Good morning.
An amazing thing happened yesterday. The sun was out all day. I honestly cannot remember the last time that happened this winter. It felt really good to run with the sun in my face and at my back as I meandered my way along the lakefront path.
The ice formations on Lake Michigan are spectacular. Part of the sculpture are big piles if ice that look like frozen waves. Nature is fascinating with all the formations that occur all on their own. Parts of the scene were huge bodies of ice clusters that looked like a sea of broken diamonds glistening in the sun.
There were lots of good runners on the path. Training groups, two's, three's and groups. You can just tell. They move with a purpose. They have a goal. Their strides today, not so fast but effortless. Their pace a little slower, on purpose, a "long slow distance run?" Are they getting ready for Boston? What about him, how about her? They look so good. What can I learn from their form? What do they think of me? I am excited to be in their company. I'm in Boston too!
My 16+ miler went well. It was warm for a change, sunny. I was a good boy and kept my pace 45-90 seconds slower than marathon pace. My Boston pace is not set in stone, but around 7:45-7:55. There were some aches along the way but so what. Have to get used to pushing through those obstructions. One quote stayed with me, "pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever." I like that quote because it is so true. My heart rate during the run stayed very low which is good. The stats:
Split Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Speed Max Speed Avg HR Max HR Steps Calories
1 0:09:21 1 69 164 9:21 7:20 116 139 0 70
2 0:08:59 1 69 43 8:59 6:46 118 122 0 80
3 0:08:52 1 128 72 8:52 6:16 120 139 0 68
4 0:08:44 1 98 141 8:44 6:09 120 130 0 70
5 0:08:50 1 7 52 8:50 7:40 123 126 0 77
6 0:08:50 1 16 23 8:50 7:35 121 136 0 67
7 0:08:56 1 7 13 8:56 8:05 120 139 0 60
8 0:08:53 1 16 16 8:53 8:19 121 124 0 71
9 0:08:42 1 66 36 8:42 7:33 123 128 0 71
10 0:08:51 1 13 13 8:51 8:12 123 126 0 71
11 0:08:45 1 43 39 8:45 8:03 125 128 0 72
12 0:08:43 1 52 36 8:43 7:54 123 128 0 64
13 0:08:44 1 115 59 8:44 7:01 125 131 0 68
14 0:08:46 1 82 121 8:46 6:19 126 130 0 68
15 0:08:42 1 49 85 8:42 7:34 123 130 0 53
16 0:08:39 1 10 36 8:39 7:55 129 134 0 72
17 0:03:09 0.37 7 10 8:27 7:16 132 134 0 27
Summary 2:24:32 16.37 846 958 8:49 6:09 122 139 0 1,129
-----
" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."
* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin
Monday, February 8, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Keeping Pace
Good morning.
Time keeps on slipping slipping slipping into the futurrrre. The days are flying by. Before you know it March will be here and tulips will awake and poke their little heads through the thawing dirt. Bushes will start to bud. I've already noticed some buds on trees and bushes are getting bigger. Ready to welcome spring.
Yesterday's 11 mile run along frosty Lake Michigan was interesting. I was not sure what I wanted the objective of this run to be. Per Hal's Boston Bound program it was supposed to be a marathon pace run. I did one of those earlier in the week. So, I made up my mind to play it by ear as I ran.
Once I got going I decided to do a marathon pace run to solidify that pace in my body and mind. But, I also decided to do one fast mile in the middle of my run and one near the end. That extra fast mile would be on the lakefront path. So, I cruised along at MP until I hit mile 4 on the lakefront path and that is when I decided to run hard for one mile.
I took off. I monitored the Garmin. I love this Garmin and I will honor it with accolades as a key training partner. I ran fast but the footing was very iffy. The pathway was not ice free. Surprising because Chicago usually takes such good care of it. I also had some slight inclines to deal with as I steamed southbound. At times I had to slow down and run over broken icebergs. It was a tough mile. The pace for that fifth mile ended up being 6:37. I feel, with a flat track and no ice I could have done this in 6:20 or less. I was trying to get an idea of my max heart rate during this experiment. The results were not what I expected. Even though I felt spent my average HR was 148 and max 155 bpm. So, this experiment failed in regards to max heart rate data. On another positive note it means I have a lot of room to grow speed wise.
Other than that I kept my marathon pace the rest of the way. It was tough because of all of the ice on walkways. many strides were like peeling out, slippery. A good workout. Garmin data below.
Split Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Speed Max Speed Avg HR Max HR Steps Calories
1 0:08:54 1 20 72 8:54 7:08 152 172 0 16
2 0:07:54 1 23 26 7:55 6:10 134 139 0 89
3 0:07:50 1 56 30 7:50 6:09 133 142 0 78
4 0:07:46 1 10 56 7:46 4:09 136 145 0 86
5 0:06:37 1 16 20 6:37 5:48 148 155 0 78
6 0:07:55 1 16 16 7:55 6:47 135 154 0 81
7 0:07:56 1 98 69 7:56 6:17 139 146 0 75
8 0:07:55 1 108 89 7:55 6:20 139 145 0 84
9 0:07:53 1 39 52 7:53 7:00 135 142 0 70
10 0:07:31 1 26 26 7:31 6:34 142 148 0 78
11 0:07:52 1 33 36 7:52 6:45 143 148 0 86
12 0:00:03 0.01 -- 0 9:42 9:11 141 141 0 1
Summary 1:26:12 11.01 446 495 7:50 4:09 139 172 0 822
-----
" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."
* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin
Time keeps on slipping slipping slipping into the futurrrre. The days are flying by. Before you know it March will be here and tulips will awake and poke their little heads through the thawing dirt. Bushes will start to bud. I've already noticed some buds on trees and bushes are getting bigger. Ready to welcome spring.
Yesterday's 11 mile run along frosty Lake Michigan was interesting. I was not sure what I wanted the objective of this run to be. Per Hal's Boston Bound program it was supposed to be a marathon pace run. I did one of those earlier in the week. So, I made up my mind to play it by ear as I ran.
Once I got going I decided to do a marathon pace run to solidify that pace in my body and mind. But, I also decided to do one fast mile in the middle of my run and one near the end. That extra fast mile would be on the lakefront path. So, I cruised along at MP until I hit mile 4 on the lakefront path and that is when I decided to run hard for one mile.
I took off. I monitored the Garmin. I love this Garmin and I will honor it with accolades as a key training partner. I ran fast but the footing was very iffy. The pathway was not ice free. Surprising because Chicago usually takes such good care of it. I also had some slight inclines to deal with as I steamed southbound. At times I had to slow down and run over broken icebergs. It was a tough mile. The pace for that fifth mile ended up being 6:37. I feel, with a flat track and no ice I could have done this in 6:20 or less. I was trying to get an idea of my max heart rate during this experiment. The results were not what I expected. Even though I felt spent my average HR was 148 and max 155 bpm. So, this experiment failed in regards to max heart rate data. On another positive note it means I have a lot of room to grow speed wise.
Other than that I kept my marathon pace the rest of the way. It was tough because of all of the ice on walkways. many strides were like peeling out, slippery. A good workout. Garmin data below.
Split Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Speed Max Speed Avg HR Max HR Steps Calories
1 0:08:54 1 20 72 8:54 7:08 152 172 0 16
2 0:07:54 1 23 26 7:55 6:10 134 139 0 89
3 0:07:50 1 56 30 7:50 6:09 133 142 0 78
4 0:07:46 1 10 56 7:46 4:09 136 145 0 86
5 0:06:37 1 16 20 6:37 5:48 148 155 0 78
6 0:07:55 1 16 16 7:55 6:47 135 154 0 81
7 0:07:56 1 98 69 7:56 6:17 139 146 0 75
8 0:07:55 1 108 89 7:55 6:20 139 145 0 84
9 0:07:53 1 39 52 7:53 7:00 135 142 0 70
10 0:07:31 1 26 26 7:31 6:34 142 148 0 78
11 0:07:52 1 33 36 7:52 6:45 143 148 0 86
12 0:00:03 0.01 -- 0 9:42 9:11 141 141 0 1
Summary 1:26:12 11.01 446 495 7:50 4:09 139 172 0 822
-----
" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."
* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Chico, Boston Training & Pursuit of Happiness
Good blustery morning from Chicago.
It is interesting and satisfying to watch Chico heal. He is still very apprehensive with walking on three legs but he can now get up from laying down all on his own. When I saw that, it made me happy. Small steps are good. It sort of made me think that he is a survivor and not a quitter.
Yesterday was Friday and Fridays are Tridays. So, I put together a brick and swam 2000 yards and biked 10 miles. Also, weight trained in between those work outs.
Today calls for a 7 mile MP run which I may increase to 10 miles. I may change the purpose of this run altogether once I get going. I just did a 7 mile MP run Thursday. Perhaps, once I get to the lakefront path I will do a two mile repeat before resumming the run through Lincoln Park or do some intervals or some fartleking. Maybe I will run MP until the lakefront path, do 2 mile repeat fast and then resume MP run home. I'll let you all know soon. I am also looking forward to seeing how I feel after using my new orthotics again. See ya. -----
" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."*
It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin
It is interesting and satisfying to watch Chico heal. He is still very apprehensive with walking on three legs but he can now get up from laying down all on his own. When I saw that, it made me happy. Small steps are good. It sort of made me think that he is a survivor and not a quitter.
Yesterday was Friday and Fridays are Tridays. So, I put together a brick and swam 2000 yards and biked 10 miles. Also, weight trained in between those work outs.
Today calls for a 7 mile MP run which I may increase to 10 miles. I may change the purpose of this run altogether once I get going. I just did a 7 mile MP run Thursday. Perhaps, once I get to the lakefront path I will do a two mile repeat before resumming the run through Lincoln Park or do some intervals or some fartleking. Maybe I will run MP until the lakefront path, do 2 mile repeat fast and then resume MP run home. I'll let you all know soon. I am also looking forward to seeing how I feel after using my new orthotics again. See ya. -----
" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."*
It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Running Nurse
Good morning.
I get to bring my youngest home today. Chico:
He will be coming home with a few permanent pins in his back right knee. But, he will be fine. The vet said not as much damage as feared. I will play nurse for 6 to 12 weeks.
Yesterday I went for an excellent 8 miler. I am still working on various paces. During the first several miles I kept thinking that this pace is very sustainable. Perhaps 8:00 - 7:50 pace is my new aerobic pace?? Perhaps MP is around 7:40 - 7:50. Perhaps LT pace is around 7:00 now. Only time will tell. I will say that the last mile was tough. I got that nauseous feeling when I stopped. That refreshing hard run feeling with endorphins rushing through my body. Love it.
Split Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Speed Max Speed Avg HR Max HR Steps Calories
1 0:08:44 1 13 417 8:44 6:59 130 167 0 76
2 0:07:48 1 66 20 7:48 5:22 141 163 0 89
3 0:07:36 1 30 39 7:36 5:14 144 149 0 90
4 0:07:46 1 43 52 7:46 5:53 143 148 0 92
5 0:07:41 1 203 299 7:41 6:04 144 151 0 90
6 0:07:39 1 210 72 7:39 6:24 150 156 0 93
7 0:07:28 1 85 102 7:28 5:42 154 157 0 92
8 0:07:18 1 7 66 7:18 6:52 154 161 0 87
9 0:00:37 0.08 -- 13 8:04 6:52 159 161 0 8
Summary 1:02:41 8.08 653 1,079 7:45 5:14 144 167 0 717
Later in the day I did a 4 mile easy run that took 35 minutes.
Onward and upward!!
-----
" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."
* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin
I get to bring my youngest home today. Chico:
He will be coming home with a few permanent pins in his back right knee. But, he will be fine. The vet said not as much damage as feared. I will play nurse for 6 to 12 weeks.
Yesterday I went for an excellent 8 miler. I am still working on various paces. During the first several miles I kept thinking that this pace is very sustainable. Perhaps 8:00 - 7:50 pace is my new aerobic pace?? Perhaps MP is around 7:40 - 7:50. Perhaps LT pace is around 7:00 now. Only time will tell. I will say that the last mile was tough. I got that nauseous feeling when I stopped. That refreshing hard run feeling with endorphins rushing through my body. Love it.
Split Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Speed Max Speed Avg HR Max HR Steps Calories
1 0:08:44 1 13 417 8:44 6:59 130 167 0 76
2 0:07:48 1 66 20 7:48 5:22 141 163 0 89
3 0:07:36 1 30 39 7:36 5:14 144 149 0 90
4 0:07:46 1 43 52 7:46 5:53 143 148 0 92
5 0:07:41 1 203 299 7:41 6:04 144 151 0 90
6 0:07:39 1 210 72 7:39 6:24 150 156 0 93
7 0:07:28 1 85 102 7:28 5:42 154 157 0 92
8 0:07:18 1 7 66 7:18 6:52 154 161 0 87
9 0:00:37 0.08 -- 13 8:04 6:52 159 161 0 8
Summary 1:02:41 8.08 653 1,079 7:45 5:14 144 167 0 717
Later in the day I did a 4 mile easy run that took 35 minutes.
Onward and upward!!
-----
" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."
* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Nurse Randy Reporting for Duty
Good morning.
My youngest who is 4 and weighs 7 pounds will have surgery today. He tore his ACL and this needs to be repaired. He wants to play so badly with his tennis ball. But, I can't do it. I think he knows he is injured. One minute he can be walking around and all is ok. Then all of a sudden I would hear a yelp and he would be standing there holding up his back right leg. I would pick him up and stretch his leg until the joint popped back in place. It is amazing how much that little leg moved.
Chico will be fine and I look forward to helping him recover. He is my smallest bestest friend.
Thank God, the political TV ads are over for a while. I think politicians and others who are in positions of authority and trust should pay triple penalties if found guilty of crimes, fraud, etc. Maybe that would bring back honesty and integrity. I do not trust or respect any politician. You must earn trust and respect. That comes with time. We have all seen our political system at work. It's not pretty. Actions speak louder than words.
Yesterday's workout was weights and biking. When I weight train I always mix upper body exercises with lower body. I want my blood rushing up and down my body. This helps to flush your system and also burns more calories. It goes like this, chest to lunge to lat pull down to leg extension to bent over rows. Three sets. Then I did some other weights.
After the weights I got on the bike and trained for 10 miles.
Today is a running day. I may do 8 this morning and 4 later. Playing this by ear. I would also like to fit in some swimming in between. Sounds like a busy day.
-----
" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."
* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin
My youngest who is 4 and weighs 7 pounds will have surgery today. He tore his ACL and this needs to be repaired. He wants to play so badly with his tennis ball. But, I can't do it. I think he knows he is injured. One minute he can be walking around and all is ok. Then all of a sudden I would hear a yelp and he would be standing there holding up his back right leg. I would pick him up and stretch his leg until the joint popped back in place. It is amazing how much that little leg moved.
Chico will be fine and I look forward to helping him recover. He is my smallest bestest friend.
Thank God, the political TV ads are over for a while. I think politicians and others who are in positions of authority and trust should pay triple penalties if found guilty of crimes, fraud, etc. Maybe that would bring back honesty and integrity. I do not trust or respect any politician. You must earn trust and respect. That comes with time. We have all seen our political system at work. It's not pretty. Actions speak louder than words.
Yesterday's workout was weights and biking. When I weight train I always mix upper body exercises with lower body. I want my blood rushing up and down my body. This helps to flush your system and also burns more calories. It goes like this, chest to lunge to lat pull down to leg extension to bent over rows. Three sets. Then I did some other weights.
After the weights I got on the bike and trained for 10 miles.
Today is a running day. I may do 8 this morning and 4 later. Playing this by ear. I would also like to fit in some swimming in between. Sounds like a busy day.
-----
" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."
* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Price of Friendship
Good morning. Today is election day and also the last day of wasteful, childish TV political ads. What a bunch of phonies.
Had to take Chico our Chihuahua to the Vet today to have his back right knee looked at. I'm thinking torn ACL or something similar. I'm betting he will need, expensive, surgery. What is the value of the friendship of a best friend.
As I was driving to the Vet early this morning for Chico's dropoff appointment I was thinking of the value I/we place on our pets lives. The surgery could cost $1800-$2,000. That seems like a lot and it truely is. But, this is for one of your best friends who loves you unconditionally. A friend that lights up your life. A friend that every morning curls up on my lap as I write my blog. Right now I miss him. My lap is empty.
As we drove I would look over at him in the passenger seat and he would just be looking at me with this peaceful expression on his face. A look of contentment. He was just happy to be with me no matter where we were going.
I came to the conclusion that there really is no price to high to protect a loved one. Chico was granted a life and I want him to live it and enjoy it with us for his 14-15 years. He has 10 more years, hopefully, of a great life. That means I have 10 more years of loving companionship. That means a warm lap.
Yesterday was a 5 miler on the treadmill. I worked on running inclines and declines. I also swam 2000 yards before running. After my 500 yard warm up I worked on drills again. Mainly, bi-lateral breathing and kicking. I do kick when I swim but I want to be much better at it. It is more complicated than you think. It's like rubbing your stomach in circles with your right hand and at the same time patting your head with your left hand. Try that. But, swimming is progressing nicely. No complaints.
-----
" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."
* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin
Had to take Chico our Chihuahua to the Vet today to have his back right knee looked at. I'm thinking torn ACL or something similar. I'm betting he will need, expensive, surgery. What is the value of the friendship of a best friend.
As I was driving to the Vet early this morning for Chico's dropoff appointment I was thinking of the value I/we place on our pets lives. The surgery could cost $1800-$2,000. That seems like a lot and it truely is. But, this is for one of your best friends who loves you unconditionally. A friend that lights up your life. A friend that every morning curls up on my lap as I write my blog. Right now I miss him. My lap is empty.
As we drove I would look over at him in the passenger seat and he would just be looking at me with this peaceful expression on his face. A look of contentment. He was just happy to be with me no matter where we were going.
I came to the conclusion that there really is no price to high to protect a loved one. Chico was granted a life and I want him to live it and enjoy it with us for his 14-15 years. He has 10 more years, hopefully, of a great life. That means I have 10 more years of loving companionship. That means a warm lap.
Yesterday was a 5 miler on the treadmill. I worked on running inclines and declines. I also swam 2000 yards before running. After my 500 yard warm up I worked on drills again. Mainly, bi-lateral breathing and kicking. I do kick when I swim but I want to be much better at it. It is more complicated than you think. It's like rubbing your stomach in circles with your right hand and at the same time patting your head with your left hand. Try that. But, swimming is progressing nicely. No complaints.
-----
" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."
* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin
Monday, February 1, 2010
CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Good afternoon. Welcome to February.
Well I signed up for the Chicago Marathon this morning. Doing so made me think back several years because one of the registration questions was, "how many Chicago Marathons have you run?" I answered 4 and then thought back to my first one. I remembered thinking about, should I register or not? I had already lost about 25 pounds of the 60 that I would eventually lose. I remember thinking, " you have been watching the Chicago Marathon for years on TV. You have seen a variety of runners complete the race. Why not you?"
I'm not sure why I was hesitant. Was I afraid of the commitment? What was it? I asked my wife if she wanted to run also. After much hemming and hawwing we bit the bullet and signed up.
What a great decision that ended up being. What a life changing event it turned out to be. I started training with my wife and we were content with 10 minute miles. This was our marathon pace. We never missed a run. I was already a runner. Running 3-4 miles was my routine. But, training for the marathon with all of the various training mileage gave me a whole new outlook. "I can run, 6, 8, 10, 15, even 20 miles." Wow!! Why didn't I do this sooner? I lost 35 more pounds in the process.
Since my first training cycle I can say I have improved tremendously. My life has changed immensely from training and running marathons. I have more confidence in anything I do. It all started with, 1.) The thought, 2.) The choice, 3.) The "act" of registration. Once I registered I felt committed.
Now, I so look forward to more racing events. I look forward to those events because I love training for them. Training is the life changer. The actual event is the culmination of all your efforts realized on one day. It's so cool!!! What a journey. Now triathlons are on my horizon.
Sign up. Change your life.
Yesterday was a 10.7 mile recovery run with my wife. We averaged 9 minute miles and my average heart rate was around 120 bpm. Pretty low.
Week In Review
Exercise Distance Time Calories
Swimming 5720 yds/3.25 Mi 2:55 1773
Biking 45 miles 2:51 2175
Running 40.65 Mi 5:00 4858
TOTALS 88.90 10:46 8806
-----
" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."
* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin
Well I signed up for the Chicago Marathon this morning. Doing so made me think back several years because one of the registration questions was, "how many Chicago Marathons have you run?" I answered 4 and then thought back to my first one. I remembered thinking about, should I register or not? I had already lost about 25 pounds of the 60 that I would eventually lose. I remember thinking, " you have been watching the Chicago Marathon for years on TV. You have seen a variety of runners complete the race. Why not you?"
I'm not sure why I was hesitant. Was I afraid of the commitment? What was it? I asked my wife if she wanted to run also. After much hemming and hawwing we bit the bullet and signed up.
What a great decision that ended up being. What a life changing event it turned out to be. I started training with my wife and we were content with 10 minute miles. This was our marathon pace. We never missed a run. I was already a runner. Running 3-4 miles was my routine. But, training for the marathon with all of the various training mileage gave me a whole new outlook. "I can run, 6, 8, 10, 15, even 20 miles." Wow!! Why didn't I do this sooner? I lost 35 more pounds in the process.
Since my first training cycle I can say I have improved tremendously. My life has changed immensely from training and running marathons. I have more confidence in anything I do. It all started with, 1.) The thought, 2.) The choice, 3.) The "act" of registration. Once I registered I felt committed.
Now, I so look forward to more racing events. I look forward to those events because I love training for them. Training is the life changer. The actual event is the culmination of all your efforts realized on one day. It's so cool!!! What a journey. Now triathlons are on my horizon.
Sign up. Change your life.
Yesterday was a 10.7 mile recovery run with my wife. We averaged 9 minute miles and my average heart rate was around 120 bpm. Pretty low.
Week In Review
Exercise Distance Time Calories
Swimming 5720 yds/3.25 Mi 2:55 1773
Biking 45 miles 2:51 2175
Running 40.65 Mi 5:00 4858
TOTALS 88.90 10:46 8806
-----
" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."
* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin
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