about how I'm faring.

Then Saturday was a 21 miler, though I could only run 5 of those miles, it was great to be out there again running with a buddy and feeling pretty good. I was tired at the end of my 5 miles (it was actually 5 and a half miles, but who's counting?), but I think that I'm beginning to think that I'll really will be able to finish this marathon. I might not do it in under 4 hours, but at least I feel like I'll be able to finish. It is very encouraging.

Now I have this week of 2 - 6 mile runs and 1 - 10 mile run. Then I will run 6 miles the following Monday, 4 miles on Tuesday and 3 miles on Wednesday, giving me Thursday and Friday off to rest for my very first marathon. It is going to be great! Gotta run.

Cleared to Run

After weeks of rest and cross training efforts, I called my doctor to set up a follow-up appointment to see how the foot was healing and when I could start running again as the marathon creeps up at the end of the month. The appointment was set up for last Tuesday and I wasn't sure what to expect. Would I need more X-rays or bone scans? Would I be ready to run? Would I need more rest? I wasn't sure what to expect. All I know is my foot has been feeling fine and we even bought new shoes with more cushion so my foot will be better protected when I do start to run.

So I go and sit waiting for the doctor to show up. I don't know why there is never anything good to read in the check-up rooms. Probably so the doctors can torture us patients by not letting us take our minds off of what ails us. Eventually he came in and looked at my foot. Asked me a few questions about any pain and how it feels. After only a few minutes he said that I can start running again. It was like a weight being removed off of my shoulders and I could breathe again. He said I should run 3 times this week of only 5 miles each outing. Then he said I should run 2 times next week for 6 miles each and then a 10 miler on Saturday. I was really happy about being able to run again, but still concerned that the pain would return before the marathon.

The only way to know for sure was to get out there and run. So I laced up my new shoes and got out there for a 5 mile run. I didn't know how my biking and aqua jogging would help me with my endurance while running, well now I know. I started pretty slow, or what I thought was pretty slow. At about a mile I started feeling the burning in my lungs. My legs were not tired, but I haven't had a similar workout as running for a long time. After about 4 miles I started feeling discouraged that I might not have it in me to run the marathon after so many weeks off. Then I remember how I felt watching other people run while I couldn't and all I wanted to do was be out there running again. Well, I am running again and it felt great. So what if my lungs felt like they were going to explode. At least my foot didn't hurt. My legs felt good enough and I have 8 more runs before the marathon. I'm sure my body will remember what running is and adapt accordingly. I'm just glad I'm running again and that my foot is pain free. Now, I really gotta run.

Trying to Stay in Shape

Well, here I am with my boot, crutches, and sunglaasses for my eye. I was a sight for a few weeks. I wasn't that faithful using the crutches (I didn't really have anywhere to go), but I iced the foot 3 times and day (still do) and used the boot when I wasn't icing. I haven't had any pain in many weeks, but my goal is to baby this foot so that I can hopefully still run the marathon.

So, to keep up my endurance, I have been biking everyday and a few times I tried the aqua jogging. First about the jogging in water. The first time I went, I opted to go to the indoor pool in my town for open swim. Not 100% sure how it works, I looked up aqua jogging and found that all you do is strap a float belt around your waist and run in the water as if you would be running on the ground. So I get to the pool at 6am, ask where the belts are, and jump in. It was a little humiliating as there were 3 high school kids swimming laps on the other side of the pool, but what do I care anymore, I'm an old fogie. It wasn't as difficult as I had thought it would be, but it was nice to be acting like I was running.

I decided that I would travel a few more miles to a neighboring town that also had an indoor pool, but offered an aqua jog class. I tried that out one morning and when I got there I wasn't sure where I needed to go. I asked a lifeguard who directed me to where I needed to go. Again the pool was separated into halves with the high school girls team swimming laps on the one side and the aqua jog class on the other. I was a little self-conscious bobbing up and down like an apple in front of 3 high school boys, however, that was nothing compared to joining 7 or so older ladies as the whole swim team swims wondering why this guy was in the pool (I was the only male in the whole pool, save for the life guard). I soon got over that as the lady running the class invited me in and that class kicked my butt. It was a lot harder than I thought, when done right. It was a hybrid of aqua jogging and water aerobics, but in any event it was good to do to save my foot and keep up some type of exercise.

Biking took a little more time to get comfortable as my muscles weren't used to the demands of biking, but most especially my rear was not used to that seat. Ouch! However, I did become accustomed to biking and have biked now for many weeks. I have probably averaged biking for an hour and a half each time. I looked up that I should be biking 4 miles for every 1 mile I would run. If that is true I definately have not been doing that, but I have been biking as long as it would take me to run the necessary miles. So it takes me about 55 minutes or so to run 6 miles, then I would bike for about an hour. I threw in some difficult hills to get in the best work out possible, so I can make a smooth transition back to running when the doctor clears me to do so.

That's been my life the past few weeks. Hopefully I'll get cleared to run soon as I'm getting very anxious. Gotta run.