Long Run Today

A bit behind in my marathon training blog. I know because I was inundated with complaints from all my regular blog readers--all zero of them.

Let's play catch up: I ran three miles on Friday on the flat track at Fort Sam Houston. Very nice. I ran for time. Was feelin' cocky, you know, but wasn't feelin' too cocky afterwards...33 minutes exactly. 11-minute miles. Not bad, but not as good as I was running before I hurt my knee.

Patience, grasshopper.

Yesterday was short workout at the gym. A little upper body and a little on the legs. One o' the leg machines I like to use was broken.

Dang.

Today is long run: four miles.

O yeah.



Overheard at the gym: I’m not really into working out. My philosophy: no pain, no pain.

Technical Difficulties

Little bit o' pain on the right knee today. Slowed down and made sure to watch my form. It went away after a couple minutes and didn't return. Yay.

Anyhoo...

I was supposed to run an easy two miles today.

At the half-mile mark, my friggin' GPS watch crapped out, cuz I forgot to charge it.

Had to estimate the distance, so I figure I did about two miles, plus or minus three miles.

But I had fun--and that's Rule One!

Jokingly posted on Facebook that I needed someone to tell me when I had finished my two miles. Got lots of "supportive" comments from my oh-so-helpful friends.

In fact, 4 hours later, they are still telling me to keep running. LOL!




I'm not tense. I'm just terribly, terribly alert.

Geriatric Asthmatic Issues

Yesterday was three miles. I had to back off at about 1.5 miles, as I caught myself running WAY too fast...paid for it at the end. Ouch. Was huffin' and puffin' like an asthmatic 95-year-old when I finished.

That'll teach me.

Two easy miles today after work. Three miles again on Friday and then four on Sunday.

And now...a banana.



Life is hard. Then you die. Then they throw dirt on your face. Then the worms eat you. Be grateful it happens in that order.

Long Run Day!

Goal was 4.0 miles. I did 4.43 miles! Awesome!

Celebrating with coffee, an apple, chips and salsa...




I HAVE THE POWER! -HeMan

On the Run!

3.09 miles today (GPS watch--too awesome!).

Average pace 11:48. Not bad, but I'd like to get down to 10-minute miles. One of my long-term goals is to do a 10k in under an hour. That's just under a 10-minute mile pace.

It'll happen.

Long run tomorrow! Four miles. It'll be the longest distance I've run since I hurt my knee...

Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you're probably right. -Henry Ford

The Last Test!

Yesterday was the last test of my knees before fully committing back to my half-marathon training schedule.

3.25 miles with NO PAIN! Not even a twinge.

As of today I am, once again, officially training for the San Antonio Rock and Roll Half-Marathon.

The date is November 13, 2011! I'M EXCITED!



"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." John Bingham - running speaker and writer

3 Miles Today!

Got up early and decided to push it a little. Original plan was 2.5 miles, but felt pretty good once I got started, so I went for 3. Nice. No pain at all.

Followed up with coffee and washing my car in the driveway!

Shout Outs

Thanks to James for listening to me dream about this and helping me to realize it's actually not a dream, but a reality that hasn't happened yet (but will!).

Thanks to Jacque for sharing her massive training knowledge with me.

Thanks to Elizabeth for her insights and recommendations for running routes (along the highway? Really? Scary!)

Thanks most of all to Helen, Mary, and Jordan for listening to all my whining about: being sore, being tired, not getting enough carbs, getting too much carbs, it's too damn early (or late, or cold, or hot, etc) to run...and still supporting and encouraging me to go for it! I love you guys!

And thanks to my extended Bill & Lois family for all the support these past 16 years. NOTHING I achieve today would have been possible without all y'all!



So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains
And we never even know we have the key.
-The Eagles

Back in the Game

Last year sometime, in one of my less lucid moments, I decided that, before it's my turn to feed the worms, I wanted to run a marathon.

I have two goals: a half-marathon in 2011 and a full marathon in 2012.

Asthma and two bum knees (plus, according to my daughters, I'm OOOOOLD!), might be slowing me down, but nothing's stopping me.

Unfortunately, I have not been running since I hurt my left knee in December or January. I've been babying both knees, icing them daily, keeping them wrapped during the workday, only doing crosstraining and leg strengthening exercises at the gym.

AND TODAY WAS A HUGE MILESTONE! I ran an experimental two miles to see how my knees would handle it. No pain, and only a little twinge in my left knee!

I'm back, baby! Gonna continue icing, wrapping, cross-training and strengthening, but am going to do two runs per week for a month and see how the knees handle it.

WOO-HOO!



Those who say something cannot be done need to get out of the way of those who are already doing it!