Good week

I wrapped up a 39 mile week with a five mile run this morning. Although the weather warmed up and got a bit more humid the last couple of days, conditions were generally good this week. I had a very good 15 mile run last Sunday, but the 21 miler scheduled for this Sunday probably won't be as pleasant due to the increased temps and humidity.

I made some further progress on the fund raising front this week too, reaching 89% of my $7000 goal. Please feel free to help me reach that goal with a donation right now. Just click the "donate" button in the upper right hand corner of the page.

The home stretch

It is now just four more weeks until race day. As of this writing, I've completed 443 miles on the training program, and the end is in sight. After tomorrow's 15 mile run (in what should be pretty good weather according to the forecast) and a slow-paced six mile recovery run on Monday, there is only next weekend's 21 mile "so you think you can really do this" run that is longer than five miles left on the schedule. The final two weeks before the race is the "taper" period where the weekly mileage drops considerably allowing the trainee (me in this case) to recover and rest in preparation for the race.

I'm also heading into the home stretch in terms of fund raising for the Melanoma Foundation. As of Wednesday of this week, I'm in sixth place on the Foundation marathon team in terms of overall fund raising and am at 83% of my $7000 goal. For anyone reading this that hasn't already sponsored me (or even if you already have), I would really appreciate if you would click the "donate" button in the upper right-hand corner of this page. Any amount will help me to reach my goal and could possibly save a life as well.

An easy week?

I completed a total of 42 miles last week. This week should be easier (?) as I'm scheduled for just 32 miles; eleven of which I completed yesterday. I was actually looking forward to the 11 miler as the weather was favorable and, after the 18 miles last weekend, 11 seemed a lot shorter by comparison (after all 11 is less than 18). Unfortunately, although I got a nice early start and felt pretty good for the first mile and a half or so, I really started feeling kind of bad. Not sick or injured, but just not feeling good running. I pushed myself to finish, including two trips up the Riverside hill, but was glad to finish.

Six weeks

It is now just under six weeks until race day. There are only two more training days that I'm really not looking forward to ... this coming Friday (8 miles) and Sunday, March 30 (21 miles). I really don't mind a five or six mile run on weekday mornings, but eight is kind of pushing it. I've run eight, seven and seven the past three Fridays, so I figure I'll get through it this week too. The 21 miler? Well, that is not going to be fun so matter how you slice it. Sure it is shorter than the actual race, but without the excitement, crowds and other competitors, 21 miles seems a lot longer.

I ran 18 miles this past Sunday and normally an 18 mile training run wouldn't be a lot different than a 21 miler - that is, not something that is all that much fun. However, I got an early start just as daylight was dawning and with almost perfect running conditions, I really did well and frankly, can almost say that I did enjoy it.

By the way, for anyone that has found their way here, I'm still working toward my goal of raising $7000 for the Melanoma Foundation. If you've been considering sponsoring me, why not go ahead and click that "donate" button on the FirstGiving widget right now? I'd appreciate it and I know the people at the Melanoma Foundation would appreciate it too.

Another week down

Well, another week of training has been completed. After last Sunday's difficult 16 miles (the humidity was around 80-85% with temperatures in the low 60s), I managed to get in another 23 miles during the week. I skipped my scheduled slow-pace six mile run on Monday due to the cold temperatures, very high winds (25-30 mph) and driving rain that greeted me at 6:00 a.m. Considering that I was tired and sore from Sunday's run, it probably wasn't all that bad to take that day off. I ended up running 6, 5, 5 and 7 miles Tuesday through today (Friday), respectively. Initially the forecast for this morning called for temperatures around 30 with 15 mph winds, but it wasn't quite that bad. I dressed warmly and although it was cold and windy, I felt pretty good. Next up is an 18 miler on Sunday. The forecast looks good as of now, so I'm hoping it will hold.

Now it gets serious

I had kind of an up and down week of training this week. I finished three milers on Monday and Tuesday, but after a stressful few days (for reasons unrelated to training) and a couple of short nights of sleep, I decided to forgo a three miler on Wednesday. I ran a strong four miles on Thursday, but Friday's seven mile run was probably my worst run since I started training for Boston. Why? I'm pretty sure I know.

I simply didn't eat much on Thursday after my daily schedule was knocked askew due to other issues unrelated to training. I figured that I only took in around 1200 calories on Thursday which left me underpowered for Friday's run. The last three or four miles felt like the last three or four miles of a marathon - the portion after many runners "hit the wall." It isn't pleasant and simply points out the importance of pre-race nutrition as well as in the case of a marathon, in-race nutrition.

Now the training program gets serious. I'm scheduled to go 16 miles tomorrow. It looks like temps will be in the 60s with winds around 10 mph - not ideal conditions. I'll try to be prepared, starting with a plate of spaghetti for lunch today.