We're exactly one month out from the marathon, from toeing the line at the the 14th Annual United Technologies Greater Hartford Marathon! I am so excited.
I can't believe how far I've come in only three months, or not even 12 full weeks of training. I've gone from a sorry excuse for a runner to a "serious" runner. I've shaved more than 4 minutes off my 5K race time. I've gone from running 15 miles per week at a 10:30 average pace to running 40 miles per week at a 9:10 average pace. I've lost more than 10 pounds and am much leaner and stronger, upper-body and core especially. Thanks to DB, I've cut back on my alcohol consumption--more than just a few drinks per week to virtually zilch (I slip a glass of red wine in there every once and a great while). I'm following a very strict diet and making sure to replenish glycogen stores immediately following all of my runs. Water and mashed sweet potatoes could not be a better refueling combo. I highly recommend it. I'm getting plenty of sleep. I'm keeping stress in check. I'm focused.
My marathon training and marathon training in general fascinates me. I can't believe how quickly the human body can adapt to the stress of pounding pavement 5 days per week and going from running between 3 to 5 miles at most three days per week to around 40 miles per week. Anyone can do this. It took a lot of convincing to get me to believe this, but it's really true. I had thought that it took some kind of special talent. It doesn't. It takes discipline and patience, which we all have somewhere, in some it's deeper than in others, but it's there, nonetheless. Unleash it! The human body is highly adaptive if you treat it the right way.
I'm also happy to report that every single one of the nagging aches and pains, which I thought were chronic, that I had prior to beginning my marathon training has been worked out. The left knee pain. Gone. The left ankle discomfort. Gone. The right shin discomfort. Gone. I'm running pain free and pretty effortlessly.
Many thanks to everyone contributing here. So far, this has been an awesome ride. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone at the marathon and running strong together. It seems as if everyone else has also come a long way. That is great news, and I hope that we've all helped each other and that we continue to feed off each other and get stronger and smarter. Let's keep up the good work.
1 comment:
Considering I have some biomechanical issues, I am also quite surprised with how my body has handled the distance running. I thought for sure I was gonna have problems, especially with my knee. The biggest problem I'm having now is finding enough time to get the running in, which I wasn't expecting.
Post a Comment