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For the runner, who's not a runner, but is trying to be a runner...

Friday, April 29, 2011

I'm in the marathon officially. My Schedule. My Anxiety. Wanna run with me?

Yesterday, I got an email from NYRR asking for full permission to post and access my facebook page. Huh? Why? Well, they want me to post "I'm in. To finish. NY Marathon, 2011." Well guess what guys! You don't need to access my whole page in order for me to say that! Protect your info peoples!

But seriously, I'm getting excited and nervous. For the last year, I've been on a schedule that has helped me to drop and keep off about 30 pounds, and it's almost time to shift it.  I need to eat better. I worry I'll bulk up again if I run less days and my metabolism slows down. Maybe I'm being silly. Maybe. Here's what I've been doing:

Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: 3 miles
Wednesday: 3 miles
Thursday: off
Friday: 3 miles
Saturday: off or 3 mile run
Sunday: 5-7 miles

Here's the new schedule:
Monday: short run (starts at 3, increases to 5 eventually)
Tuesday: short run (3)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: short run (starts at 3, increases to 5 eventually)
Friday: Off
Saturday: Long Run
Sunday: Off

Finally, the long runs are going to be boring at times. I could use some company. It helps if you run slow-- I purposefully have to take it down a couple notches in order to prevent injury. Wanna run with me? 9:45 to 10:00 minute mile pace on Saturdays.

-Chris

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Flashbacks and My Dad

Of all days of the week, the day I most hate to miss a run is Wednesday. The reason is situational: currently, on Thursdays, I'm working in a school from 7:30am - 3:00pm, then have class from 4:00-7:00pm. If I don't run on Wednesday, I have to go 2 days in a row without a run-- which I prefer not to do because of the training.

Yesterday, the weather Gods decided to try to stop me.

The day was ugly from start to finish, and though there were pockets of time without rain, none lasted. I decided to try to venture into the "drizzle" at 5:00pm. From 5:07-6:00pm, it rained the hardest it did all day. Sheets. The kind of rain your mother would say, don't go out or you'll get sick. I wore shorts, a T-shirt, a sweatshirt. I brought Bobo. We went swimming.

Bobo and I went all Lieutenant Dan on the run-- and it reminded me of my 12th birthday party. Laroux (my Dad) took me and a car full of my pock-faced, middle school friends to Six Flags Great Adventure. We got there, and sure enough, it starts raining so hard that they close down the Scream Machine. This is pre-Batman ride, so that meant there weren't that many crazy rides still open-- but we had the park to ourselves. No lines. Just us in our t-shirts and shorts-- form fitting in their wetness, pasted to our prune-skins.

Running yesterday gave me that first person flashback. I remembered being 12. I remembered the "thunder" ride. I remembered thinking I had the BEST DAD EVER for not turning the car around.

Thanks, Laroux.

Friday, April 8, 2011

New Shoes? Again?

Just crunched the numbers. Looks like I've put about 330 miles on my current sneakers. Been a good winter-- brought the shows home on November 11. Kind of surprising, but it has been 20 weeks. Man, time flies.

I did he math after hearing from Jack Rabbit in New York on a special shoe deal they have. I think I'm going to try to get through April on these kicks. Then: back to Orange Inspires. Rotation!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

What has two thumbs...

And is embarrassed about not posting on this blog in over 2 months?

This guy.

But come on, I've got my excuses. Namely, the wife and I have twins coming in 12-16 more weeks, I'm finishing year one of school, working practicum 2-3 days a week, and I emptied the dishwasher yesterday! Okay-- I need to be better about writing. It's true.

You know-- when these twins arrive, I think running will become more important than ever. I had a couple readers email me about the time when kids first come home and needing a) to maintain a workout routine to stay healthy, and b) to find some minutes to myself. I think these are both good points. It's a blessing and curse that the official marathon training will start up in June, just before the kids arrive.

We'll see how this one goes.

Brief catch-up: I have kept up my running routine. Made it through a Boston winter without a gym. Avoiding the treadmill, I believe, was key to my avoiding injury this spring. It's been fun to watch the "spring" runners return to the track. I feel like the college student who just stayed up all night writing a paper, and now has a sense of pride about seeing the other students look tired in the dining hall. You don't know tired. I know tired.

Except I feel good! I'm a tiny bit worried that longer runs don't feel easy. I guess that is what training is all about.

Run run run, people. The water's warm, so dive in.