7 Apr 2009
6:52 AM |
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Cheese Omelet: This just in...
Facebook continues to absorb most of my online interaction. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing yet. The good thing is I've managed to get in touch with a number of old friends. Some are more active on Facebook than others.
But my folks aren't on Facebook, and I'm guessing many of the people who used to read Groundhog Day, with what one can only imagine might have been fascinated horror, also aren't on Facebook. Plus, FB doesn't lend itself to long form (hah!) writing. So I'm glad to keep this going.
In any event, training for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon continues... wait for it... apace. I'm becoming keenly aware of the value of sleep for so many things. Seriously. I've never appreciated sleep so much. After the race, I'm going to have to figure out how to absorb that lesson into a non-training life. I'm sure it'll be a challenge.
We're running three times a week. Monday's the light day, with just a five mile run. A year ago, a five mile run would be my long run; though I did run the Gate River Run (15K) a year ago, that was exceptional. Today, five miles seems like nothing. Wednesday's a medium day with an eight mile run. That'll go to nine in a couple of weeks. I'm comfortable with eight miles. Doesn't feel like any sort of significant effort, but I do feel tired toward the end of the day when I run in the morning. Saturdays are the long runs. We've done two 12 mile Saturdays in a row now, and we go to 14 this Saturday, and every Saturday after that goes up - 15, 16, 18, and 20. Up until now, the weather and tides have been favorable. But that's about to change with the arrival of warmer temperatures. The long runs are challenging. They're about all I do on Saturday, except sit by the pool.
I've learned the value of hydration, those little energy gels, and ice. Ice is your friend. I ice my knees after every run. After the 14 miles this Saturday, I'm pretty sure I'm going to try my first ice bath. Ice is nice. After sleep, ice is your best friend. I'm not in any significant pain yet, but there is some discomfort and so I'm managing it. Not sure I have many marathons in me, but I'm going to do this one, so I'm paying attention to what my knees have to say. Also learned how important it is to lace up your shoes tight. My feet hurt much less. Hips are good. Achilles tendons tend to complain, but the knees get all the attention.
Mentally, the long runs are interesting. It really is mind over body. This whole experience has been fascinating and rewarding in terms of discovering what it means to be an embodied being. It's fascinating to look at the data and see yourself picking up the pace in mile 11 of a 12 mile run. Not that we're fast, by any means. We're looking for five hours on the marathon, which is an 11:27 pace. That's looking like it might be challenging. We shall see. We came in at 11:09 on the 12 mile run on Saturday. Heart rate is declining for similar paces, though it is variable by temperature, how well rested I feel, and attitude. But, in general, it is going down.
I'm not really losing any weight, since I've been a bit careless with my diet. A friend of mine baked me a carrot cake for helping to fix her computer. A carrot cake! So yeah, weight's staying about the same. But everybody says I look thinner. Who knows? I've started being more careful about diet, but I don't expect to see anything significant for a few more weeks. Still have a little more carrot cake to finish!
Anyway, I've got to run now, or I'll be late for work.
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