Marathon The Second

Last run, 5.5 miles, before the Marathon on Sunday.  *bites nails*  The weather was fantastic!!  Sunny and while I though I may have been over dressed, once I got near the water I was thankful for my heavy shirt to block the wind off the Long Island Sound.   Well it may NOT be my lat run, I think my marathon girlfriends want to sneak in a run on Saturday to limber up.  Or possibly sober up...

My aggressive training plan was abbreviated as I signed up for this just after Marine Corps Marathon on October 28th.   Reflecting on the last 11 weeks of training. I think one REALLY needs to let their body recover after running a marathon, ESPECIALLY when it is your first marathon.  Early on I was having trouble with the longer runs as my body worked hard to repair the damage from the marathon and the training for that marathon.  How do people who run consecutive marathons do it?  Perhaps they weren't running their second marathon 12 weeks after running their first?  After only running seriously for less than 2 years?   Ok so it wasn't the most well thought out plan.  Oh well.  

I loved "Born to Run"  I finished the book tonight and have filled out the application for the Laurel Wood 50K, now just to put the stamp on the envelope and mail it in.  This race is in June.  5 months, that should be fine to train for a 31 mile trail race, right?  I think I may also transition to minimalist shoes or toe shoes.  My PF is pretty much under control and I can see the benefits to letting my feet do what they are born to do.  

The other part of "Born to Run" I liked was the rag tag group of misfits Ultra Runners are.  I think these are my people!

Sincerely,

Beth in love with running and all things running.

Self Doubt

All high on an endorphin buzz from Marine Corps and three new Marathon girlfriends I signed up willingly for the Rock n' Roll marathon in Phoenix AZ, January 20, 2013.  I am off my training plan, not FAR off my training plan, but off enough to freak me out that this marathon is a month and a half away and I haven't been on longer than a 16 mile run.   What I NEED To do is take sometime and review my MCM training plan and what actually happened against where I am right now in the AZ Rn'R training plan.  I bet if I look at the data I am not so far off.  Have I done this? No, not yet.  Will I? Of course.

Yesterdays 5.8 was good.  I figured I could run 14 today and be good for 20 for the weekend.  I managed 11.5 and walked the remaining 0.5 home.  My right knee, and the IT band.  Wonder if it was running back to back or my shoes?  I ran in the Asics Kayano 19 yesterday and the 18 today.  They both have nearly the same amount of mileage on them and the Green Feet inserts, so hmm..  I'll pack the 19s for tomorrows at work short run and see?  Or maybe it is the short run?  Have to see if I've worn the 19s on a longer run.

My loop around the park I spied a father and son.  The son was having a blast playing in the leaves, so sweet. He kicked them up into a big pile for the little guy and the little guy was having a blast running up to and jumping in the leaves.  Ah childhood, the innocence, the freedom.  Youth is really wasted on the young, isn't it?

Father and Son playing in the leaves. 

I continued on with my route, I was a little later in the a.m. than usual so I didn't see the usual suspects, sort of sucked, but hey that it what you get when you have other things to do first thing in the a.m.  It was time to get rid of the gray and tame the wild mane, sometimes, vanity takes a front seat.  

I was sort of feeling like a long run and sort of not.  Still a bit in my funk from Friday that carried over from Saturday?  Or maybe it is like Frank Sinatra says "I feel sorry for people who don't drink.  When they wake up in the morning that's the best they are going to feel all day."  Or it is just the crummy Michigan gray weather we are having here in Southern Rhode Island were the sun USUALLY shines!

Along the way I took in the sights, ran my out and backs with traffic instead of against traffic (there is no traffic, so not really with or against traffic, but you get my meaning.  I was just trying to give my left leg a break from the camber of the road) this enabled me to see different sights.  Which was really cool, a whole different perspective and new things around every corner!

Couple things that caught my eye, other than the blue jays who wouldn't hold still for a picture!

This fence post just struck me as interesting.

The stairs to no where.  Wonder what they once went to?

By about 11.5 miles my right knee was really bugging me so I slowed to a walk (as you can see in my splits in the stats below).  Maybe it was the camber on the road.  Maybe it was that I didn't start running until nearly 11 a.m. Maybe it just was.

Yeah, really apathetic aren't I?  I should be happy I CAN run while there are a couple people out there facing challenges and pain when they run.  So why am I having self doubt?  Or am I?  Is this normal? Buller? Anyone?  

Stats:

Consistency once again!!!  

Sincerely,

Beth who better freaking snap out of it!

Arizona Rock n' Roll Marathon

Today I signed up for the AZ Rock n' Roll Marathon, January 20, 2013, less than three months away.  Promptly I put together a training schedule. Because that's what I do.

I made an improvement from the Marine Corps Marathon Schedule, adding in a spot to capture my actual mileage.  Looking forward to training once again and working on my speed.  Think I can cut off 10 minutes to be sub 5?

My Garmin and I are back on speaking terms.  Seem he was not linking with the computer, so a little re-calibrating and all is right with the world!

Sincerely,

Beth, coping with post marathon depression by signing up for another one