Going through some interesting, if not a bit frustrating, times here.
I think I'm in a funk of some kind. Kind of a weird moment. I'm not sure what to make of it. I go out as usual, start off feeling great then, I can't seem to finish. All of my last few runs, I have had to stop and walk in order to finish. In two particularly hard occasions, I could not finish altogether. The problem is, I know exactly what's wrong and cannot seem to apply the solution.
You see, the problem is not new and actually a pretty common thing by what I read in other blogs. I am running too fast. It's just that instead of getting better I seem to be getting worse. Let me go back a bit.
After finishing my first-ever Half-Marathon training plan, I was in Cloud 9. I was feeling pretty good and the progress was pretty obvious. I decided to start the intermediate version of the plan and two things happened: 1) I take off at an obviously faster pace than I used to run, feeling like I can maintain it forever and it turns out I can't. At some point in the run, I run out of steam and I'm forced to walk or even stop. If I catch myself running faster and try to slow down, I feel like I'm not really working, you know? Like I'm coasting. It feels too easy. 2) Severe weather has kept me from being consistent. The past two weeks I have barely been able to go out and run which adds to the feeling of uncertainty. It really adds to the feeling that I'm losing the gains I made in the past two months when actually the "problem" seems to be that I climbed up a level and can't figure out what that level is.
In other words, I seem to be stuck in some sort of pace/speed/endurance hole and it has taken some time to sort out where I am. I am certainly faster, but not as fast as my brain thinks I am. I have been working on that, trying to control my pace a little better but I admit it has been hard to do. I used to think that increasing you pace was a very deliberate thing but it is actually very subtle. The difference between a 15:30 min/mile and 15:00 min/mile is so small, you hardly notice the increase in effort at first. It's when you maintain that new effort for an extended period that you really notice. You really have to be in tune with your body to pick up on it. Obviously, I have a ways to go with that.
In the meantime, I will focus on running. I am not made of paper so if its raining, I have to make myself go out and run. I'm thinking of trying a couple of things during my tempo runs to improve my sensitivity to "feeling" the pace I should be running at. i will let you guys know how that goes.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
Lady and the Frank?
I rarely post about non-running stuff. Not because I don't want to, but more because so far this running thing has kept me pretty busy. It's hard to truly make something a part of your regular life so for the better part of almost a year and a half, most of my happenings in life have in fact, been running related. Then stuff like the following story happen and they totally change you daily routine...
Let state, for the record, that I am not a dog person. Or a pet person for that matter. Not because I don't like dogs or pets but because of past experiences with pets when I was a kid. The concept of "pets" when I was growing up was reserved to some sort of puppy arriving in our household, the family getting pretty excited about it for about three seconds then the poor dog eventually being relegated to second-class status, ending up tied in the backyard, with the only interaction from us being his daily feeding. On the other hand, being a child of the movies, I constantly saw the "idealized" version of pet ownership. In the movies, pets are all extremely smart, obey every command and go to the bathroom on cue. Not to mention loyal to a fault and the ability to save your life if you ever fell on a well. So, not wanting what we had at home, and being certain I could not train a dog to do what dogs did in the movies, I decided early on that I was not going to allow pets in my house. Then I got married and had kids and the subject of getting a pet would spring up constantly. There almost seems to be a law that requires families to get a pet so when you don't have one everyone asks "when are you gonna get one?" I would patiently explain what happened to pets at my house and that I didn't want that. Plus, do I really need one more mouth to feed? Things are tight as it is you know? My wife, who wanted a dog, supported my decision. Even though she wanted a pet, she though my logic was understandable so my house was a pet-free environment. Since I had made our position clear to our friends and family, I thought that's the way it wold stay.
Then, two weeks ago, we go shopping and on our return home, I notice this on our front porch:
Let state, for the record, that I am not a dog person. Or a pet person for that matter. Not because I don't like dogs or pets but because of past experiences with pets when I was a kid. The concept of "pets" when I was growing up was reserved to some sort of puppy arriving in our household, the family getting pretty excited about it for about three seconds then the poor dog eventually being relegated to second-class status, ending up tied in the backyard, with the only interaction from us being his daily feeding. On the other hand, being a child of the movies, I constantly saw the "idealized" version of pet ownership. In the movies, pets are all extremely smart, obey every command and go to the bathroom on cue. Not to mention loyal to a fault and the ability to save your life if you ever fell on a well. So, not wanting what we had at home, and being certain I could not train a dog to do what dogs did in the movies, I decided early on that I was not going to allow pets in my house. Then I got married and had kids and the subject of getting a pet would spring up constantly. There almost seems to be a law that requires families to get a pet so when you don't have one everyone asks "when are you gonna get one?" I would patiently explain what happened to pets at my house and that I didn't want that. Plus, do I really need one more mouth to feed? Things are tight as it is you know? My wife, who wanted a dog, supported my decision. Even though she wanted a pet, she though my logic was understandable so my house was a pet-free environment. Since I had made our position clear to our friends and family, I thought that's the way it wold stay.
Then, two weeks ago, we go shopping and on our return home, I notice this on our front porch:
She was dirty, hungry and limping on one of her front legs. Despite that, she seemed to have taken ownership of the porch as she didn't seemed to be scared by our arrival at all. As my wife - who had stayed behind to let the girls off the mini-van while I opened up - walks up to me with the girls in tow, all hell breaks loose:
Girls (screaming): LOOK! Dad bought us a puppy! How cute!
Wife (laughing hysterically): Oh my God!
Me(hysterical): No no no no no!
Folks, at that point I had a vision. I knew exactly how this was going to end and it was not gonna be with a dog-less home but this was a dog from who knows where so I had to be careful to not let emotions run high. For the next couple of days I drove around the neighborhood asking if anyone lost a puppy or knew about someone who did. I even posted on Facebook for help. But, alas, it was not to be. After a week, my wife started asking questions. "What are we gonna do with the puppy?" Which was her polite way of saying: "I am in love with this dog and so are the girls. PLEASE lets keep it?!!?
Now, understand that I might not be a dog person but that doesn't mean I'm cruel or hate animals. I wasn't about the put that dog on the street (though I admit I let her sleep on the porch on the hopes she would continue on somewhere else) and giving it to a shelter meant she could be put down if they could not find an owner so its not like I was totally against the idea, but on the other hand, I know nothing about dogs. Not a thing. My friends and family laughed amazed when I asked for help identifying what "brand" of dog she was. (She's what? A chihuahua? A Toyota?) I was really concerned this ignorance would lead to my biggest fear of pet ownership: A dog tied in the backyard that everyone ignored and was annoyed at "having" to feed her. You get pets for that.
So, I sat everyone down and after A LOT of thought, announced we were gonna keep the little hairball. But I was very clear that this was gonna take an effort on everybody's part to make this dog a part of the family and that meant housebreaking and proper training. My girls wanted to call her Rudy (Doc McStuffin's neighbor has a dog named Rudy) so after explaining that was a boys name I suggested Lady, from Lady and the Tramp which my wife loved. I took her to the vet where she was treated for the leg thing and got the required shots and treatment. Then I went to Petsmart where I was reminded of two things: I know nothing of dogs and this is gonna get expensive. But we now have a new family member:
This new development has sent me into total research mode of course. Trying to learn as much as I can about dogs and how to train them. I have books, rented shows and DVD's and have done a lot of reading on line. That's what I do. Frank the Dog Whisperer. Man, have things changed around our house but hey we did a good thing (everywhere I take her or talk about her, they applaud the fact we "rescued" her) and who knows I might even have a future running buddy. I write rescue in quotations because I'm not sure we did rescue her. Maybe, she chose us.
PS: I still don't know what brand uh... I mean breed of dog she is but the vet said she was most likely a mix. Though I did see a picture of a Glen of Imaal Terrier puppy that looks almost identical to her.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Speed Demon
Excuse me while I regain my breath. I still have not gotten it back to normal.
OK... so yesterday I had my first official go at speed work. Mile repeats to be exact and it was everything I thought it would be. And by that I mean extremely tough.
The premise of speed work is ridiculously simple: You want to run fast? Well then, you have to... um, run fast. That's it. Actually that and repetition. That is the true secret of speed work. You run fast over and over again and by doing that, you teach your body two things: 1) to get used to running fast, and 2) to get used to running fast while tired. You do this enough times and eventually your body develops the equivalent of a new gear.
Now, speed workouts are as varied as they are challenging. They vary extremely in distance and volume. In the plan I am doing right now, speed work means mile repeats. Mile repeats are basically what the name implies. You run a mile, you cool down (800 meters), then you run a mile again. Repeat. Those miles should be run at a faster-than-your-usual pace (you are trying to get faster after all) Because these workouts are hard enough on their own, it is often suggested they be done in a track. You have enough to worry about to add variations in elevation, terrain and traffic to the mix. It also makes it easier to measure the intervals.
I should also mention that pretty much everyone who has written something about speed work recommends you have a good base running-wise before starting it. After trying them for myself I have to agree. If I would have done this back when I started running, I probably would not be running.
Going to the track is pretty humbling for me. I run by myself most days so my inherent slowness is not really evident but at the track, its another matter. Especially at the one I go to, where there are all these kids and teens being trained right at the same time I go. Everything being relative, speed training for me means running at a pace in the high 11 to low 13 minutes per mile range. Hardly the stuff of legend. Meanwhile, as I'm huffing and puffing and struggling to maintain pace, these kids are passing me as they are warming up. They are not even breaking a sweat. It sure doesn't help that while I'm there, I'm not just the fat guy, but the old fat guy.
Speaking of which, speeding up really enhances the "Fat Feeling". As I attempt to run past my comfort zone, the stress of carrying 265+ pounds (See how that number is lower than before? he he) becomes painfully obvious.
Not all was negative as it sounds. I did like it (masochist?) and also, I was the last guy out that night. As I was doing the final cool-off mile, everyone had already left. The guy in charge turned the lights off and had to go get me so he could close for the night. How hardcore am I?
Having said all that, it became pretty obvious while I was doing this workout just how many benefits you can reap from it. It will interesting to compare race results from before starting speed work and after doing it for some time. I don't want to be lightning fast, but it would sure help if I didn't have to worry about being swept every time I sign up for a race.
Going to the track is pretty humbling for me. I run by myself most days so my inherent slowness is not really evident but at the track, its another matter. Especially at the one I go to, where there are all these kids and teens being trained right at the same time I go. Everything being relative, speed training for me means running at a pace in the high 11 to low 13 minutes per mile range. Hardly the stuff of legend. Meanwhile, as I'm huffing and puffing and struggling to maintain pace, these kids are passing me as they are warming up. They are not even breaking a sweat. It sure doesn't help that while I'm there, I'm not just the fat guy, but the old fat guy.
Speaking of which, speeding up really enhances the "Fat Feeling". As I attempt to run past my comfort zone, the stress of carrying 265+ pounds (See how that number is lower than before? he he) becomes painfully obvious.
Not all was negative as it sounds. I did like it (masochist?) and also, I was the last guy out that night. As I was doing the final cool-off mile, everyone had already left. The guy in charge turned the lights off and had to go get me so he could close for the night. How hardcore am I?
Having said all that, it became pretty obvious while I was doing this workout just how many benefits you can reap from it. It will interesting to compare race results from before starting speed work and after doing it for some time. I don't want to be lightning fast, but it would sure help if I didn't have to worry about being swept every time I sign up for a race.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Back in the Saddle Again...
First off, I hope all you running moms (and non-running moms too) had a wonderful Mother's Day this past weekend.
Second, sorry for the long break from posting but I kind of took a little vacation from running this past two weeks. Nothing major. I did run twice during that time but definitely not the volume I was doing. While running the Half-Marathon did not happen, training for it was the best thing I have done so far in my young running journey. I feel like I got so much better from it. I figured, since I did the beginner's Half-Marathon plan, the next logical step would be to try the intermediate plan. It starts right where the previous one left off. The increase in mileage is not too high, it follows a similar schedule than the previous one and I finally get an introduction to the workouts I have been dying to try out: Speed Work. The plan alternates between tempo runs (like the previous one) and mile repeats. This should be interesting.
But, before starting this new journey, I decided to stop and smell the flowers for a second hence, the aforementioned little vacation. Thought it would be a good idea to let my body recover and take a little time off.
My timing couldn't have been better. My 8 year wedding anniversary was on April 30 so I took my wife to see a movie (Iron Man 3. I swear it was her idea!) and have a nice dinner (Sushi). Then there was Mother's Day last weekend which we spent with my family. Quite a departure from Tempo and Long runs. I have to admit that, while the time off was nice, I was going a little batty. I missed it. Definitely a good thing and being even more honest, I was getting a little paranoid that I was losing the gains I had made these past months. If my 4 mile run this afternoon is any indication however, I'm doing just fine.
So now we start a new chapter. We will see how I adapt to this new plan and of course, you all know I will throw a race or three if I can in there to keep things interesting.
Second, sorry for the long break from posting but I kind of took a little vacation from running this past two weeks. Nothing major. I did run twice during that time but definitely not the volume I was doing. While running the Half-Marathon did not happen, training for it was the best thing I have done so far in my young running journey. I feel like I got so much better from it. I figured, since I did the beginner's Half-Marathon plan, the next logical step would be to try the intermediate plan. It starts right where the previous one left off. The increase in mileage is not too high, it follows a similar schedule than the previous one and I finally get an introduction to the workouts I have been dying to try out: Speed Work. The plan alternates between tempo runs (like the previous one) and mile repeats. This should be interesting.
But, before starting this new journey, I decided to stop and smell the flowers for a second hence, the aforementioned little vacation. Thought it would be a good idea to let my body recover and take a little time off.
My timing couldn't have been better. My 8 year wedding anniversary was on April 30 so I took my wife to see a movie (Iron Man 3. I swear it was her idea!) and have a nice dinner (Sushi). Then there was Mother's Day last weekend which we spent with my family. Quite a departure from Tempo and Long runs. I have to admit that, while the time off was nice, I was going a little batty. I missed it. Definitely a good thing and being even more honest, I was getting a little paranoid that I was losing the gains I had made these past months. If my 4 mile run this afternoon is any indication however, I'm doing just fine.
So now we start a new chapter. We will see how I adapt to this new plan and of course, you all know I will throw a race or three if I can in there to keep things interesting.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Training Update
So where were we...
Right, I was training for a Half-Marathon but sadly, there is a 90% chance it's not gonna happen. While there is still a bit of chance I could pull it off, I'm not gonna push for it too much. As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm still trying to figure out the whole cost and logistics of traveling to what I hope will be my first marathon in January so it's kind of important I don't do anything stupid in the upcoming months, so unless I can guarantee myself that signing up for the Half will not set me back financially, its not happening.
Not gonna lie. I really wanted to run it. As you will see, I have been training hard and I think I have progressed a lot. However, just because I will not run it doesn't mean it was time wasted. Far from it. I am one step closer to being able to fulfill my goal of running a marathon. I have also improved my running a bit. While I can't say the training has all been "peaches n' cream" I think there has been some definite progress. Let's take a look.
Hidden Goals
Like many others, I had set some goals for 2013 and most of them I shared with you guys. For example I'm working on running a total of 600 miles this year. Double what I ran last year and I seem to be well on my way but I also had some minor goals I wanted to work on. Nothing major; just stuff I thought I should naturally see occurring as I ran more. What I wasn't expecting was to hit those goals so early. Here they are:
1. Run a mile somewhere in the 12 minute range - 12:59 would've been just fine by me but I ended up totally shattering this one. On 3/5/13 I ran 2 miles. The first one in 12:52. Then on 3/9/13 I did another 2 mile run where I averaged 12:01, running the first mile in 11:33. Guess I got to aim a bit higher on this one.
2. Run 4 miles in less than an hour - Done! 3/27/13 59:37 I think I could have done a bit better here as well.
3. Run a 5K in less than 40 minutes - It was ugly as a mule but I pulled it off on 4/7/13. 39:53 You can read all about that fiasco here.
Long Runs
In January, my longest run was 5 miles. Last Sunday I encountered some trouble trying to reach 10 miles, and ended up barely doing 9. Up until that point I had not encountered any major problems increasing my distance. It hasn't been easy but I had hit all my targets up until that point. Thankfully I'm well aware of where I went wrong and it was totally my fault. I did two things way wrong: 1) I always run in the evenings but this one was in the early morning and I did not eat anything before the run. Bad idea. 2) I ran in an unfamiliar place. I placed a water bottle at a certain point in the course where I thought I was gonna need a gel I had with me. Well, I completely underestimated when and how much water/gels I was gonna need and burned out way before I reached the bottle. By mile 7 I could barely walk.
Despite the setback, I'm not feeling too frustrated though. I know I can run that far. The week before I ran 9 miles without any trouble at all. It was just lack of experience. This week, this setback will be avenged. lol
Tempo Runs
By far, this has been the hardest part of training and not just because I'm running at a faster pace than usual. Maintaining a certain pace - any pace - is hard. For some reason I was under the impression I was running at a pretty even pace but it seem that is not the case. Because I'm such a slow runner, my goal here has been to maintain the minimum race pace required for the Half-Marathon which is 16 minutes per mile. My goal then has been to keep the pace indicator in the high 15's but it's all over the place! I see 14's, 15's, 16's and even 17's when I know I'm not running that slow. Lately I have changed my strategy to focus more on my splits instead. It's a bit harder because I can't make adjustments in real time but it has helped me achieve more consistent results.
Also, it is here where the classic rookie mistake of starting too fast really haunts you. As explained in the training plan, during these runs, you run the first and last mile slow and run the middle miles at the goal pace you are aiming for. Well, hard as I try to run very slow, I end up just running at the goal pace, effectively adding an extra pace mile to the run. That's not a bad thing necessarily, but I have run into problems here and there. On two runs, I simply could not finish the final slow mile because I was too tired. Also, running the first mile at goal pace makes me speed up too much during the proceeding miles which tires me out too fast.
Having said all that, it has been quite motivating seeing that I'm able to run and sustain a faster pace for several miles. Light at the end of the tunnel.
Mileage
I remember I wrote a post not long ago about reaching 13 miles/week on my training. How time flies. The past two weeks I have fighting to reach 20 miles/week. Work stuff has not allowed me to do a couple of short runs and that has denied me the big 20 two weeks in a row so the count currently stands at 19. Last Sunday, I was sure I was going to pull it off but not being able to finish the last mile of my long run left me short by one mile, totaling once again, 19. However, by the end of the month I will have shattered my previous monthly peak of 47 miles by a lot.
Weight
At 278 pounds, I am weighing 22 pounds less than when I started running. 40 pounds less than my worst recorded weight of 318 pounds. Not bad.
So there you have it. Progress, progress, progress. Slow and steady progress.
Right, I was training for a Half-Marathon but sadly, there is a 90% chance it's not gonna happen. While there is still a bit of chance I could pull it off, I'm not gonna push for it too much. As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm still trying to figure out the whole cost and logistics of traveling to what I hope will be my first marathon in January so it's kind of important I don't do anything stupid in the upcoming months, so unless I can guarantee myself that signing up for the Half will not set me back financially, its not happening.
Not gonna lie. I really wanted to run it. As you will see, I have been training hard and I think I have progressed a lot. However, just because I will not run it doesn't mean it was time wasted. Far from it. I am one step closer to being able to fulfill my goal of running a marathon. I have also improved my running a bit. While I can't say the training has all been "peaches n' cream" I think there has been some definite progress. Let's take a look.
Hidden Goals
Like many others, I had set some goals for 2013 and most of them I shared with you guys. For example I'm working on running a total of 600 miles this year. Double what I ran last year and I seem to be well on my way but I also had some minor goals I wanted to work on. Nothing major; just stuff I thought I should naturally see occurring as I ran more. What I wasn't expecting was to hit those goals so early. Here they are:
1. Run a mile somewhere in the 12 minute range - 12:59 would've been just fine by me but I ended up totally shattering this one. On 3/5/13 I ran 2 miles. The first one in 12:52. Then on 3/9/13 I did another 2 mile run where I averaged 12:01, running the first mile in 11:33. Guess I got to aim a bit higher on this one.
2. Run 4 miles in less than an hour - Done! 3/27/13 59:37 I think I could have done a bit better here as well.
3. Run a 5K in less than 40 minutes - It was ugly as a mule but I pulled it off on 4/7/13. 39:53 You can read all about that fiasco here.
Long Runs
In January, my longest run was 5 miles. Last Sunday I encountered some trouble trying to reach 10 miles, and ended up barely doing 9. Up until that point I had not encountered any major problems increasing my distance. It hasn't been easy but I had hit all my targets up until that point. Thankfully I'm well aware of where I went wrong and it was totally my fault. I did two things way wrong: 1) I always run in the evenings but this one was in the early morning and I did not eat anything before the run. Bad idea. 2) I ran in an unfamiliar place. I placed a water bottle at a certain point in the course where I thought I was gonna need a gel I had with me. Well, I completely underestimated when and how much water/gels I was gonna need and burned out way before I reached the bottle. By mile 7 I could barely walk.
Despite the setback, I'm not feeling too frustrated though. I know I can run that far. The week before I ran 9 miles without any trouble at all. It was just lack of experience. This week, this setback will be avenged. lol
Tempo Runs
By far, this has been the hardest part of training and not just because I'm running at a faster pace than usual. Maintaining a certain pace - any pace - is hard. For some reason I was under the impression I was running at a pretty even pace but it seem that is not the case. Because I'm such a slow runner, my goal here has been to maintain the minimum race pace required for the Half-Marathon which is 16 minutes per mile. My goal then has been to keep the pace indicator in the high 15's but it's all over the place! I see 14's, 15's, 16's and even 17's when I know I'm not running that slow. Lately I have changed my strategy to focus more on my splits instead. It's a bit harder because I can't make adjustments in real time but it has helped me achieve more consistent results.
Also, it is here where the classic rookie mistake of starting too fast really haunts you. As explained in the training plan, during these runs, you run the first and last mile slow and run the middle miles at the goal pace you are aiming for. Well, hard as I try to run very slow, I end up just running at the goal pace, effectively adding an extra pace mile to the run. That's not a bad thing necessarily, but I have run into problems here and there. On two runs, I simply could not finish the final slow mile because I was too tired. Also, running the first mile at goal pace makes me speed up too much during the proceeding miles which tires me out too fast.
Having said all that, it has been quite motivating seeing that I'm able to run and sustain a faster pace for several miles. Light at the end of the tunnel.
Mileage
I remember I wrote a post not long ago about reaching 13 miles/week on my training. How time flies. The past two weeks I have fighting to reach 20 miles/week. Work stuff has not allowed me to do a couple of short runs and that has denied me the big 20 two weeks in a row so the count currently stands at 19. Last Sunday, I was sure I was going to pull it off but not being able to finish the last mile of my long run left me short by one mile, totaling once again, 19. However, by the end of the month I will have shattered my previous monthly peak of 47 miles by a lot.
Weight
At 278 pounds, I am weighing 22 pounds less than when I started running. 40 pounds less than my worst recorded weight of 318 pounds. Not bad.
So there you have it. Progress, progress, progress. Slow and steady progress.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Boston 2013
I cannot really post anything else without mentioning the events that unfolded last Monday during the Boston Marathon. Even now, words fail me so I certainly appreciate the words many others more eloquent than myself have expressed through the press, their blogs, social media and even with small gestures like wearing race shirts in support of those affected.
If we can agree on the fact that this was a senseless and tragic act, then we have to also agree on our ability as human beings to pull together in times like these to support and help each other. The days following this tragedy, even with a heavy heart, have filled me with much pride and joy to be a part of the global running community. The incredible pouring of support and empathy that has emerged from this is almost -and let me emphasize almost- unbelievable. I add the almost because those of us who have participated, even a little, of this community can attest to the fact that runners from all walks of life take care about each other. We see it during training, at the track, even in middle of a race when we are supposed to be competing with each other. Little details that let us know we are there for person next to us. So it should come as a surprise, during such a tragic event like this, to see runners from all over the World with arms wide open embracing those affected in Boston.
This might sound overly corny I guess, as we are talking about running after all but even a casual glance at Facebook or Twitter these days will prove me right.
If we can agree on the fact that this was a senseless and tragic act, then we have to also agree on our ability as human beings to pull together in times like these to support and help each other. The days following this tragedy, even with a heavy heart, have filled me with much pride and joy to be a part of the global running community. The incredible pouring of support and empathy that has emerged from this is almost -and let me emphasize almost- unbelievable. I add the almost because those of us who have participated, even a little, of this community can attest to the fact that runners from all walks of life take care about each other. We see it during training, at the track, even in middle of a race when we are supposed to be competing with each other. Little details that let us know we are there for person next to us. So it should come as a surprise, during such a tragic event like this, to see runners from all over the World with arms wide open embracing those affected in Boston.
This might sound overly corny I guess, as we are talking about running after all but even a casual glance at Facebook or Twitter these days will prove me right.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Oh My...
I've been freaking out a little this week. Allow this corny little Facebook image explain why:
Yup. I'm in. Registration opened on April 9th and after a bit of hesitation, I jumped and did it. Now there's no turning back. I'm either running this marathon or this is gonna be the most spectacular way I blow $170.00. Ever.
I mention that because as of right now, I don't know exactly how I'm gonna pull this off. Airfare, hotel, transportation... This is gonna get expensive so I hope I can go. Hey, I can always sell a kidney on the black market or something. I'm glad I did sign up though. The 10K sold out the same day registration opened and the 5K shortly after. By the time you read this, the Dopey Challenge will probably be sold out as well and the Half was 50% full. If I waited to see if I could get all the logistics together I could have missed the window altogether.
So I spent the rest of the day freaking out. For some reason I kept remembering the movie Rookie of the Year. You know that scene where they make him bat in a major league game? His mom, Gary Busey (before he went nuts apparently), and the kid are all going "Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God!" That's how I was feeling. Here we have a saying that roughly translates to "It's one thing to talk about the Devil, and another to thing to see him coming." I have been talking about this race for a while but now it's real. There is no turning back.
Despite my mixed feelings, this is all been good news. I'm excited of course but good excited. However, with the good comes the bad. I hadn't really thought about it, but I think that by signing to the Marathon I may blown my chance to sign up the upcoming Half-Marathon I have been training for all these weeks. Both are expensive and I can't spring for both at the same time. I'm not discarding it completely though. I still have a couple of weeks so maybe I can still pull it off maybe. I sure have put in the training, which has been going pretty good. I will update on that on my next post.
The Walt Disney World Marathon is the reason I started running. It's THE goal so it obviously has priority. And as of April 9th, I am well on my way.
Yup. I'm in. Registration opened on April 9th and after a bit of hesitation, I jumped and did it. Now there's no turning back. I'm either running this marathon or this is gonna be the most spectacular way I blow $170.00. Ever.
I mention that because as of right now, I don't know exactly how I'm gonna pull this off. Airfare, hotel, transportation... This is gonna get expensive so I hope I can go. Hey, I can always sell a kidney on the black market or something. I'm glad I did sign up though. The 10K sold out the same day registration opened and the 5K shortly after. By the time you read this, the Dopey Challenge will probably be sold out as well and the Half was 50% full. If I waited to see if I could get all the logistics together I could have missed the window altogether.
So I spent the rest of the day freaking out. For some reason I kept remembering the movie Rookie of the Year. You know that scene where they make him bat in a major league game? His mom, Gary Busey (before he went nuts apparently), and the kid are all going "Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God!" That's how I was feeling. Here we have a saying that roughly translates to "It's one thing to talk about the Devil, and another to thing to see him coming." I have been talking about this race for a while but now it's real. There is no turning back.
Despite my mixed feelings, this is all been good news. I'm excited of course but good excited. However, with the good comes the bad. I hadn't really thought about it, but I think that by signing to the Marathon I may blown my chance to sign up the upcoming Half-Marathon I have been training for all these weeks. Both are expensive and I can't spring for both at the same time. I'm not discarding it completely though. I still have a couple of weeks so maybe I can still pull it off maybe. I sure have put in the training, which has been going pretty good. I will update on that on my next post.
The Walt Disney World Marathon is the reason I started running. It's THE goal so it obviously has priority. And as of April 9th, I am well on my way.
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