Training Report - July 1, 2008

Ironman Louisville training window - 730 days
Columbus Marathon training window - 110 days

With little fanfare, I return to the world of the blogs. I know that there was great excitement when my therapy was completed and I thought that I would be getting back to the training for the Columbus Marathon. Well …….. as fate would have it – the training would have to wait a little while longer. The week that I cleared therapy I ran into another bump in the road. Without going into great detail, I ended up with 5 stitches in my leg and put off training until now.

I am back at it.

Sunday was my first real attempt to get back on the training schedule. I was at Antrim Park and did 2 miles in 35:29 with a pace of 17:45. It was nice to be there but the weather looked like it was going to cut loose with a nasty storm so I cut my day short.

Today, I was at Creekside and it was wonderful. The temp was in the mid 70’s and there was a slight breeze. I did 3 miles in 54:47 and a pace of 18:16. Not the best but much better than what I was doing a couple of months ago. I started to lose steam towards the end of the second mile and noticed that my feet are not used to the distance. I am sure that both of these things will ease with time and training.

I did find the following online today and wanted to share it with you (I’m amazed how many of these I can relate to!)

26.2 Ways You Know You Are a Runner/Walker
1. You know how many miles there are in a marathon.
2. Your weekly mileage is how much you run, not your commute to work.
3. You know how many miles you get out of a pair of running shoes.
4. You can convert Kilometers to Miles in your head.
5. You measure your running route in your car to get the exact mileage.
6. When someone tells you their age, you automatically know their Boston qualifying time.
7. You know Grandma's as the route from Two Harbors to Duluth, not the person.
8. You can drink, blow your nose and pee on the run.
9. The problem with the treadmill is there's no place to spit.
10. You have less than ten toenails and that's normal for you.
11. Body Glide is your friend.
12. Ibuprofen is affectionately known as "Vitamin I".
13. Navigating casual walkers, dogs and baby strollers annoys you because it interrupts your pace.
14. When you participate in an organized event, you know not to run in your race t-shirt.
15. You have a favorite energy gel and flavor.
16. The "Picasso" above your fireplace is last year's TCM poster.
17. You have pre and post race rituals.
18. The journal you keep is in miles and pace not feelings or thoughts.
19. When you look at the weather conditions, you calculate how many layers to wear.
20. The pride you feel after a good run is worth the pain it took to get there.
21. You have more t-shirts than you could possibly wear.
22. When you hear the word "bib", you think of race numbers not babies and Gerber food.
23. The "no carbohydrate diet" does not apply to you.
24. You know that Fartlek is not vulgar terminology.
25. A hill is an opportunity just waiting to be challenged.
26. You know the phrase "you're almost there" only applies when the finish line is in sight.
.2 Your vacation destination is determined by your race schedule.