I wanted to quit so bad. My ankles hurt from the get go. Finally, when I warmed up I needed to use the bathroom. Because I was running around Campus Lake at SIUC, I thought I could quickly use the bathrooms by the beach. No can do. They were locked. I decided to try to continue running, albeit very uncomfortably. My stomach was cramping, and even my shoulders hurt. Something was wrong with my left shoe. It felt like they were on too tight. I stopped a couple of times to re-tie them and move my sock around. It didn’t help. It especially hurt while I was rounding around the trail. When I got done, the top of my foot right below my ankle, felt bruised. The trail was crowded and it seemed like I was going to run into people almost every second. I cut my run short. I don’t even know how far I ran. The first lap was great, but when I took that non-existent pit stop, it threw my whole game off. I ran for 45 minutes and called it a day. I just hope that this weekend will be better. I know today’s run is very important. Oh well? There’s nothing else I can do. I’ll just focus on this weekend.
I had a half-day at work today because I had worked a 17-hour day on Wednesday (yeah, I know that doesn’t even out, but oh well), so I slept in and ran around noon today. I must say it was HOT. I almost thought about not running today, since I was so far off balance this week. I got a day early start in training last Sunday, then I ran Monday, but didn’t run on Thursday like I was supposed to, and here it is Friday. I’m telling myself that I will not miss a run in this schedule, so that was my motivation. There was a small problem, though. I left my gym bag with my clothes, shoes and watch at work. So I had to pull out my backup gear. I threaded my old marathon shoes, and didn’t wear a watch at all.
Well, let’s just say it was nice not constantly looking at a watch. I decided to run at my own pace and just feel it out for when I wanted to take my 2-minute walk breaks. But I had such a great run, I didn’t stop at all! It was probably my best run so far, but I didn’t need the watch to tell me that. After the run, I did feel the exhaustion and heat, and even after I showered at home and went to work, I was still sweating pretty bad.
GREAT RUN! For the first time, I could sense what it would be like running with 35 pounds less weight and being in strong shape for the marathon. The first lap (1.4 miles) felt like a warm up and the second was harder only because the heat was intense. This was a tough week to keep on track, and I ate horribly, but once again, I’m picking myself up and not letting it get to me. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s 6-miler. This will be the farthest Lindsey has run, and she is quite nervous about it. I can’t wait until it’s over, so she will feel more confident about running, and I can get serious about getting back in shape.
Oops! Almost midnight! Gotta get up at 6am to beat the heat!
Conditions: 91 degrees, hot.
Results: today: 3 miles; total: 3 miles; time: n/a; pace: n/a
Thoughts: I can feel my runner within. I just need to get into a work/run/sleep pattern that will help me train all week.
What I’ll remember the most: Running that first lap as if it was a warmup.
We went to bed early Saturday night and set our alarm for 9 a.m. so we could get up and run early. After a few dozen snoozes, we got out of bed after 1 p.m. As soon as we ventured out to run, it began to pour. After driving all over St. Louis to find a place to run where there was no rain, we ended up back where we began.
About three minutes into it, I remembered how much my shoes hurt me the last time I ran. But this time, there was minimal pain. I was able to keep my mind on track. I thought about running heel to toe, keeping my arms and shoulders relaxed, relaxing my lower jaw, and taking deep breaths with my stomach. I focused in on my running technique, making sure I learned good habits right off the bat.
The three mile run was easy. Besides surviving the humidity, the hardest part was breathing correctly. I didn’t mind that it had rained because it kept the temperature below 80 degrees.
I completed the run in less than 30 minutes, averaging about 9-minute miles after my two-minute walk breaks.
After the run, Patrick and I shared a protein cookie, and then went to Subway where we had a double-meat club sandwich with olives and 100% whole wheat bread. No sauce.
But on Saturday, we splurged. (Patrick and I allow ourselves to splurge on food once a week. That means one meal– not a whole day of splurging. We call it a “Cheat Meal.”) We each ate our own 14″ pizza from Cecil Whittaker’s. I had shrimp and pineapple on mine. I usually only eat about 1,500 calories a day, but on that day, I had more than 3,500. I couldn’t even feel the pizza on Sunday. Because I’ve been eating healthy, the pizza didn’t stick.
The best part about eating healthy all week, and running, is how great I feel afterwards. Sometimes I really want to eat junk food and veg out in front of the TV, but after I run I feel more productive. This week, I am supposed to run 3-miles, three days a week. And next weekend, I run my first six miles. I can’t wait!
The day has come. I wasn’t prepared for today, even though it was planned weeks ago that this would be the first day of training. I thought about–but not really attempted to–get my sleep schedule in order, have my food intake perfect, and have my workouts in full gear at least a week before training. But the reality? Didn’t work out all last week, got very little sleep (as usual), and ate horribly, even dipping into the Taquitos box in the freezer. How sad!But that was then. This is now. Lindsey and I celebrated our first day of training by sleeping in until 1:00 in the afternoon. We sluggishly rolled out of bed, as if we were suffering from major hangovers. After eating our breakfast and catching up on the world via our laptops during our “morning” breakfast at the table, we finally got ready to hit the pavement.
It was an overcast day, and the temperature was around 80, which is nice for July! We planned to run our 3 miles in Fenton, but on the way there, we were stuck in a major downpour out of nowhere. The temps dropped 15 degrees, and even though the attitude should be “rain or shine”, we still hadn’t taken pictures of our new shoes and of each other for the “before” pics. So, we ran some errands for a couple hours, and by the time we drove back to the park, it stopped raining.
We had a great run today. Both of us ran the “10-2″ method, which is to run for 10 minutes, walk for 2. But since it was 3 miles, we only stopped to walk twice. It was very humid, but it never rained on us. Afterwards, we picked up some Subway (with double meat) and went home.
The shoes are broken in. The first 3 miles are behind us. I feel good about the training now. I hope to really work on the sleep and workout schedule this week. I want the training to help me in all areas of my life. Right now at work, I’m just trying to manage e-mail (1000 e-mails sitting in my inbox), plus many other tasks that deal with the stations web site.
Lindsey and I are both following Hal Higdon’s Novice marathon training schedule, but instead of running Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursdays during the week, I’ll run Monday, Tuesday, Thursdays.
How does this compare to my training for the Alaska Marathon in 2005? Read Day 1 Training
Conditions: 79 degrees, humid and overcast.
Results: today: 3 miles; total: 3 miles; time: 29:44; pace: 9:54/mile
Thoughts: Even though I wasn’t prepared for this day, I feel confident that I will train successfully.
What I’ll remember the most: The downpour minutes before we were going to run.
I got a new pair of shoes for the marathon. The ones I’ve been wearing are two years old, and my knees started to hurt after runs. I went to Fleet Feet and was fitted. The best part: my new shoes will last me through the marathon. They are able to get about 500 miles on them before wearing out. I’m glad I only have to buy one pair!
But… I wore them today and my legs hurt, my feet hurt, my knees hurt, and my hip was beginning to hurt. It was horrible. I couldn’t run more than a mile and a half. I’m worried about getting shin splints. I told Patrick and he said when he got new tennis shoes (while he was training for his first marathon), the same thing happened to him. And he had bought the exact same shoes!
I’m hoping my legs feel better tomorrow. If not, I may have to find a different pair of shoes. I’m pretty sure after I break them in, I’ll get back on track. Training officially begins next week. I’m hoping to be ready for it!
