5 weeks have passed since the race and I have yet to get that "Oh, it wasn't so bad. Let's do it again," feeling. Since the marathon, I have run a 5K, a 10K, and a sprint triathlon. The triathlon is by far and away my favorite. This last weekend's race was my 10th triathlon. I placed fourth in my division but I was disappointed in my race. It was nearly 4 minutes slower than last year's race. My big problem was, oddly enough, the bike portion. Nearly all 4 minutes were lost on the bike this year. Part of that is probably due to the fact that I am about 10 pounds heavier than last year. I just can't seem to lose the weight this year. Oh well. The season is not over yet. I have a 10K planned for this coming weekend and the Park to Park half marathon is coming up in September. Once that is over, whatever else I run will be fairly short.
So what do I do now? The reason for this blog was to catalog my progress toward my first marathon. Now that it is over, I need to set a new goal. I am not sure exactly what I am going to go after this next year but I am considering a half ironman distance triathlon. I will continue to think about it. Once I decide what to do, I will use this blog as a means to talk about my progress.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Finished!
Well, I did it. I finished. First, let me back up and fill in a few things from the past couple of weeks. After Dam to Dam, I was worried at how much pain I experienced in my ankles and feet. We had run 4 miles before the race and then the 13.1 miles of the race itself. By the time I finished Dam to Dam, I was miserable. I thought that perhaps it was because I wore my calf compression sleeves instead of my full compression sock. I think that I may have taken too many electrolyte pills and was therefore retaining too much water, leading to edema around my feet and ankles. The week after Dam to Dam, I did a four mile run and then later that week, a 10 miler. The 10 miler was horrible. I just couldn't get into a rhythm and the heat was killing me. Even stopping for water a couple of times didn't do much good. At this point, I decided to continue working out until the marathon but to give running a break and trust in my fitness.
We left for Cedar Falls to stay with Kyle and Lisa on Thursday night. I was remarkably calm. No pre-race jitters like usual. Friday morning, we met up with Casey and drove up to Duluth, MN. When we left Cedar Falls, it was in the 70's. In Duluth, it was in the low 50's with fog and a cold wind. Now I began to get a little worried. I like running in cooler temperatures but not when it is wet and windy. I hadn't brought any rain gear with me so if I got wet on the course and if the temps remained relatively cold, I figured that I might be in trouble.
After getting settled in our hotel, we headed over to the Running Expo being held in the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC, pronounced by the locals "the Deck"). The first thing we did was to get our race packets and have our race bibs/timing chips scanned to ensure that they were working. Next, we wondered around looking at all the running gear. In reality, this was Michelle's chance to score free stuff. I had decided to run the second half of the race with music but had forgotten earbuds. So I spent more time than I wanted looking for a pair of earbuds that wouldn't fall our of my ears. Everything was so expensive but eventually I got a pair that were fitted to my ears. It is probably about the closest thing I will get to a customized pair. We carb loaded (I have my doubts that carb loading is really effective but whatever) at the spaghetti dinner at the expo and went back to our hotel. It was still misty and cold. I was a bit worried.
Saturday morning "dawned" foggy and cold. It was 46 degrees. We got dressed - this time I wore my full compression socks - and headed out the door to meet the shuttle across the street at the Comfort Inn. The ride up to Two Harbors (the start line) seemed to last forever. Luckily, we were one of the first buses there so there were no lines at the porta-potties. However, we had an hour to wait for the start of the race. It was interesting to see so many people pouring out of buses and even the train in order to run 26.2 miles. While waiting, I saw a guy wearing a hat that said Wasatch Running Club or something like that. I asked him if he was from Utah. He said he was and we started talking. He was there with his son and his father. It turns out his son is a dental student here at the University of Iowa and is the roommate of one of my former institute students. It is a small world.
Finally, we (all 6,000+ of us) lined up in the starting chute. Finally, I was getting warm from all the body heat. We still waited for an additional 10 minutes until the starting gun or whatever it was they used to start the race. I was so far back that I didn't hear anything. I just moved with the crowd. I felt pretty good as we got started and was maintaining a good pace. Michelle kept falling back but remained in sight. I realized that although I had emptied my bladder before the race, I had to do so again. At the first mile mark, there were some porta-potties so I got in line figuring it was better to stand still early in the race rather than later when I would be sore. Unfortunately, the wait was at least 5 minutes. Michelle didn't have to go so she kept running. While I waited, it seemed like the entire race passed me by including the guy juggling while running. I finally got going again, managing to catch the juggler and finally Michelle. We ran together for a few minutes at mile 5 but she decided to hang back a bit and I continued on. I still felt pretty good although I was feeling my left foot starting to act up. By mile 11, my hip flexors were starting to tighten up and both of my ankles were starting to hurt like they did at Dam to Dam. At mile 14, I walked for a bit trying to loosen things up but realized that it was not going to help. The next few miles were a blur. I tried to focus on other things besides how badly I was starting to feel but it was no use. I was running very slowly and it was reflected in my splits. My half split was slower than I have ever run a half marathon by a significant amount. I crossed the 20 mile mark at 4:16. Here's where I really began to hit the wall. I only had a 10K left to run but it seemed like forever. I ran/walked through mile 20 and as I crossed the mile 21 mark, Michelle called me telling me that she needed some help. Her IT band had tightened so badly that she was having trouble running. She was actually only about 5 minutes behind me so I told her that I would walk until she caught up with me. I could see the mile 22 markers when she caught me and we tried to run. At mile 22 comes the only real hill on the course. It is called Lemon Drop hill. I managed to run up the entire hill albeit very slowly. At the top, I slowed to a walk to allow Michelle to catch up again. She had a fast walk going but I couldn't walk as fast as she could. It just hurt too much. I was limping pretty badly due to my left heel. I told her that she could continue walking but that I would have to run. So, for the next couple of miles, I would run until I got about 25 yards or so ahead of her and then start my slow walk until she caught up and passed me. I would then start running again and we would repeat the process over again. At mile 23, Michelle really hit her wall and told me that she just couldn't finish. She started to cry both from the pain in her IT band and from the frustration at having trained for 6 months only to have what in her mind was a disappointing run. I reminded her of all the work she had done and that we had come so far. We only had a 5K left. Somehow, she found the strength to continue on. At this point in the race, the streets started to be lined with people. They did a great job cheering us on. I unfortunately was too miserable to enjoy the crowds. I just wanted to be done. The last mile of the race takes several turns, each one more frustrating than the last because you just want to see the finish line. At the last turn there was a guy on the course waving us on telling us that there was only 400 meters to go. Finally, we could see the balloon arch that signified the finish line. With about 100 meters to go, the announcer called our names, we grasped each other's hand and run to the finish line. Michelle started to cry and I just wanted to never do that again.
I was too concentrated on my pain to really notice anything going on around me. I just wanted to stop moving and get something to eat. My ankles and feet hurt so badly that I could barely move. If someone had told me that I had to run another 100 meters in order to save my life I would have been able to do so. I hobbled around for a few minutes and made a few lame attempts at stretching. It just wasn't going to happen. My ankles were swollen making it hard to have any mobility. Just stepping up a curb was immensely painful. Stepping down was even worse. In spite of the pain, I knew I needed to continue walking. After getting some food, we went looking for the shuttles back to the hotel. Once we found the correct shuttle and got seated, I removed my shoes and tried to move my ankles around. The shuttle driver was kind enough to drop us off at our hotel rather than the original pick up spot. He suggested going down the bus stairs backward. I took his suggestion and found that it was much easier on the legs.
After going out to Pizza Luce for an early dinner with Michelle and Casey, we all spent some time in the hot tub. That was probably one of the best things I could have done other than the time I spent with my feet and ankles immersed in the coldest water I could stand in the tub. My feet, hamstrings, and adductors kept cramping throughout the rest of the day but by Sunday morning, I was moving much better. My ankles were still swollen but I could at least walk without wanting to have my lower body amputated.
Now, three days after the race, I have a little residual soreness in my quads and ankles but my walking gait is completely normal and I even ran a little (a very little) last night. I still have no plans to ever do a marathon again but I am glad I did it. It was a good experience and I am glad that I proved to myself that I could do it.
We left for Cedar Falls to stay with Kyle and Lisa on Thursday night. I was remarkably calm. No pre-race jitters like usual. Friday morning, we met up with Casey and drove up to Duluth, MN. When we left Cedar Falls, it was in the 70's. In Duluth, it was in the low 50's with fog and a cold wind. Now I began to get a little worried. I like running in cooler temperatures but not when it is wet and windy. I hadn't brought any rain gear with me so if I got wet on the course and if the temps remained relatively cold, I figured that I might be in trouble.
After getting settled in our hotel, we headed over to the Running Expo being held in the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC, pronounced by the locals "the Deck"). The first thing we did was to get our race packets and have our race bibs/timing chips scanned to ensure that they were working. Next, we wondered around looking at all the running gear. In reality, this was Michelle's chance to score free stuff. I had decided to run the second half of the race with music but had forgotten earbuds. So I spent more time than I wanted looking for a pair of earbuds that wouldn't fall our of my ears. Everything was so expensive but eventually I got a pair that were fitted to my ears. It is probably about the closest thing I will get to a customized pair. We carb loaded (I have my doubts that carb loading is really effective but whatever) at the spaghetti dinner at the expo and went back to our hotel. It was still misty and cold. I was a bit worried.
Saturday morning "dawned" foggy and cold. It was 46 degrees. We got dressed - this time I wore my full compression socks - and headed out the door to meet the shuttle across the street at the Comfort Inn. The ride up to Two Harbors (the start line) seemed to last forever. Luckily, we were one of the first buses there so there were no lines at the porta-potties. However, we had an hour to wait for the start of the race. It was interesting to see so many people pouring out of buses and even the train in order to run 26.2 miles. While waiting, I saw a guy wearing a hat that said Wasatch Running Club or something like that. I asked him if he was from Utah. He said he was and we started talking. He was there with his son and his father. It turns out his son is a dental student here at the University of Iowa and is the roommate of one of my former institute students. It is a small world.
Finally, we (all 6,000+ of us) lined up in the starting chute. Finally, I was getting warm from all the body heat. We still waited for an additional 10 minutes until the starting gun or whatever it was they used to start the race. I was so far back that I didn't hear anything. I just moved with the crowd. I felt pretty good as we got started and was maintaining a good pace. Michelle kept falling back but remained in sight. I realized that although I had emptied my bladder before the race, I had to do so again. At the first mile mark, there were some porta-potties so I got in line figuring it was better to stand still early in the race rather than later when I would be sore. Unfortunately, the wait was at least 5 minutes. Michelle didn't have to go so she kept running. While I waited, it seemed like the entire race passed me by including the guy juggling while running. I finally got going again, managing to catch the juggler and finally Michelle. We ran together for a few minutes at mile 5 but she decided to hang back a bit and I continued on. I still felt pretty good although I was feeling my left foot starting to act up. By mile 11, my hip flexors were starting to tighten up and both of my ankles were starting to hurt like they did at Dam to Dam. At mile 14, I walked for a bit trying to loosen things up but realized that it was not going to help. The next few miles were a blur. I tried to focus on other things besides how badly I was starting to feel but it was no use. I was running very slowly and it was reflected in my splits. My half split was slower than I have ever run a half marathon by a significant amount. I crossed the 20 mile mark at 4:16. Here's where I really began to hit the wall. I only had a 10K left to run but it seemed like forever. I ran/walked through mile 20 and as I crossed the mile 21 mark, Michelle called me telling me that she needed some help. Her IT band had tightened so badly that she was having trouble running. She was actually only about 5 minutes behind me so I told her that I would walk until she caught up with me. I could see the mile 22 markers when she caught me and we tried to run. At mile 22 comes the only real hill on the course. It is called Lemon Drop hill. I managed to run up the entire hill albeit very slowly. At the top, I slowed to a walk to allow Michelle to catch up again. She had a fast walk going but I couldn't walk as fast as she could. It just hurt too much. I was limping pretty badly due to my left heel. I told her that she could continue walking but that I would have to run. So, for the next couple of miles, I would run until I got about 25 yards or so ahead of her and then start my slow walk until she caught up and passed me. I would then start running again and we would repeat the process over again. At mile 23, Michelle really hit her wall and told me that she just couldn't finish. She started to cry both from the pain in her IT band and from the frustration at having trained for 6 months only to have what in her mind was a disappointing run. I reminded her of all the work she had done and that we had come so far. We only had a 5K left. Somehow, she found the strength to continue on. At this point in the race, the streets started to be lined with people. They did a great job cheering us on. I unfortunately was too miserable to enjoy the crowds. I just wanted to be done. The last mile of the race takes several turns, each one more frustrating than the last because you just want to see the finish line. At the last turn there was a guy on the course waving us on telling us that there was only 400 meters to go. Finally, we could see the balloon arch that signified the finish line. With about 100 meters to go, the announcer called our names, we grasped each other's hand and run to the finish line. Michelle started to cry and I just wanted to never do that again.
I was too concentrated on my pain to really notice anything going on around me. I just wanted to stop moving and get something to eat. My ankles and feet hurt so badly that I could barely move. If someone had told me that I had to run another 100 meters in order to save my life I would have been able to do so. I hobbled around for a few minutes and made a few lame attempts at stretching. It just wasn't going to happen. My ankles were swollen making it hard to have any mobility. Just stepping up a curb was immensely painful. Stepping down was even worse. In spite of the pain, I knew I needed to continue walking. After getting some food, we went looking for the shuttles back to the hotel. Once we found the correct shuttle and got seated, I removed my shoes and tried to move my ankles around. The shuttle driver was kind enough to drop us off at our hotel rather than the original pick up spot. He suggested going down the bus stairs backward. I took his suggestion and found that it was much easier on the legs.
After going out to Pizza Luce for an early dinner with Michelle and Casey, we all spent some time in the hot tub. That was probably one of the best things I could have done other than the time I spent with my feet and ankles immersed in the coldest water I could stand in the tub. My feet, hamstrings, and adductors kept cramping throughout the rest of the day but by Sunday morning, I was moving much better. My ankles were still swollen but I could at least walk without wanting to have my lower body amputated.
Now, three days after the race, I have a little residual soreness in my quads and ankles but my walking gait is completely normal and I even ran a little (a very little) last night. I still have no plans to ever do a marathon again but I am glad I did it. It was a good experience and I am glad that I proved to myself that I could do it.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Less than three weeks to go
I knew I hadn't been keeping up with this as well as I intended but I didn't realize that it had been 5 weeks since I last wrote.
The last month has been up and down. Two of the last five weeks have seen no running at all but the other three weeks have been productive. In spite of not running for two of the weeks (foot problems), I did manage to keep up my teaching schedule so that I at least got some resistance and cardio training during that time. My foot still hurts but I have decided to just ignore it and do the best I can. I am apparently not doing any harm by continuing to run on the foot; it's just painful.
Ignoring the two non-running weeks, I have been fairly successful since I last wrote. I have run two half marathons and hit an all time weekly running record. The first half I ran was the Marion Arts Festival Half. It was my favorite kind of day to run - cold and sunny. The race started out with temps in the 40's and I underdressed on purpose. I tend to run faster when I can keep my core body temp down (no kidding, right?). I was a little concerned at the start of the race because I had run 9.2 miles just a couple of days before the race and my calves were extremely sore. Having torn my right calf about a year and a half ago, I am very aware of my calves. I have historically been a heel striker when I run but with as much pain in my heel as I have had the last 6 months, I have slowly been training myself to be a more midfoot striker. This has put a lot of stress on my calves - especiallly when I run more than 5 miles. As the race began, the only way to lessen the calf pain was to land further back in my foot. I found that after a couple of miles, I wasn't feeling the heel pain as much as usual so I was able heel strike more than I should to alleviate the calf pain. Anyway, Michelle was running with me and we felt great. With her staying with me, she was able to get her fastest 10K split ever. Our first real challenge came at mile 7. There was a 1/2 mile long hill that seemed much longer than just a half mile. We made it to the top but did so slowly. The next 2.5 miles went fairly well but Michelle started to have some calf pain so we slowed down a bit. However, we were still going fast enough for her to PR her 10 mile split. We were about 10 minutes too slow for me to hit my 10 mile PR. Not a big deal to me because I was treating this like a training run. By mile 11, I was starting to get sore. Historically, this has happened to me at this point in every half marathon I have run (this was my fifth). I was disappointed because I hoped that I had trained enough to prevent my muscles from tightening this early in a race. We both made it through although Michelle was really hurting the last 0.2 of a mile. We finished in 2:09:04 which was a PR for both of us. For Michelle it was a 7 minute PR and for me, about a one minute PR.
I was pretty sore after the race but managed to keep moving. Several hours later, after we got home, Michelle and I walked an additional 2 miles. I think the walking helped me to recover a little quicker than normal. That week was a 24 mile week for me. My highest mileage to date. I have friends who are running 70-80 miles in a week so my mileage pales in comparison but for me it is significant.
Two weeks after the Marion race, was the Dam to Dam Half Marathon in Des Moines. This was the 35th anniversary of the race but my first time running it. We caught the bus to the starting line at 5:30 am. It was already in the 70's with humidity running over 80%. This really worried me. I am a big guy and don't do well in humid conditions. I hoped that with with race starting at 7 am we would finish before it got to hot. Again, I treated this race as a training run. The starting line was at the west end of Saylorville Dam. Before the race, Michelle and I ran 4 miles. Unlike at Marion, my heel pain wouldn't go away. Oh, well. Time to put my big boy pants on and deal with it. This is a huge race with over 9,000 participants. Being so large, it took us 7 minutes to get to the starting line after the gun went off. Thank heavens for chip timing. The first part of the race was downhill from the dam. I was very impressed by the number of people who were out cheering us on even out at the starting line. Unlike at Marion, I knew by mile 2 that I was going to have a hard race. Michelle was having a very difficult time keeping with me even though I was running a 10:50 pace. However, as the race continued, she seemed to get stronger and probably could have beat me if she had wanted to do so. I expected to feel the leg pain kick in around mile 10 again but instead, it was foot and ankle pain. My ankles felt swollen and tender. I think the difference was that I was only wearing compression calf sleeves rather than my compression socks. I am going to do a little experiment today and tomorrow to see if this plays out. Today I will run 9 miles with my sleeves on and tomorrow I plan on running 10 miles with my socks. I will see if I can replicate the ankle problems. Better to figure this out now than try to deal with it on race day. Back to the race. When we finally finished (it was my second slowest half marathon), I was barely hobbling around. My quads felt great though. The race ended in downtown Des Moines near a park. There was a water feature in the park so I took off my shoes and socks and soaked my feet for about 20 minutes while talking to friends.
By the time we got home that evening, I felt better than I have ever felt after finishing a half marathon - especiallly for having run 4 miles before the race. On Sunday, there was little residual soreness. I could feel it going up and down stairs but not enough to change the way I moved while taking the stairs. That is very gratifying.
I am not worried so much about my finishing time for the marathon but I do worry about finishing. I know I will finish but I want to finish well. My goals for the remaining time until the race is to run this combination run today and tomorrow then begin to taper for the remaining two weeks in the hopes that my feet will be able to deal with 26.2.
The last month has been up and down. Two of the last five weeks have seen no running at all but the other three weeks have been productive. In spite of not running for two of the weeks (foot problems), I did manage to keep up my teaching schedule so that I at least got some resistance and cardio training during that time. My foot still hurts but I have decided to just ignore it and do the best I can. I am apparently not doing any harm by continuing to run on the foot; it's just painful.
Ignoring the two non-running weeks, I have been fairly successful since I last wrote. I have run two half marathons and hit an all time weekly running record. The first half I ran was the Marion Arts Festival Half. It was my favorite kind of day to run - cold and sunny. The race started out with temps in the 40's and I underdressed on purpose. I tend to run faster when I can keep my core body temp down (no kidding, right?). I was a little concerned at the start of the race because I had run 9.2 miles just a couple of days before the race and my calves were extremely sore. Having torn my right calf about a year and a half ago, I am very aware of my calves. I have historically been a heel striker when I run but with as much pain in my heel as I have had the last 6 months, I have slowly been training myself to be a more midfoot striker. This has put a lot of stress on my calves - especiallly when I run more than 5 miles. As the race began, the only way to lessen the calf pain was to land further back in my foot. I found that after a couple of miles, I wasn't feeling the heel pain as much as usual so I was able heel strike more than I should to alleviate the calf pain. Anyway, Michelle was running with me and we felt great. With her staying with me, she was able to get her fastest 10K split ever. Our first real challenge came at mile 7. There was a 1/2 mile long hill that seemed much longer than just a half mile. We made it to the top but did so slowly. The next 2.5 miles went fairly well but Michelle started to have some calf pain so we slowed down a bit. However, we were still going fast enough for her to PR her 10 mile split. We were about 10 minutes too slow for me to hit my 10 mile PR. Not a big deal to me because I was treating this like a training run. By mile 11, I was starting to get sore. Historically, this has happened to me at this point in every half marathon I have run (this was my fifth). I was disappointed because I hoped that I had trained enough to prevent my muscles from tightening this early in a race. We both made it through although Michelle was really hurting the last 0.2 of a mile. We finished in 2:09:04 which was a PR for both of us. For Michelle it was a 7 minute PR and for me, about a one minute PR.
I was pretty sore after the race but managed to keep moving. Several hours later, after we got home, Michelle and I walked an additional 2 miles. I think the walking helped me to recover a little quicker than normal. That week was a 24 mile week for me. My highest mileage to date. I have friends who are running 70-80 miles in a week so my mileage pales in comparison but for me it is significant.
Two weeks after the Marion race, was the Dam to Dam Half Marathon in Des Moines. This was the 35th anniversary of the race but my first time running it. We caught the bus to the starting line at 5:30 am. It was already in the 70's with humidity running over 80%. This really worried me. I am a big guy and don't do well in humid conditions. I hoped that with with race starting at 7 am we would finish before it got to hot. Again, I treated this race as a training run. The starting line was at the west end of Saylorville Dam. Before the race, Michelle and I ran 4 miles. Unlike at Marion, my heel pain wouldn't go away. Oh, well. Time to put my big boy pants on and deal with it. This is a huge race with over 9,000 participants. Being so large, it took us 7 minutes to get to the starting line after the gun went off. Thank heavens for chip timing. The first part of the race was downhill from the dam. I was very impressed by the number of people who were out cheering us on even out at the starting line. Unlike at Marion, I knew by mile 2 that I was going to have a hard race. Michelle was having a very difficult time keeping with me even though I was running a 10:50 pace. However, as the race continued, she seemed to get stronger and probably could have beat me if she had wanted to do so. I expected to feel the leg pain kick in around mile 10 again but instead, it was foot and ankle pain. My ankles felt swollen and tender. I think the difference was that I was only wearing compression calf sleeves rather than my compression socks. I am going to do a little experiment today and tomorrow to see if this plays out. Today I will run 9 miles with my sleeves on and tomorrow I plan on running 10 miles with my socks. I will see if I can replicate the ankle problems. Better to figure this out now than try to deal with it on race day. Back to the race. When we finally finished (it was my second slowest half marathon), I was barely hobbling around. My quads felt great though. The race ended in downtown Des Moines near a park. There was a water feature in the park so I took off my shoes and socks and soaked my feet for about 20 minutes while talking to friends.
By the time we got home that evening, I felt better than I have ever felt after finishing a half marathon - especiallly for having run 4 miles before the race. On Sunday, there was little residual soreness. I could feel it going up and down stairs but not enough to change the way I moved while taking the stairs. That is very gratifying.
I am not worried so much about my finishing time for the marathon but I do worry about finishing. I know I will finish but I want to finish well. My goals for the remaining time until the race is to run this combination run today and tomorrow then begin to taper for the remaining two weeks in the hopes that my feet will be able to deal with 26.2.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Another week closer...
Last week was a pretty good week. I didn't run as much as the week before but I got more swimming and group ex classes in. I'd rather be running more but with my teaching schedule, I just can't do more than I am. I am not worried about the cardio aspect of the race at all. What worries me is the pounding my joints and muscles will have to endure.
Last week I ran four miles on Wednesday - two of them in the rain and then I ran 7 miles on Saturday. Saturday morning, I taught both Body Pump and Body Step but instead of going immediately out and running, I went home, put some calories into my body and rested for a few hours. When I started my run, I was looking for every excuse not to run - my legs felt heavy, my heel hurt (a lot), etc... It took me almost a mile to get into the groove a bit. Michelle had already been running for about 30 minutes and called me when she was 2.5 miles out to let me know she had stashed water near Weber Elementary School if I needed it. I didn't. I was wearing my running belt with water. We met on Rohret Road about a mile later going opposite directions. She asked me how far I was planning on running and I said a total of about 5 but maybe six. She continued back toward home and I kept going out. By the time I hit the 2.5 mile mark (which is at the crest of Rohret hill #1) I was feeling pretty good and decided to run the hill. Rohret hill is huge. I made it down without any problems but going up was slow. I managed to run the whole thing but my legs were on fire by the time I got to the top. Right before the 3.5 mile point (my turn around point), a man working in his front lawn nodded at me and asked me how I was doing. I told him that I was fine and just about to head back. A couple of minutes later, as I passed him again, he notice me drinking from my water bottle and asked if I was okay with water. I told him thanks but I was fine. This is one reason I love living in Iowa. People generally really are concerned about each other.
It was also about this time that I realized that I was chaffing rather badly under my right arm where my arm was rubbing against my tank top. This has happened before - most notably at the Lake Geode Challenge when I finished the race with my arms held out from my sides. However, I hadn't worn this tank in months and had forgotten about this problem. I had remembered to put Body Glide everywhere else but not my arms. I managed to get hold of Michelle about a mile later and asked her to meet me with some diaper cream. Thankfully, she got to me by mile five of my run and I slathered on the anti-rash cream. The last two miles of the run went fairly well once I wasn't obsessing on the pain caused by the rash. Post run I felt pretty good but even though I stretched well, I had some mobility problems with my ankles and my heel was not happy either. By yesterday, I felt great. There was no residual pain from the run.
If I manage to leave work before it rains today, I will try to get a few miles in. If it rains, I will at least swim. The forecast for this week is pretty wet and gray. Since I will be teaching three classes on Saturday, I am going to try to get my long run (at least 10 miles) in on Thursday.
Last week I ran four miles on Wednesday - two of them in the rain and then I ran 7 miles on Saturday. Saturday morning, I taught both Body Pump and Body Step but instead of going immediately out and running, I went home, put some calories into my body and rested for a few hours. When I started my run, I was looking for every excuse not to run - my legs felt heavy, my heel hurt (a lot), etc... It took me almost a mile to get into the groove a bit. Michelle had already been running for about 30 minutes and called me when she was 2.5 miles out to let me know she had stashed water near Weber Elementary School if I needed it. I didn't. I was wearing my running belt with water. We met on Rohret Road about a mile later going opposite directions. She asked me how far I was planning on running and I said a total of about 5 but maybe six. She continued back toward home and I kept going out. By the time I hit the 2.5 mile mark (which is at the crest of Rohret hill #1) I was feeling pretty good and decided to run the hill. Rohret hill is huge. I made it down without any problems but going up was slow. I managed to run the whole thing but my legs were on fire by the time I got to the top. Right before the 3.5 mile point (my turn around point), a man working in his front lawn nodded at me and asked me how I was doing. I told him that I was fine and just about to head back. A couple of minutes later, as I passed him again, he notice me drinking from my water bottle and asked if I was okay with water. I told him thanks but I was fine. This is one reason I love living in Iowa. People generally really are concerned about each other.
It was also about this time that I realized that I was chaffing rather badly under my right arm where my arm was rubbing against my tank top. This has happened before - most notably at the Lake Geode Challenge when I finished the race with my arms held out from my sides. However, I hadn't worn this tank in months and had forgotten about this problem. I had remembered to put Body Glide everywhere else but not my arms. I managed to get hold of Michelle about a mile later and asked her to meet me with some diaper cream. Thankfully, she got to me by mile five of my run and I slathered on the anti-rash cream. The last two miles of the run went fairly well once I wasn't obsessing on the pain caused by the rash. Post run I felt pretty good but even though I stretched well, I had some mobility problems with my ankles and my heel was not happy either. By yesterday, I felt great. There was no residual pain from the run.
If I manage to leave work before it rains today, I will try to get a few miles in. If it rains, I will at least swim. The forecast for this week is pretty wet and gray. Since I will be teaching three classes on Saturday, I am going to try to get my long run (at least 10 miles) in on Thursday.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Not a bad week over all
I didn't get to run as often as I wanted (or needed to) but I did manage to get in a long run of 9 miles on Saturday. I have been very worried the last few weeks that I have not been able to get a long run in due to the pain in my foot from PF. However, this last Saturday, I just told myself to deal with it. I taught Body Step at 9:30 am and then left from the gym to do the run immediately following class. I run north on Hwy 1 to Newport Road, turned west on Newport for about a half mile and then turned around and came back. It took me 1:37 to do the run but I was not going for speed. Indeed, I averaged about a 10:50 min/mile pace. The way out was predominately uphill but the wind was at my back. I felt pretty good considering I had only eaten an apple before class. I walked for 0.1 miles at mile three and then again for another 0.1 miles at the turn around point. At mile 6 and 7 I did the same thing. It was just enough of a break to keep me moving. I began to feel the effects of not having enough calories by mile 7.5. At mile 8 I was literally asking myself out loud what I was thinking. I began to have serious doubts as to whether I could run this marathon. The only thing that kept me somewhat positive was that I knew I was feeling this way because I hadn't eaten and not because I wasn't able to go the distance. Also, teaching a one hour cardio class before the run was probably not the smartest thing to have done at this point in training.
I ran with compression socks for the first time and noticed a huge improvement in recovery. I am barely sore. I will be running with those socks for each and every long run I do.
As it was the first real sunny and warm day in which I have run so far this year, I also forgot to put on sunblock. I got my first and hopefully last sunburn of the year. Last lesson learned from Saturday's run: wear anti-chafe cream. I was a bit chaffed in some awkward places.
I would have liked to have had one more short run in for the week but that is just the way things worked out. I ran 4 miles on Thursday and the 9 miles on Saturday. I also got in 1000 yards at the pool and taught 4 classes - 2 Body Pump, 1 Body Attack, and 1 Body Step.
This week I have 5 classes scheduled. I would also like to get at least 2000 yards in at the pool and three runs - 2 four milers and one 9 or 10 miler. I will have to do my long run on Friday since I teach both Body Pump and Body Step back to back on Saturday.
Lastly, I have managed to lose about 3 pounds. I have a long way to go but it's a start.
I ran with compression socks for the first time and noticed a huge improvement in recovery. I am barely sore. I will be running with those socks for each and every long run I do.
As it was the first real sunny and warm day in which I have run so far this year, I also forgot to put on sunblock. I got my first and hopefully last sunburn of the year. Last lesson learned from Saturday's run: wear anti-chafe cream. I was a bit chaffed in some awkward places.
I would have liked to have had one more short run in for the week but that is just the way things worked out. I ran 4 miles on Thursday and the 9 miles on Saturday. I also got in 1000 yards at the pool and taught 4 classes - 2 Body Pump, 1 Body Attack, and 1 Body Step.
This week I have 5 classes scheduled. I would also like to get at least 2000 yards in at the pool and three runs - 2 four milers and one 9 or 10 miler. I will have to do my long run on Friday since I teach both Body Pump and Body Step back to back on Saturday.
Lastly, I have managed to lose about 3 pounds. I have a long way to go but it's a start.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Two weeks closer to race day...
I am on a plateau right now. I haven't been able to run more than 12 miles a week the last 3 weeks. I was on track for more last week but the pain in my heel is back. Last Saturday was the Fool's 5K in Cedar Falls. It was cold (in the low 40's) so Michelle and I did a 2 mile warm up run. The race itself was fun - I ran it in 26:54 - and felt pretty good afterward. I intended to run and additional three miles when I got home but my heel hurt so bad that I didn't run. I am not sure what I am going to do about this but I have to train for this race.
We are running the Live Healthy Linn 5K tomorrow morning so that will be at least three miles down. I plan on running 8 miles total tomorrow. So far this week I have logged 8.4 miles. 8 miles tomorrow will make the most miles I have ever run in a week.
We are running the Live Healthy Linn 5K tomorrow morning so that will be at least three miles down. I plan on running 8 miles total tomorrow. So far this week I have logged 8.4 miles. 8 miles tomorrow will make the most miles I have ever run in a week.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Another week and things are looking up.
Last Monday I went and saw my sports med doctor. How sad is it that I have a sports med doc? Anyway, he took a look at my X-rays, informed me that I have some arthritis and a bit of a bone spur. He offered to give me a steriod injection which is kind of what I was hoping for. I have tried a lot of other stuff to get rid of this Plantar Fasciitis and nothing was working. After the shot, I walked right out and felt great. He told me that I could go out and run that night but I decided that that might not be a very wise choice. I did get in two runs last week though. On Wednesday, Michelle and I ran 4 miles out by Terry Trueblood rec area. My heel bugged me quite a bit on Thursday but by Friday night felt pretty good. Saturday afternoon I ran 7 miles in 70 minutes. My heel hurt a bit Saturday night and Sunday morning but feels fine today. I am hoping that I have finally hit the turn around point with this PF. I am worried about doing too much and aggravating things but I need to run or I will never be ready for this race. I only have 10 weeks left and I am only up to 7 miles. I am not worried about the aerobic part of the race at all - its the joint pounding that has me concerned. Each time I have run a half marathon, I have been in a lot of pain by the end. I really don't want to feel that way half way through this race. Just keep running, I tell myself. Eventually, I will reach my goal.
Workout total for the week:
Swimming - 5600 yards
Body Pump - 2 times
Running - 11 miles
I plan on running tonight with Michelle. It will be a short (3-4 miles) run and a slow pace. My calves are pretty tight from Saturday's run so I will use this run as an opportunity to shake things out.
Workout total for the week:
Swimming - 5600 yards
Body Pump - 2 times
Running - 11 miles
I plan on running tonight with Michelle. It will be a short (3-4 miles) run and a slow pace. My calves are pretty tight from Saturday's run so I will use this run as an opportunity to shake things out.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
There are less than 3 months to go.
It has been two weeks since I wrote an update. It has been an up and down two weeks. For the week ending on the 15th, I only got in eight miles running total. I had four miles that Tuesday, only two on Thursday, and on Saturday, I also only managed two. Saturday's run was actually the first running of the Shamrock Shuffle here in Iowa City. I figured that I would run the race (I ran it in a slow 18:40 or 45, I don't remember for sure) and then run another 5 miles that afternoon. I didn't but there is a reason. I have Plantar Fasciitis. It hurts. I have had it before and the pain always went away once I stretched and got moving. This time (and other heel) the pain never goes away. Sometimes it is less than at others but it is always nagging. I began to worry that maybe this was something other than just PF. My wife suggested that it might be a stress fracture and that I probably should get it X-ray'd. I couldn't get into see the sports med doctor for a week (my appointment is tomorrow) so I got an appointment with family practice and got it imaged. The good thing is that the X-ray showed no signs of a stress fracture but did see evidence of edema around the heel. No more excuses for me. I just needed to get out and run. However, I have been hurting so badly this week that running has been more daunting than usual and I didn't get out until I made myself do so yesterday. Yesterday's run was 6.2 miles. It was great. I ran north on Hwy 1 from NDAC to Rapid Creek Rd, then up Rapid Creek Rd to NE Lynden Heights Rd. That road goes mainly south until it bends to the east and turns into NE 340th St. I ran up 340th until I hit Taft road and turned around. It was a great run with some hills that were challenging.
I ran a pretty slow pace and really concentrated on technique again. I guess the good thing about PF is that I can't land on my heel - it just hurts too much. I am learning how to run with a mid-foot strike. At first, doing so created a lot of calf pain but yesterday, I felt great. It was a little cold (temps were in the upper 30's with a stiff breeze) for this time of year but I was dressed appropriately and actually had to unzip my pullover.
Totals for the week:
Running - 6.2 miles
Classes - one Body Pump, one Body Attack, and 15 minutes of Zumba.
Swimming - 1250 yards
I have also been cataloging all my food intake using an app called My Fitness Pal. It is helping me focus on how much I am eating. Every day this week, I have been under calories. I worry because it says I should be consuming 2640 calories per day. I think that is the limit if I want to maintain my current weight but I need to lose 25 pounds. I will continue to use this app and see if it helps me lose weight. I am down 2 pounds but we'll see if this really works.
Goals for this coming week:
Running - 13 miles
Classes - 3 Body Pump, 1 Body Attack
Swimming - 3000 yards
I ran a pretty slow pace and really concentrated on technique again. I guess the good thing about PF is that I can't land on my heel - it just hurts too much. I am learning how to run with a mid-foot strike. At first, doing so created a lot of calf pain but yesterday, I felt great. It was a little cold (temps were in the upper 30's with a stiff breeze) for this time of year but I was dressed appropriately and actually had to unzip my pullover.
Totals for the week:
Running - 6.2 miles
Classes - one Body Pump, one Body Attack, and 15 minutes of Zumba.
Swimming - 1250 yards
I have also been cataloging all my food intake using an app called My Fitness Pal. It is helping me focus on how much I am eating. Every day this week, I have been under calories. I worry because it says I should be consuming 2640 calories per day. I think that is the limit if I want to maintain my current weight but I need to lose 25 pounds. I will continue to use this app and see if it helps me lose weight. I am down 2 pounds but we'll see if this really works.
Goals for this coming week:
Running - 13 miles
Classes - 3 Body Pump, 1 Body Attack
Swimming - 3000 yards
Monday, March 10, 2014
Pushing through the pain
Another week in the books. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as last week. Last Sunday (March 2nd), I got up early, got bundled up and shoveled snow. When I came in, I took my boots off and started to go downstairs in my wool socks to wake up one of my boys to get ready for church. Apparently, my daughter had thrown a bunch of towels from the upstairs bathroom down onto the stairs instead of taking them all the way down to the laundry room. My first step down was onto a couple of the towels and that was the last step I took. My feet slipped out from under me and I slid down the stairs on the left side of my body, introducing various body parts to each step on the way down. Other than being scrapped up a bit, I thought I was okay - until Monday morning. When I woke up Monday morning, I was SORE. Couple that with my Plantar Fasciitis and whatever has been wrong with my elbow for the last two months, and I was a physical mess. I didn't run or swim until Thursday night. I did, however, manage to teach Body Pump both Tuesday afternoon and early Thursday morning albeit with drastically reduced weights.
I did my run after dropping Brenden off to work at the gym. I ran from the gym, down North Dodge to Scott Blvd and down Scott to the Budda (or whatever that odd sculpture is) near Rochester and back. It was a 4.7 mile run. I felt pretty good although the run back was starting to get a bit icy due to the sun going down. I ran a slow steady pace and concentrated on proper running form. After my run, I swam 800 yards. When I got home, I was feeling pretty lousy so I got a sub for my Body Attack for Friday morning. Not wanting to get too far off my schedule, I knew I needed to get a run in on Saturday as well so Saturday afternoon after teaching Body Pump once again, I ran from the gym down to Scott, to 1st ave., to Rochester, to Scott (past the Budda), and down Scott to North Dodge and the gym. This was the first time I have run that route although I had mapped it out several years earlier and thought it was 6 miles. Unfortunately, I was wrong about the distance and it only turned out to be 5.33 miles. That means that I only ran just over 10 miles last week. I need to do better this week.
My goal this week is to run 3-4 miles tonight, 4 miles Wednesday night, and run for 80 minutes on Saturday. I only teach three classes this week so this running schedule ought to be very doable.
I am still Mt. Dew free and am continuing to try to eat a more natural diet but I am not losing any weight yet. Actually, I gained a pound over the last two weeks. That is frustrating but I just have to keep reminding myself to take the long view and be patient.
The weather is finally starting to look good. We are supposed to top 50 degrees today. Perfect running weather.
I did my run after dropping Brenden off to work at the gym. I ran from the gym, down North Dodge to Scott Blvd and down Scott to the Budda (or whatever that odd sculpture is) near Rochester and back. It was a 4.7 mile run. I felt pretty good although the run back was starting to get a bit icy due to the sun going down. I ran a slow steady pace and concentrated on proper running form. After my run, I swam 800 yards. When I got home, I was feeling pretty lousy so I got a sub for my Body Attack for Friday morning. Not wanting to get too far off my schedule, I knew I needed to get a run in on Saturday as well so Saturday afternoon after teaching Body Pump once again, I ran from the gym down to Scott, to 1st ave., to Rochester, to Scott (past the Budda), and down Scott to North Dodge and the gym. This was the first time I have run that route although I had mapped it out several years earlier and thought it was 6 miles. Unfortunately, I was wrong about the distance and it only turned out to be 5.33 miles. That means that I only ran just over 10 miles last week. I need to do better this week.
My goal this week is to run 3-4 miles tonight, 4 miles Wednesday night, and run for 80 minutes on Saturday. I only teach three classes this week so this running schedule ought to be very doable.
I am still Mt. Dew free and am continuing to try to eat a more natural diet but I am not losing any weight yet. Actually, I gained a pound over the last two weeks. That is frustrating but I just have to keep reminding myself to take the long view and be patient.
The weather is finally starting to look good. We are supposed to top 50 degrees today. Perfect running weather.
Monday, March 3, 2014
It was a tough run
After teaching Body Step on Saturday, I was tempted to call it a day. It was a tough class and I was tired. However, I needed to get a long(er) run in. I am afraid that if I deviate too far from my plan that it will all implode and I will be lucky to even finish a half marathon. At 2:30, I dragged myself upstairs and got dressed to run. It is still very cold here (it was just under 20 degrees F at 2:00) but I tend to over heat very easily. Judging by the race in Cedar Rapids the week before, I dressed in a long sleeved tech shirt, my North Face winter pullover, a pair of running skins and my running pants. Instead of a hat like I wore at Freeze Fest, I decided to wear an ear band. With my wool mittens, I felt pretty good.
Since I was a bit tired from teaching, I decided to run a completely flat course. My goal was to run for one hour or about 6 miles. I drove down the the Terry Trueblood recreation area and started my run south on Sand Rd. The air temp wasn't too bad. I could feel a bit of wind at my back which I knew might be a problem when I turned around. By the time I was about 1.5 miles into the run, I actually felt pretty good. For the first time in years, I was running with music. It did a great job taking my mind off the run. My heel was hurting but as long as I kept a good mid-foot strike, I was okay. I ran about three miles out and turned around. I knew within about a minute that I might be in trouble. The wind was blowing harder than I anticipated. Sand Road is pretty wide open so there is plenty of room for the wind to pick up a good head of steam. I felt like the wind was cutting right through both layers of clothing and freezing my sweat to my body. Within 5 minutes, my upper arms and lower torso were stinging. I didn't dare stop or slow down. At times, the wind was blowing so hard that I had to lean into it. Thankfully, there wasn't much snow or ice on the road. The pain from the cold became distracting to the point that I was no longer paying attention to the music. With about a mile left, the stinging sensation started to go away. That got me worried. When I returned to the car, I lifted my shirt and my torso was bright red. I quickly got the car started and the heat going. Other than being much too cold, it was a good run. It was slow but I ran the entire way and did not develop any soreness over the weekend.
With that run, my weekly total was 12 miles. Not much yet but it is a good start.
My goals for this week is to have two short runs (one 3 miler and one 4 miler) as well as a 70-80 minute run. I am really hoping the weather starts to warm up. It's hard to believe that it is March 3rd and the high today was 13 degrees. I don't mind the snow so much but the cold is just so hard to deal with on such a long term basis.
Since I was a bit tired from teaching, I decided to run a completely flat course. My goal was to run for one hour or about 6 miles. I drove down the the Terry Trueblood recreation area and started my run south on Sand Rd. The air temp wasn't too bad. I could feel a bit of wind at my back which I knew might be a problem when I turned around. By the time I was about 1.5 miles into the run, I actually felt pretty good. For the first time in years, I was running with music. It did a great job taking my mind off the run. My heel was hurting but as long as I kept a good mid-foot strike, I was okay. I ran about three miles out and turned around. I knew within about a minute that I might be in trouble. The wind was blowing harder than I anticipated. Sand Road is pretty wide open so there is plenty of room for the wind to pick up a good head of steam. I felt like the wind was cutting right through both layers of clothing and freezing my sweat to my body. Within 5 minutes, my upper arms and lower torso were stinging. I didn't dare stop or slow down. At times, the wind was blowing so hard that I had to lean into it. Thankfully, there wasn't much snow or ice on the road. The pain from the cold became distracting to the point that I was no longer paying attention to the music. With about a mile left, the stinging sensation started to go away. That got me worried. When I returned to the car, I lifted my shirt and my torso was bright red. I quickly got the car started and the heat going. Other than being much too cold, it was a good run. It was slow but I ran the entire way and did not develop any soreness over the weekend.
With that run, my weekly total was 12 miles. Not much yet but it is a good start.
My goals for this week is to have two short runs (one 3 miler and one 4 miler) as well as a 70-80 minute run. I am really hoping the weather starts to warm up. It's hard to believe that it is March 3rd and the high today was 13 degrees. I don't mind the snow so much but the cold is just so hard to deal with on such a long term basis.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Working through it
Yesterday wasn't a great food day. Actually, it was pretty good until after work. I have been trying to make a more concerted effort to eat cleaner. I am not so concerned that I follow any one diet so much as I am concerned that I eat less food overall and that the food I do eat is less processed. My wife always says, "If you can't pronounce all the ingredients, you probably shouldn't be eating it." I usually laugh at her and proceed to read the entire ingredient list and then tell her what each thing does. The joys of being a biologist. She is right, though. The more complicated the list, the less healthier it generally is. Back to the bad food day. I have been eating more protein and less simple sugar. I have also tried to avoid foods with artificial sweetners since there is some evidence that some of them may also elicit an insulin response. I have dropped a few pounds in the last two weeks. Yesterday, however, I had Hostess type apple pie and a couple of small Cadbury eggs. I then came home, had a half a sloppy joe sandwich and a few small pieces of pizza. Not great. I actually woke up this morning not feeling the best.
On the bright side, I have swam 3750 yards this week, ran twice (three miles each time), taught 2 Body Pump classes, and one Body Attack class. I will teach Body Step tomorrow and attempt a 5-6 mile run. It will depend how my feet feel.
I went to the Podiatrist about the Plantar Fasciitis in my left heel and she pretty much told me what I already knew and then proceeded to give me some inserts. They feel pretty good walking but I tried running in them Wednesday night and managed to only run a mile before they got pretty uncomfortable. I am hoping that as I lose weight, my feet will respond in kind.
On the bright side, I have swam 3750 yards this week, ran twice (three miles each time), taught 2 Body Pump classes, and one Body Attack class. I will teach Body Step tomorrow and attempt a 5-6 mile run. It will depend how my feet feel.
I went to the Podiatrist about the Plantar Fasciitis in my left heel and she pretty much told me what I already knew and then proceeded to give me some inserts. They feel pretty good walking but I tried running in them Wednesday night and managed to only run a mile before they got pretty uncomfortable. I am hoping that as I lose weight, my feet will respond in kind.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Here we go
Several months ago, in a post-race afterglow, my wife and a friend were talking about tackling a marathon (both of them have already completed at least one marathon) and I said, "I'll do it if you will." My wife was shocked because to that point I had been pretty adamant about not ever running that far. Not wanting me to go back on my statement, she signed me up for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN within the hour. So, fast forward a few months to today. I am already starting to obsess about the race and it isn't even until the middle of June.
Now, I am not coming at this completely blind. I have done 4 half-marathons, 9 triathlons, and more 5 and 10Ks than I can count. However, I am not built to run long distances. Rather than the lanky, skinny legs that most distance runner have, I have been blessed (?) with the large quads associated with sprinters. I am also not a small man. I am 6 feet tall and tipped the scale this morning at 226.0 lbs.
I am starting this blog to document my efforts to train for this marathon. I am hoping that by the time June rolls around that I will have lost at least 20 pounds and that I will be injury free. Currently, I am suffering from plantar fasciitis in my left foot which makes running a bit painful. I managed to get just over 5 miles in last Saturday but I paid for it all weekend.
Training officially started last week.
Monday - 4 miles on the treadmill. I tried a new pair of shoes (Saconys) but after two miles I had to change back to my Nikes because my arches hurt so bad and my right pinky toe went numb. After running, I swam 1050 yards.
Tuesday - I again swam 1000 yards and then taught Body Pump.
Wednesday - ran 3 miles. Feet felt fine.
Thurday - Taught Body Pump
Friday - Taught Body Attack
Saturday - Ran 2.2 miles before the race and then ran Freeze Fest (5K). I finished in 28:15. Slow but not bad for my first 5K of the year.
Totals for the week 1: 12.3 miles running
2050 yards swimming
Three classes
Week 2 started Monday. I managed to run 3.0 miles on the treadmill before my feet hurt too bad to continue (I am going to a podiatrist today)
Tuesday - Swam 1000 yards and then taught Body Pump
I plan on running again tonight. I want to get 4 miles in but I'll have to see how my feet are doing.
I have also made a conscience effort to start eating better. I am not following any one diet plan but am trying to eat more protein and less processed food. I have also stopped drinking Diet Mt. Dew. In the last 10 days I have lost 1.4 pounds.
Now, I am not coming at this completely blind. I have done 4 half-marathons, 9 triathlons, and more 5 and 10Ks than I can count. However, I am not built to run long distances. Rather than the lanky, skinny legs that most distance runner have, I have been blessed (?) with the large quads associated with sprinters. I am also not a small man. I am 6 feet tall and tipped the scale this morning at 226.0 lbs.
I am starting this blog to document my efforts to train for this marathon. I am hoping that by the time June rolls around that I will have lost at least 20 pounds and that I will be injury free. Currently, I am suffering from plantar fasciitis in my left foot which makes running a bit painful. I managed to get just over 5 miles in last Saturday but I paid for it all weekend.
Training officially started last week.
Monday - 4 miles on the treadmill. I tried a new pair of shoes (Saconys) but after two miles I had to change back to my Nikes because my arches hurt so bad and my right pinky toe went numb. After running, I swam 1050 yards.
Tuesday - I again swam 1000 yards and then taught Body Pump.
Wednesday - ran 3 miles. Feet felt fine.
Thurday - Taught Body Pump
Friday - Taught Body Attack
Saturday - Ran 2.2 miles before the race and then ran Freeze Fest (5K). I finished in 28:15. Slow but not bad for my first 5K of the year.
Totals for the week 1: 12.3 miles running
2050 yards swimming
Three classes
Week 2 started Monday. I managed to run 3.0 miles on the treadmill before my feet hurt too bad to continue (I am going to a podiatrist today)
Tuesday - Swam 1000 yards and then taught Body Pump
I plan on running again tonight. I want to get 4 miles in but I'll have to see how my feet are doing.
I have also made a conscience effort to start eating better. I am not following any one diet plan but am trying to eat more protein and less processed food. I have also stopped drinking Diet Mt. Dew. In the last 10 days I have lost 1.4 pounds.
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