Well, it is with a heavy heart, and after much internal debate, that I have decided to postpone my marathon training until sometime next year, possibly late into the year. My thumb, while much better (I had it lanced several days ago, and it's been steadily improving since), is still healing and is painful, and as a result, I'm being forced to take at least the rest of this week off as well. Two weeks off in a row like this is not doable, especially this late into the training process.
This thumb was a ridiculous injury, one of the worst I've ever had, and it's terrible that it's forced me to stop training for the marathon. However, I've gained a lot from this experience. I've become way more confident in my ability to train hard and follow a set schedule. I've pushed past the limits of what I could do before, and I've also gained a lot of personal confidence just from the discipline and hard work it required to get this far. This has been great.
I likely will resume training for the marathon at some point down the road. When I do, I'll start updating this blog again. I may change this blog into a general training blog, but we'll see. For those of you who read this blog, thanks for following along, and I'm sorry I didn't finish this time. Third time's the charm, right?
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Sunday, 12/7/08
Well, believe it or not, my infected thumb has not gotten any better, and in fact is a tiny bit worse. The antibiotics are clearly not working for me, and as a result, I'm still not going to be able to run. So, what I'm going to do is repeat this past week's runs this coming week and treat last week as a week off. I needed to postpone for two weeks anyways, so this will be one of those weeks. I'm praying that I can get this whole thing resolved by Monday so that I can be running comfortably by Tuesday. If not, then I'm not sure what I'm going to do, since two weeks off from running, and then having to go back in and run 13 miles seems like a ludicrous idea. But we'll see. So no running for the next couple of days. We'll see how it goes.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Thursday, 12/4/08
This is the first missed run I've had so far, and I'm not missing it lightly. I've had an infected left thumb for the past couple of days, and last night, during the 6-mile run, the infection got markedly more painful. I've barely been able to get through today due to the pain, and in fact, the pain was so excruciating last night that I was unable to sleep; I'm going on literally an hour of sleep at the moment.
Running would be both detrimental to my health (I need to sleep as much as possible) and could possibly irritate my infection even more (although I'm not sure how that's possible, considering the amount of pain I'm in). I did go to my doctor today and she gave me antibiotics, so this ridiculousness should be gone by Saturday. However, just to play it safe, I think I'll do my long run on Sunday this week to give myself plenty of time to recuperate. All right, see you guys in several days, hopefully in a lot less pain than I am now!
Running would be both detrimental to my health (I need to sleep as much as possible) and could possibly irritate my infection even more (although I'm not sure how that's possible, considering the amount of pain I'm in). I did go to my doctor today and she gave me antibiotics, so this ridiculousness should be gone by Saturday. However, just to play it safe, I think I'll do my long run on Sunday this week to give myself plenty of time to recuperate. All right, see you guys in several days, hopefully in a lot less pain than I am now!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
12/3/2008
Today I ran 6 miles (probably more like 6.1) in 1:06:00.
Well, this was another very nice run with my dad. We were both in very good spirits, and this time we actually measured the course we were going to run. Everything was going great until Mile 2 when, out of nowhere, my dad tripped hard on a bump in the road and fell down on the asphalt. He recovered well, but he was bleeding pretty badly from his right knee for a bit and he skinned both his hands pretty badly. I give him huge credit for wanting to keep going; I was ready to turn back. But he gritted his teeth and ran the rest of the way.
Besides that, this was a perfectly solid run. On my end, everything felt strong and fine. Six miles is starting to feel like a medium distance rather than a long one, which s a good sign. Time to sleep!
Well, this was another very nice run with my dad. We were both in very good spirits, and this time we actually measured the course we were going to run. Everything was going great until Mile 2 when, out of nowhere, my dad tripped hard on a bump in the road and fell down on the asphalt. He recovered well, but he was bleeding pretty badly from his right knee for a bit and he skinned both his hands pretty badly. I give him huge credit for wanting to keep going; I was ready to turn back. But he gritted his teeth and ran the rest of the way.
Besides that, this was a perfectly solid run. On my end, everything felt strong and fine. Six miles is starting to feel like a medium distance rather than a long one, which s a good sign. Time to sleep!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
12/2/2008
Today I ran 3 miles in 24:26.
This was a run I could not have done when I started this whole thing. Tonight, I had a lot going on; I was exhausted (I'm starting to not be able to sleep well on nights I don't run), I had slightly injured my left knee doing a deep yoga pose earlier in the day (don't ask) and I was congested, never a good thing when running. So, for once, I played it smart.
I ran very slowly and carefully for the first mile or so; I was at an over 10-minute per mile pace. Then, once I had tested the waters and decided I felt strong and that my knee wasn't bothering me too much, I picked up the pace considerably. By the end, I was running hard but not sprinting. I finished feeling strong and with a remarkably decent time given the circumstances and how slow I started out.
Running has become so much more natural for me since I began training in earnest just under two months ago. I've become much more intelligent and mature about running, and I've actually found that I've become more confident in general as a result of this training. I'm much more thoughtful and considerate nowadays, and I've even had a couple of people comment on how secure I seem. That makes me feel great, and if that's what running provides me in life, then I'll keep doing it for as long as I can.
This was a run I could not have done when I started this whole thing. Tonight, I had a lot going on; I was exhausted (I'm starting to not be able to sleep well on nights I don't run), I had slightly injured my left knee doing a deep yoga pose earlier in the day (don't ask) and I was congested, never a good thing when running. So, for once, I played it smart.
I ran very slowly and carefully for the first mile or so; I was at an over 10-minute per mile pace. Then, once I had tested the waters and decided I felt strong and that my knee wasn't bothering me too much, I picked up the pace considerably. By the end, I was running hard but not sprinting. I finished feeling strong and with a remarkably decent time given the circumstances and how slow I started out.
Running has become so much more natural for me since I began training in earnest just under two months ago. I've become much more intelligent and mature about running, and I've actually found that I've become more confident in general as a result of this training. I'm much more thoughtful and considerate nowadays, and I've even had a couple of people comment on how secure I seem. That makes me feel great, and if that's what running provides me in life, then I'll keep doing it for as long as I can.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Week 7 Recap
This week I ran 24 miles.
Well, this was an excellent running week. I was able to handle a pretty significant increase in mileage with no injuries or great fatigue. I also accomplished a mini-goal of mine, which was to run a farther distance than I ever had before. 12 miles felt exhausting, but a lot of that was due to mental hurdles; now that I'm more confident about my body's ability to run distances that long, those mental blocks won't be a problem.
I was also able to negotiate two Thanksgiving dinners without overeating or really eating anything unhealthy (outside of a tiny bit of ice cream in a moment of weakness). That helped my long run enormously, and is a good sign for when I'll have to regulate my diet more intensely.
All in all, a huge week for me, both physically and mentally. Next week, I'll get up to the milestone of 25 miles total for the week. Can't wait!
Well, this was an excellent running week. I was able to handle a pretty significant increase in mileage with no injuries or great fatigue. I also accomplished a mini-goal of mine, which was to run a farther distance than I ever had before. 12 miles felt exhausting, but a lot of that was due to mental hurdles; now that I'm more confident about my body's ability to run distances that long, those mental blocks won't be a problem.
I was also able to negotiate two Thanksgiving dinners without overeating or really eating anything unhealthy (outside of a tiny bit of ice cream in a moment of weakness). That helped my long run enormously, and is a good sign for when I'll have to regulate my diet more intensely.
All in all, a huge week for me, both physically and mentally. Next week, I'll get up to the milestone of 25 miles total for the week. Can't wait!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, 11/29/08
Today I ran 12 miles in 1:54:15.
Well, I have achieved my first major goal of this whole training process, which was to run farther in a single run than I ever had before. As you can see from the time, I ran this slow and methodically; there was no attempt to do anything but cover the distance. However, I can now safely say that the most I've ever run at once is twelve miles; before, it was ten.
I did have to do this run in less than ideal conditions. The Thanksgiving party I was at last night went way later than I thought it would, and I only ended up getting about five hours of sleep, which typically means for me that a part of my body is tighter than normal early on in the day. When I woke up, the area of my body that was tight was my hips, for some strange reason. My calves felt great all throughout the run, which is a first, but my hips were hurting constantly, making it hard to get a solid rhythm and consistent running form.
So, after a couple of miles I tried adjusting my shoes by tying them a little looser, and that actually ended up working, but at the expense of my feet being sore from the lack of support; my left foot in particular is in a lot of pain right now. Also, it was very cold at 6:30 in the morning (this is where my uncle recoils in horror at how early I ran), and it took a long time for my body to warm up.
I did get randomly fatigued around mile eight, but I used that as an opportunity to stop for a while and drink and stretch a bit. I'm assuming I got fatigued because of lack of sleep more than anything. Also, once I got past mile ten, I could definitely feel my body get physically drained. I know my brain was partially to blame for making it happen; I was thinking about how it was uncharted territory for me in terms of total mileage. When I finished, I was exhausted.
But despite all that, in general I felt very strong throughout the run, and enjoyed myself quite a bit. It was a nice change of pace running so early in the morning, and I felt very alone and peaceful for long stretches. I'm also extremely happy that I was able to discipline myself to not overeat for two nights straight; that actually gives me a lot of confidence in the future in terms of being able to follow a strict diet if necessary.
It's a great feeling to have accomplished something like this, and it hasn't really sunk in yet. I know that in the upcoming weeks, I'll be running longer distances than this, but this one, breaking my PR that has existed for something like seven or eight years, was the biggest mental hurdle of them all, at least until I get to twenty miles. I've now proven that I can push my body past its previous limits, and therefore am supremely confident in my chances of completing the marathon. Now, I get to pig out with all the leftover Thanksgiving food! Excellent!
Well, I have achieved my first major goal of this whole training process, which was to run farther in a single run than I ever had before. As you can see from the time, I ran this slow and methodically; there was no attempt to do anything but cover the distance. However, I can now safely say that the most I've ever run at once is twelve miles; before, it was ten.
I did have to do this run in less than ideal conditions. The Thanksgiving party I was at last night went way later than I thought it would, and I only ended up getting about five hours of sleep, which typically means for me that a part of my body is tighter than normal early on in the day. When I woke up, the area of my body that was tight was my hips, for some strange reason. My calves felt great all throughout the run, which is a first, but my hips were hurting constantly, making it hard to get a solid rhythm and consistent running form.
So, after a couple of miles I tried adjusting my shoes by tying them a little looser, and that actually ended up working, but at the expense of my feet being sore from the lack of support; my left foot in particular is in a lot of pain right now. Also, it was very cold at 6:30 in the morning (this is where my uncle recoils in horror at how early I ran), and it took a long time for my body to warm up.
I did get randomly fatigued around mile eight, but I used that as an opportunity to stop for a while and drink and stretch a bit. I'm assuming I got fatigued because of lack of sleep more than anything. Also, once I got past mile ten, I could definitely feel my body get physically drained. I know my brain was partially to blame for making it happen; I was thinking about how it was uncharted territory for me in terms of total mileage. When I finished, I was exhausted.
But despite all that, in general I felt very strong throughout the run, and enjoyed myself quite a bit. It was a nice change of pace running so early in the morning, and I felt very alone and peaceful for long stretches. I'm also extremely happy that I was able to discipline myself to not overeat for two nights straight; that actually gives me a lot of confidence in the future in terms of being able to follow a strict diet if necessary.
It's a great feeling to have accomplished something like this, and it hasn't really sunk in yet. I know that in the upcoming weeks, I'll be running longer distances than this, but this one, breaking my PR that has existed for something like seven or eight years, was the biggest mental hurdle of them all, at least until I get to twenty miles. I've now proven that I can push my body past its previous limits, and therefore am supremely confident in my chances of completing the marathon. Now, I get to pig out with all the leftover Thanksgiving food! Excellent!
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