Weekend Warrior

Why do I insist on cramming all my weekly miles in to the weekend?  Ran 25 miiles this past week and 22 of those were Friday through Sunday.  My long run yesterday sucked because my legs were so tired!  The first few miles felt good but by time I got to the turnaround I was beat.  Had a little weiner dog/beagle mix chase me with about 2 miles left and I was so tired I bent down to it's level and barked at it instead of trying to run away from it.  Stupid thing went running back to it's owner.  I am sure the owner was laughing at my bark but I didn't care.  The next step was to bite it if it didn't leave my ankles alone!  Discovered I don't care for Chocolate Outrage GU.  Better to find out during training than in a race.  Goal for this week is to get some miles in during the week!  My mid week run increases to 7 miles this week.  It's the mid week semi long run that i can't seem to get in during the week.  The Sunday long run is really hard when i do my mid-week semi-long run on Saturday.  Need to quit doing that!!!

Wow am I slow!

Just out of curiosity I looked up my times for the 2 half marathons I have completed and the one marathon I have completed.

2:13:29 - 2005 Hospital Hill Half Marathon
2:23:03 - 2011 Running with the Cows Half Marathon
5:04:46 - 2011 Quad Cities Marathon

Wow am I slow! Granted I am not as young as I used to be but wow am I slow! Completed my first marathon in 2011. Knew I would be slow thanks to a calf injury keeping me from completing several of my training runs. Running is going fairly good this year. Having issues with shin splints but it seems to resolve itself within about 2-3 miles of the run. Having only done a few races at these distances, why can't I go faster? That's the question I am asking myself and I am determined to find an answer. Guess that means I better start training rather than just plodding along just to put in the miles. I will never match my high school time of 5:20 for the mile, 21:45 for the 5k or 48:xx for the 10k but surely I can improve on my half and full marathon times. Still on track to do the RnR Nashville Marathon providing I want to spend the $. Goal marathon is Marine Corps Marathon. Registration opens in March and the date is circled on my calendar! Running with the Cows and Hospital Hill are both on my calendar as well. How about a PR this year??? Time to start training!

Running for Sherry

My training plan calls for a rest day tomorrow.  I am off schedule this week though due to illness so may do the 6 miles that I haven't done yet this week in honor of Sherry.  A virtual run for Sherry is scheduled for Saturday Feb 11th. 

Race calendar

Added the Jeff Taylor Memorial Run and John Glaser Memorial Run to my schedule for the fall. They don't really fall conveniently in to my training plan for the Marine Corps Marathon BUT they are both for a good cause - the Surviving Spouse And Family Endowment Fund ("SAFE") which exists to support the families of Law Enforcement Officers, Firefighters and Emergency Services Personnel in the Kansas City metro area who have perished in the line of duty. Looking forward to joining some of my friends for both runs.

Illness

Haven't logged a mile yet this week.  Fighting an upper respiratory infection.  Just when I think I am feeling better I practically cough up a lung.  Working late tonight but hoping to get 3 easy miles in anyway.  If I don't run tonight it will be missed mileage for the week that can't be gotten back.  No sense in trying to "make up" missed miles.  I am following Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Marathon program.  It got me to the finish of the Quad Cities Marathon last fall so I know it will get me to the finish at RnR Nashville providing I don't miss too many workouts.  Plan on using the Intermediate 1 program to get me to the finish of the Marine Corps Marathon this fall. 

Bucket List?

Decided in 2011 I would do a marathon as part of my bucket list.   Trained for and completed the Quad Cities Marathon September 25, 2011.  Maybe it was the weather, the slow time or the feeling I got when I crossed the finish line but decided I wasn't stopping at one.  Just days after completing QC I found myself looking at race calendars and asking friends for suggestions on races to run.  Tentatively plan to do Rock n Roll Nashville Marathon in April and Marine Corps Marathon in October.  Injuries weren't kind to me in 2011 so will just have to see how 2012 goes.  Either way, decided a marathon was not just a bucket list item for me.