4:20AM on race morning. It's mixed emotions. I went to the Dr. last Thursday and he said I have a Stress Reaction which is the precursor to a Stress Fracture. He said I'm okay to run the race but not to do any running until then (I haven't). He also said I need to listen to my body. If it keeps getting worse and worse I need to pull out of the race. So, since I haven't run in nearly 2 weeks and the pain level is unknown, I am nervous. But I'm also really excited. The energy of race day and approx 7,000 people gathering together to go after something is so amazing. Everybody has a story. I joined a pace team which means there is a leader who is a very experienced runner and if I stick with him there is a really good chance of qualifying for Boston. "If I stick with him" is the key phrase there. Assuming my leg holds up, I think the test will come between mile 20-26.2.
Peoples support means so much...especially the wives. Sal and Linds are driving us down there at 5AM.
I'm going to finish my cup of coffee, eat a banana and peanut butter and head to the race. Just like my mom always said..."just do your best." I intend to and I also plan to leave it all on the course this morning. God Speed!!!!!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Let's try mountain biking
So my leg has really been hurting me and Thursday's run in the cold rain didn't help much. I was supposed to run 15 today but decided to lay off because im worried I might be working on a stress fracture. If that's the case then I'd likely have to sit this race out which would really be a bummer. I'm just taking it one day at a time and trying to not let my pride get in the way. Plus if you think about it this race means very little. Christ still died for my sins so I will spend eternity with him. I'm married to an amazing woman who is expecting our first child in April. I have an amazing family and group of friends.
All that to say I couldn't sit around so I decided to go for a long mountain bike ride instead. We are in north Georgia at sals parents house celebrating Tombos birthday. Its beautiful up here and fairly mountainous which makes any run or ride more difficult. I mapped out a route on some of the gravel roads around the house and took off. I had a blast. Some of the terrain was really tough and my legs were burning but it was beautiful. Oh and go figure...it was raining most of the ride. I'm not good at timing my workouts.
At the halfway point (about mile 6) I stopped to enjoy some nuts I had packed and relieve my feet. My feet were numb because I was riding in my uncles shoes which are 2 sizes too small. But they clip into the pedals which is crucial when riding long. I clipped back in and headed home. My ride home consisted of picking up my water bottle that fell out on the way and being chased by some sort of chow mix that seriously wanted to tear me to shreds. I laughed as I pedaled furiously past him. He took the wrong angle.
I don't know how a bike ride fits in to the training plan but I'd rather be able to finish the marathon than push too hard and not be able to race. Race is 2 weeks from today! Btw, typed this on an iPad which is cool but forgive any typos.
All that to say I couldn't sit around so I decided to go for a long mountain bike ride instead. We are in north Georgia at sals parents house celebrating Tombos birthday. Its beautiful up here and fairly mountainous which makes any run or ride more difficult. I mapped out a route on some of the gravel roads around the house and took off. I had a blast. Some of the terrain was really tough and my legs were burning but it was beautiful. Oh and go figure...it was raining most of the ride. I'm not good at timing my workouts.
At the halfway point (about mile 6) I stopped to enjoy some nuts I had packed and relieve my feet. My feet were numb because I was riding in my uncles shoes which are 2 sizes too small. But they clip into the pedals which is crucial when riding long. I clipped back in and headed home. My ride home consisted of picking up my water bottle that fell out on the way and being chased by some sort of chow mix that seriously wanted to tear me to shreds. I laughed as I pedaled furiously past him. He took the wrong angle.
I don't know how a bike ride fits in to the training plan but I'd rather be able to finish the marathon than push too hard and not be able to race. Race is 2 weeks from today! Btw, typed this on an iPad which is cool but forgive any typos.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Cold Rain & Sleet
I had an amazing adventure run with Scottie and Marcus last night who are also running the Myrtle marathon in 2 weeks. They were planning to run 21 miles so I decided to join them for the first 10. On my way over to Scott's house it started sleeting and raining really hard. I called Scott and Marcus to make sure they were still down to run and, as expected, they were. We got ready to go and were giddy like little kids. There is something so fun about running in the worst of conditions. We also talked about how it makes us feel more like men (girls don't get this and I know it's really dumb but it's true...we want to feel like warriors...and we did last night)! No lie, we laughed so hard during the first half mile we hardly had anything left. That's what warriors do.
We headed south on peachtree and turned right on Weiuca. We felt on top of the world as we weaved in and out of cars on a stretch with no sidewalks (still pouring). Then Marcus and I started talking about work and life; discussing the balance between being patient and grateful for your job but being proactive about where you are headed long term.
As we approached Roswell Rd, dodging puddles, we started talking about getting together a few days before the race to eat lasagna and watch Chariots of Fire, a great running movie. The girls have book club on the Wednesday before the race so we decided to do it that night. Lasagna, bread sticks, salad, and an inspiring running tale...can't wait!
It was somewhere over the next mile or two as we were running up a nasty hill on Roswell that it hit me..."I'm really cold, soaking wet, and I think the temperature is dropping." We approached Peachtree again and took a left and now it was a straight shot back to Scott's house. At this point we all got a bit quiter as we focused on each step.
We finally made it back to the house and I felt as though my hands were going to fall off. Some people think I'm dramatic but I'm pretty sure I had a mild case of frostbite. Lindsay brought us a few towels and we dried off the best we could. I was thinking, surely these guys are going to call it quits and save the next 11 miles for another day. I was wrong. They started talking about the next 11 and where they were going to go. They fueled up with Gatorade, Sport Beans, and Wheat Thins. We all talked about how cold it was. Scott put on fresh dry clothes along with ski mittens (sorry Scott) while Marcus stayed in the t-shirt and shorts he'd been running in the whole time. So, we all headed out the door but I was getting in my car and they continued to run. When I passed them 30 seconds later I thought "They are warriors baby!"
We headed south on peachtree and turned right on Weiuca. We felt on top of the world as we weaved in and out of cars on a stretch with no sidewalks (still pouring). Then Marcus and I started talking about work and life; discussing the balance between being patient and grateful for your job but being proactive about where you are headed long term.
As we approached Roswell Rd, dodging puddles, we started talking about getting together a few days before the race to eat lasagna and watch Chariots of Fire, a great running movie. The girls have book club on the Wednesday before the race so we decided to do it that night. Lasagna, bread sticks, salad, and an inspiring running tale...can't wait!
It was somewhere over the next mile or two as we were running up a nasty hill on Roswell that it hit me..."I'm really cold, soaking wet, and I think the temperature is dropping." We approached Peachtree again and took a left and now it was a straight shot back to Scott's house. At this point we all got a bit quiter as we focused on each step.
We finally made it back to the house and I felt as though my hands were going to fall off. Some people think I'm dramatic but I'm pretty sure I had a mild case of frostbite. Lindsay brought us a few towels and we dried off the best we could. I was thinking, surely these guys are going to call it quits and save the next 11 miles for another day. I was wrong. They started talking about the next 11 and where they were going to go. They fueled up with Gatorade, Sport Beans, and Wheat Thins. We all talked about how cold it was. Scott put on fresh dry clothes along with ski mittens (sorry Scott) while Marcus stayed in the t-shirt and shorts he'd been running in the whole time. So, we all headed out the door but I was getting in my car and they continued to run. When I passed them 30 seconds later I thought "They are warriors baby!"
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