Marathon Fever
Ok, I admit it. I am an addict. There is just nothing like the rush you get running a marathon. The crowd of runners, the music, the spectators, the GU, passing the wall and giving it a swift kick on your way by, the agony and despair at mile 21 (still 5 miles left?!), the 2nd wind at mile 24, the thrill of seeing the finish line, the post-race icing, hobbling, stretching, and story telling..... I am getting seriously wound up! Knowing that 23 mile run was the last pre-marathon run has me just totally itching.
So, here I am in this state of mind, and I get an email promoting the San Diego Rock and Roll Marthon in early June. This is totally doable since there will be 4 weeks between the Pig and the R&R. Yes, that would be my 3rd marathon of the season, but plenty of people in my running group are doing three. I emailed my husband/running partner about it, but I'm not sure I'll get the green light on that one. We may have to enter negotiations.
I ran 4.75 miles today, despite what I thought this morning. It was snowing and slushy and cold and I thought, "not today." I pulled one of my little tricks out of my hat and put on my running clothes anyways. Sure enough, at about 12:30, I was out the door - off and running. At the start, I thought I would just run 3 miles to be done with it. About a 1/2 mile into it, I wanted to turn around and go back home. But I knew that once I got that first mile out of the way, I'd be fine. True to form, I went ahead and did my 4.75 mile loop instead of the 3 miles I had planned.
To most runners, this sounds silly. A 4.75 mile run and a 3 mile run are both insignificant compared to a marathon. That's true, but I'm new to this. I don't run out and regularly log 6-10 mile runs through the week the way my husband does. I only run twice during the week outside of my long runs and I cross train twice as well. But I've completed two marathons and I have two more in my sights so I am not making excuses for my measly 4.75 this afternoon. In fact, I'm proud of it. Especially considering that I almost didn't go at all!
In other news, my neck is sore. I must have slept on it wrong last night. I also have a headache. I'm cooking meatloaf for dinner. The cleaners are coming tomorrow so I need to straighten up a bit. I have laundry to fold. I miss my husband - he has been in Tampa for his sales meeting since Sunday. Survivor does not come on again until next Thursday which makes me sad. My son started his new job at Culver's today and I not-so-secretly wish I could have a brownie fudge sundae. I plan to solve this crisis by having a low-fat chocolate malt from UDF a little later.
Over and out.
Hip Update
My hip is better!! Thank goodness - no visit to the doctor is necessary. Phew! After icing it after the run on Saturday and again when I went to bed on Saturday night, I still woke up with major pain. It just kinda worked itself out over the course of yesterday so I'm pretty happy about that. I just hope I don't have the same problem in St. Louis in a few weeks.
No run for me today. Today was my cross-training day so I hit the Muscle Works class at the rec center. I love that class. It works everything. I feel so buff when I walk out of there: triceps, biceps, shoulders, back, chest, legs, abs (I especially love the ab work). I really SHOULD have run though since I had an appetite to feed a horse today. Man, everything I saw today got sucked straight down the hatch. Including burnt pizza. Who eats burnt pizza? Me. I figure if it's burnt, it's ruined so it has no calories or fat.
Tomorrow I plan to do a gentle 4 or 5 miles. I really need to take it slow and steady since I'm still in recovery from the long run on Saturday. The kick is that it is supposed to snow to beat the band tomorrow. I don't mind running in the cold, and I think running in the snow is romantic, but I don't like being afraid of a slippery step. I sprained my ankle three times last year training for this very same marathon and eventually had to give up and settle for the half. 3 sprains in one season will make you leery, I tell you. Leery, indeed.
over and out
23 Mile Training Run
My hip hurts today. My left hip hurts very badly today. It hurt most of yesterday, too. I guess that's what I get for running 23 miles, but still. I'm training for a marathon, after all, and you can't get to 26.2 without passing 23 at some point. The strange thing is that I ran 2 marathons in 2004 and never had this pain before.
Some of the articles I read suggested a stress fracture or a torn muscle. Most recommended a visit to my sports med doc (I love that guy), but none said "It's normal. Just ice it." This disturbs me.
In 3 more weeks, I'll be running the St. Louis Marathon. This gives me a little time to heal, but I can't take a full 3 weeks off from running and expect to be able to pull it off. This sucks for many reasons, but I ran BOTH of my 2004 marathons with significant pain in my shins (thankfully not a stress facture, but screaming pain just the same) and I was so looking forward to a pain-free finish this time around. Even if I'm not completely healed for the St. Louis Marathon, hopefuly my four week break before the Flying Pig Marathon will do the trick.
These will be my third and fourth marathons respectively. My husband told me a few years ago that if I ran 5 marathons, I could get my navel pierced. Now he tells me he doesn't want to run any more marathons because the training is too time consuming. He just doesn't want me to get that 5th one in, I think! Should I do it anyways? We'll see, but I need a tummy tuck first to get rid of all these nasty stretch marks.
Over and out.
