The Virgin Chronicles

Marathon training has not exactly gone as I planned, expected, or hoped for. Trying to train while working two jobs and caring for two boys while your wife is laid up is probably not ideal for your maiden voyage into the world of marathons. However, I haven't found this to be the most difficult part. As with most training cycles it was a dreaded injury that has me down the most. I got hit with a case of the old plantar fasciitis. It has meant a week or so off, and I have been trying to stay off of hard surfaces while doing lots of icing with a water bottle and extra massage and stretching for my foot. I think it is helping. My foot no longer keeps me from running, after the first 3 or 4 miles it warms up and hurts less. What has probably helped the most was going to an awesome running shoe store in Everett, where I got to watch myself run and the guy was super helpful at adjusting my stride so I wouldn't hurt my body as much. I will definitely drive the 2 hours to go back up there in the future.

But how is the running going? Not bad. My original goal was 3:30  but with my setback on the schedule, I am now shooting for just a sub 4:00. I am using a training schedule I found in Runner's World that goes away from doing the typical 20+ mile runs and has you run 6 days of moderate distances. Right now I am up to 35 miles or so a week, which is by far the most I have ever ran in a week, and my longest run has been 12 miles. That is also the furthest I have ever ran. It is hard to work all my runs in and since I already have to get up at 4:30 for work, I usually have to squeeze them in around 8 at night after I put the boys to bed. Probably my biggest success was getting up at 4:30 on a Saturday to get in my long run before I went to a track meet. It surprised the crap out of Tressa and I have to say me, too. But the pride I felt from doing it was awesome. I have a tendency to be a procrastinator, and not always fully applying myself, so I was worried I would end up slacking or missing too many runs, but that hasn't been the case.

Actually, my brother-in-law who runs cross country for Saint Martin's University in Olympia and I have a bet going to see who can get to 8% body fat first. That means I have been weighing in twice weekly and have lost about 10 pounds in a month, but I still have a ways to go. To keep Tressa happy, since she doesn't like me to be too skinny (especially while she is gaining weight), I have been doing my perfect push ups and pull-ups as well as my abs, to make sure my top half stays proportionate to my larger bottom half.

So, now we have a hotel room, though I am not sure about Tressa coming but she seems dead set on it, even trying to convince Riley to come out early so she isn't prego at the time, all I have to do is find a good half-marathon tune up race and apparently an outfit. I am looking forward to my 14 miler this weekend and as always, the post run chocolate protein shake (one of my major motivators to all runs!) Can't wait to see/meet lots of you there, and if there is a bloggy meet-up Tressa would really like to be included!