Review

So, I was taking a look back on my blog...I'm impressed with myself as I now regularly run 10 miles at a go and it used to be a goal to go 4. My weight is under 175 consistently.
Another marathon????
Well, I think I may have to run in the Quad Cities marathon in September to beat my time. I haven't committed to it (my only commitment to myself now is to do 30 miles a week/3 days) but I think I can do it. The past two 10 mile runs have been in the low 9's per/mile. And this past month (April) I did 111 miles. I found a few training routines online about how to improve long-distance running speeds.
Shoes retired: My first set of running shoes, with 611 miles on them, were retired. Not because of mileage but the heels were so worn down they were causing my gait to be off and hurting. I found the same brand/model online, the Mizuno Wave 5. Of course, Mizuno is discontinuing the model so I bought 2 pairs (for about the same price as the one!!). So, I'm good for a bit, I think.

The BESTEST thing about running is...

Yes, running helps with stress/sorrow/other bad feelings (it really does!), and keeps one fit (I look MAAH-VELOUS!), and I don't think I'd be in the same good mental shape that I'm in now if I hadn't found running (I'm guessing that is the runner's high??). All good shtuff Maynard, but none are the bestest parts of running. Nope. Because of it, I can EAT ANY FRIGGIN' THING I WANT WHEN I WANT. There, I said it. I love food. I love to eat (I used to love to have indiscriminate sex but any more, you F' the wrong person and your arm falls off. OH! And it just had manicure, too!). So, now I can eat like a fiel'-hand and gobble like a hog (cheers David and Scott) and not give a tinker's damn!! Yeah, me!

Marathon Pix

Thanks to Iva for the great pictures:



Before the race.

After the race.


With my medal



On the road


View from the bridge


Approaching finish line

Completed my first marathon!! 4:22:20.3

So, I finished my first full marathon in 7 mins. faster than I'd planned (4:30)...it was a GREAT experience.

Here's the results page: http://www.martianmarathon.com/results/04_10_2010_fullage.htm#45-49 Male

Gun Time	Actual Time	PACE	OVERALL	GENDER	AGE
4:26:07.1	4:22:20.3	10:01	267	202	36

Finishers: 416, Males - 281 , Females - 135
Male Winner: 2:39:30 | Female Winner: 3:16:25
Average Finish Time: 4:11:22 |

My best friends, Iva and Kevin were with me the entire way and Iva took some great pix, some of of which I'll post here and on Facebook. So, I did it...I'm down to 170-175 weight range, size 32 waist and feeling great!

I haven't decided if I'll do another one...I'd like to get under 4:00:00, maybe. My friend Ron found a stat that the average time for men for a marathon is 4:32:08 and the average age of 40.5, so I'm counting this as good even if I don't do another; I also came in only 1:47 behind the guy who came in first, and he's 19 yrs younger...

Next test? I'm thinking about a triathlon ... the challenge, unlike the marathon which was that I didn't run, is that I don't know how to swim. But now, I think maybe I can learn...

Again, thanks to all of you and your support, which was most needed and helpful!

Sick...

All of that coughing and waking up in the middle of the night. Turns out it wasn't the smog from Phoenix...three weeks later. So, I went to the doc and got antibiotics for bronchitis...almost done with it.
All of the info online I could find said: Do not train if there is any illness below the neck...so, I laid off last week.
Back on schedule this week. 5 miles today.
I suspect my black mood a week or so ago had something to do with being physically ill, too.

Cheers!

10.5 miles...whew!

On Sunday, I was supposed to do 8 miles but I was feeling good and the weather was great so I did 10.5 instead. I'm a little sore in the knees, but that happens. Today, Tuesday, is 5 miles.

Weight: Am down to 181...6 more to go!

Had dinner with a good friend last evening...am thankful for good friends.

Moving on...

Emotionally, this was a very hard week but I kept to my running schedule.
Running: Sunday, I did 8 miles, down toward Elgin (I usually go north) and the the running/bike path is all torn up so I had to run through the streets which is not very fun, even on a Sunday morning.
Tuesday I did 4 miles and yesterday (Thursday) I did 6.
Pace vs. MPH: In a previous post I said that I was disappointed in my running time. The Run Keeper shows on screen miles per hour but the voiced prompts says minutes per mile. Before I got the Pro version, which doesn't have the voice prompts, I was seeing that I was running between 5.5 and 6 mph. When I got the Pro version, I stopped looking at the screen and just listened to the workout summary and she told me that I was running at a pace between 9 and 10.5 minutes per mile. And I was bummed. Ahhhh, you get it, yes, I was hearing the SAME thing in a different way. Doh!
It is like when the lying liars here in Illinois keep telling people that their state income tax will go up 50% if the Dems get their way, which is true. But the tax rate is about 2% and will now be 3%, a 1% increase doesn't sound as bad and is not as dramatic, huh? Friggin' liars.
Weekend: Am spending the weekend with my dear friends, Iva and Kevin...I'm looking forward to that. This Sunday is an 8 mile day...next week, everything moves up a notch...

Back into a Schedule

Okay, so I'm not good at keeping this blog thing up, however, I'm better at keeping up with my training.

Tuesday: my short run went up to 4 mi. Used the new Run Keeper which must be more accurate than the free version or I was just mis reading it. Anyway, my pace OVERALL is, ah, a lot slower than I had figured (my math skills might have played a part, too). So, I have some room to improve. yeah. Run Keeper has a facility to post and compile run results on a web page.
Wednesday: did the weight workout.

Thursday: went into the office so didn't do my run in the morning as usual so I went after work. It was a lot cooler but I don't like going in the evening...tired and running in the twilight is not as fun. But, one adapts. So, did my middle run of 5.6 miles. Felt good.

Side Stitches: I don't know if my body just got used to the new running but I've started side-stretches BEFORE running (I usually do it as part of the after-run stretch) and I haven't had side stitches since.

Eating While Running: A guy in my office has run three marathons (I know!) and regularly runs 1/2 marathons. He suggests "gel-packs" later in the run...thoughts? He also mentioned the 18 mile wall...anyone also experience that?

Weight: So, I'm down to 183 from 203 (when FPS left in June) but my new goal (it was 180) is 175... I've been reading where 165 is heavy for a runner, but I think that is too low for me to be healthy. But I don't want to have all that weight beating down on my knees and ankles and hips.