Holy smokes this is exciting!! Out to the Youth Run last night with our kids and niece and nephew, tonight is the 5k and tomorrow the 10k, 1/2 and full marathon. What a line-up! Lots of friends in that 5k tonight, so will try to get out there to cheer them on. Then, try to get some sleep for tomorrow's TEST!
Alright, so we've been tapering. My legs, hips, and knees feel better than they have in 6 weeks. That may no longer be the case after tomorrow's marathon, but that's all a part of the "fun." I have lost a bit of fitness this past month....just had to rest the hips, thighs, and knees. Distance running is like life: lots of trade-offs. So, I'll be huffing and puffing a bit harder, but the rest period means that I can run. I imagine many of the participants in each of the races has a similar situation. Make the trade-offs and get to the starting line!
Somehow, some way, running really does charge the spirit. Two weeks ago, I had real concerns that I might be facing a very painful and difficult run. Rest, stretching, massage therapy and tapering have combined to put me in a better state of mind. Also, adrenalin helps too!
Congratulations in advance to all the runners, in every race! And a special thanks to the volunteers, the race organizers, and the spectators!! You are the very best!
Go FarGo!!
I'll try to capture a few post-race thoughts in the days ahead. In the meantime: "This is the day the Lord has made--rejoice and be glad in it." Every step of the way!!!
Drew (Bib #2090)
Friday, May 21, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Five Days to go. Carbs anyone?
Ok, so I'm not going to win the Blog contest that my wife, Kathleen, appears to be having with me. Equally clear: my sore thighs and hips don't seem to be gathering the attention that her quest to run a marathon 7 months after brain aneurym surgery seems to be gathering. Go figure :-)
You should quickly finish reading this post and then promptly go to her blog for some serious inspiration. And then you should show up at the pre-race spaghetti dinner Friday night and watch her speech. Kathleen likes to point out that every runner has their story.....ok, that is true, but hers is pretty dang good! I'm very proud of Kathleen's tenacity and her will to be there at the starting line on the 22nd. It's going to be a great day.....but she'll need your encouragement to stop crying long enough to run the race she has trained so hard for! If you see her before or during the race, remind her there is plenty of time to cry afterward---"run, Forest, run!!"
I always enjoy the last week before a run like this. It's time to eat some pizza and pasta, rest the wheels, take some short, slow runs, and imagine your way through the course. Imagine the tough parts but also picture gliding along on the wave of all that training! I am not usually very good about stretching (which is probably why my legs hurt so badly at this point), but I always make sure to stretch a lot in the days leading up to a run like this.....and I usually take two 20 second breaks to stretch gingerly during the marathon. Nothing gets the stride back like a 20 second stretch at mile 15 and mile 20. Feet a little more than shoulder width apart and gentle reach down to your shoes....standard stretch....take it easy but get the benefit of the stretch. Don't linger too long....20 or 30 seconds is all you need, then back at it!
Thanks in advance to all the volunteers and all the spectators along the route in in the Fargodome for the finish--every one of us on the course appreciates your efforts so much. You make this a world-class event for all the participants and for these great communities!
I am looking forward to the run on Saturday, sore legs be danged! See you at the races! Whatever your pick, the kids race, the 5k, 10k, the relay, the 1/2 M or M, you are about to be a part of a great event. It's the first day of the rest of our lives--start it off with a run!!!
Drew
You should quickly finish reading this post and then promptly go to her blog for some serious inspiration. And then you should show up at the pre-race spaghetti dinner Friday night and watch her speech. Kathleen likes to point out that every runner has their story.....ok, that is true, but hers is pretty dang good! I'm very proud of Kathleen's tenacity and her will to be there at the starting line on the 22nd. It's going to be a great day.....but she'll need your encouragement to stop crying long enough to run the race she has trained so hard for! If you see her before or during the race, remind her there is plenty of time to cry afterward---"run, Forest, run!!"
I always enjoy the last week before a run like this. It's time to eat some pizza and pasta, rest the wheels, take some short, slow runs, and imagine your way through the course. Imagine the tough parts but also picture gliding along on the wave of all that training! I am not usually very good about stretching (which is probably why my legs hurt so badly at this point), but I always make sure to stretch a lot in the days leading up to a run like this.....and I usually take two 20 second breaks to stretch gingerly during the marathon. Nothing gets the stride back like a 20 second stretch at mile 15 and mile 20. Feet a little more than shoulder width apart and gentle reach down to your shoes....standard stretch....take it easy but get the benefit of the stretch. Don't linger too long....20 or 30 seconds is all you need, then back at it!
Thanks in advance to all the volunteers and all the spectators along the route in in the Fargodome for the finish--every one of us on the course appreciates your efforts so much. You make this a world-class event for all the participants and for these great communities!
I am looking forward to the run on Saturday, sore legs be danged! See you at the races! Whatever your pick, the kids race, the 5k, 10k, the relay, the 1/2 M or M, you are about to be a part of a great event. It's the first day of the rest of our lives--start it off with a run!!!
Drew
Monday, April 26, 2010
It's Been a While!!
Ok, so I'm not going to win a prolific blogger award. Two months--and a LOT of miles--have passed since my last entry here. I'll post regularly between now and Race Day!
Let's recap the past two months:
The seasons have changed, the flood has abated, I'm still plugging away at the Hal H. training schedule, and there haven't been any real injuries (having no injuries is different from having no pain.......plenty of pain!)
As with my previous 3 marathons, my lower body is aching. Most days, it feels as though someone buried shards of glass in my thighs. It hurts, but at least that keeps my mind off of my inflamed hip and knee joints! :-) I wobble for about the first 1/2 mile of any run these days, and a pace eventually sets in. These are the toughest days of training. The final 20-miler looms next weekend, and then it is time to taper. I love the word "taper." I also love the idea of my legs, joints, and feet feeling good after some wind-down leading up to the race! For all of you who are running any of the races on the 21st/22nd, the starting line is coming into view. Sure, we've all missed a few training days here and there....but that's a part of this too! Talk to you again soon--
Drew
Let's recap the past two months:
The seasons have changed, the flood has abated, I'm still plugging away at the Hal H. training schedule, and there haven't been any real injuries (having no injuries is different from having no pain.......plenty of pain!)
As with my previous 3 marathons, my lower body is aching. Most days, it feels as though someone buried shards of glass in my thighs. It hurts, but at least that keeps my mind off of my inflamed hip and knee joints! :-) I wobble for about the first 1/2 mile of any run these days, and a pace eventually sets in. These are the toughest days of training. The final 20-miler looms next weekend, and then it is time to taper. I love the word "taper." I also love the idea of my legs, joints, and feet feeling good after some wind-down leading up to the race! For all of you who are running any of the races on the 21st/22nd, the starting line is coming into view. Sure, we've all missed a few training days here and there....but that's a part of this too! Talk to you again soon--
Drew
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Who took whom's name? What?.......
Ok, so every post on my blog appears to be signed by my crazy wife, Kathleen. We can't seem to figure out how to have our own names on our own postings. As far as I'm concerned, she can keep her name on my posts....I just wish she'd start running MY miles in addition to her own. This whole dang thing was her idea, afterall. I was perfectly content to be running 4 miles every day of my life, until she and all her zanny running group pals somehow swept me into this back in 2006.
As for the names on the posts, we'll get that fixed at some point. In the meantime, Kathleen's blog is more interesting anyway! You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and other publicly accessible stalking tools. Good grief, maybe I SHOULD just keep signing these as "Kathleen!" :-) Happy running.....
As for the names on the posts, we'll get that fixed at some point. In the meantime, Kathleen's blog is more interesting anyway! You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and other publicly accessible stalking tools. Good grief, maybe I SHOULD just keep signing these as "Kathleen!" :-) Happy running.....
Flood forecast? Just another factor.....
Ok, so the flood forecast is worsening. Yet another factor to keep in mind while training for Fargo! Anyone coming in from out of town need not worry. The water will be tamed far in advance of race day. However, those of us here in the Valley could be in for some serious upper body work with the sandbags. That counts as cross-training, right, Hal H? In the meantime, we continue to search out running options that get us through the snow, ice, and cold.
I ran my medium-long run last Saturday at the South High ice arena. There are a growing number of runners taking refuge there. Can't help but envy a couple of them who make it look so effortless. Please tell me they also get side-aches, shin splints and tight thighs. Anyway, running inside at the area tracks is a decent option, but at 8 laps per mile, the outdoors look pretty inviting! So, I moved it outside on Sunday for the weekend's long run. Ran 12 miles on one of my favorite rural roads. Bliss! The temps we can all deal with, but we need some serious road clearing in the next few weeks. It is time to get outside for good!
Also, it's the start of week 6 in the 18 week training plan. Time to start buckling down a little and make sure that we are all getting in most of the planned runs/distances. It's still early, so don't fret if you haven't been religious about following a training plan. That said, take a peek at the caledar and start to get a little more focussed on training. Race week will be here in a little over 12 weeks. We'll all have a lot more fun (this IS fun, remember?) if we prepare. How is your training going?
I ran my medium-long run last Saturday at the South High ice arena. There are a growing number of runners taking refuge there. Can't help but envy a couple of them who make it look so effortless. Please tell me they also get side-aches, shin splints and tight thighs. Anyway, running inside at the area tracks is a decent option, but at 8 laps per mile, the outdoors look pretty inviting! So, I moved it outside on Sunday for the weekend's long run. Ran 12 miles on one of my favorite rural roads. Bliss! The temps we can all deal with, but we need some serious road clearing in the next few weeks. It is time to get outside for good!
Also, it's the start of week 6 in the 18 week training plan. Time to start buckling down a little and make sure that we are all getting in most of the planned runs/distances. It's still early, so don't fret if you haven't been religious about following a training plan. That said, take a peek at the caledar and start to get a little more focussed on training. Race week will be here in a little over 12 weeks. We'll all have a lot more fun (this IS fun, remember?) if we prepare. How is your training going?
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Cold weather options (and keep smiling!).
Week 5 already! The minor aches and pains are already making their way into the daily routine, but push through that. It will only get worse! :-) Hey, if this were easy, everyone would do it, and nobody would come out to watch, right? The challenge is what makes finishing your race so special, no matter the distance, marathon, 1/2 marathon, 10k, 5k, or relay.
My long run was 11 miles this past weekend and I just want to share a simple rule I've followed during each of my previous 3 marathon training periods: don't miss or significantly shorten too many of the weekly long runs. Get those in, whatever else you decide to "adjust." The weekly long run mileage will escalate until I will spend two days dreading the weekend, but there really is no short cut around those long runs. They hurt the body but boost the confidence, no doubt about it.
I've seen a good number of runners at the Fargo South arena lately. It's a great place to get in the miles while we wait for the roads to dry off. Of course, we'll be running in the cold with piles of snow for many more weeks, but the roads and sidewalks will dry off for us by the end of February, if this is a year like most.
I actually ran my 11-miler outside last weekend. It was cold, but calm on Saturday morning. Proper clothing can always tame a day like that, and it felt great to be outside running again after more than a month running inside.
We're 1/4 of the way through with the 18 week training plan. The next weeks will go fast. Stay optimistic--train with a happy heart!!
My long run was 11 miles this past weekend and I just want to share a simple rule I've followed during each of my previous 3 marathon training periods: don't miss or significantly shorten too many of the weekly long runs. Get those in, whatever else you decide to "adjust." The weekly long run mileage will escalate until I will spend two days dreading the weekend, but there really is no short cut around those long runs. They hurt the body but boost the confidence, no doubt about it.
I've seen a good number of runners at the Fargo South arena lately. It's a great place to get in the miles while we wait for the roads to dry off. Of course, we'll be running in the cold with piles of snow for many more weeks, but the roads and sidewalks will dry off for us by the end of February, if this is a year like most.
I actually ran my 11-miler outside last weekend. It was cold, but calm on Saturday morning. Proper clothing can always tame a day like that, and it felt great to be outside running again after more than a month running inside.
We're 1/4 of the way through with the 18 week training plan. The next weeks will go fast. Stay optimistic--train with a happy heart!!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
PS: I'm here to cheer!
Please know that I am interested in hearing how training is going for anyone/everyone who may choose to following these blogs. Would also welcome any questions or suggestions you may have for me. I'll sign-off by saying that I enjoy cheering others on.....so let me "feel your pain" and I'll try to give you some advice on how to run through it and on toward our ultimate objective: race day in May! Whatever else is true about running (discomfort, inconvenience, time), it is a joy and it is a blessing! Smile out there!!!
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