Training Log - June 25

Today is a scheduled off day. My right shin hurts simply going down the stairs. It's not bad when I am walking around. When I run, it hurts. When I go down stairs, it hurts. If I increase mileage like I had planned, I think that it will hurt more.

I'm going to cry.

Training Log - June 24

80 degrees today. I went for a three mile run. My right shin is bothering me still.

Nuts.

Nuts. Nuts. Nuts.

I should probably take a full week off, spend a lot of time icing, do some serious bike riding to maintain my cardio and then ease back into running.

I really don't want to. I want to run. If I wanted to bike, I'd be a biker.

I'm going to go pout.

Training Log - June 23

I ran 3 miles today. They were blacktopping 50, so I couldn't make it out to the Scenic. I ran over to 343 instead. That gravel road may become a new "regular" route. 50 in that direction has curve with a nasty slope to it, but once I am past that and turn on 343 the gravel road has almost no crown.

I had a little pain in my shin, but not bad. I think that I'll really cut back my midweek mileage this week (from 17 to 7 or 10), do some more cross training. Hopefully, I'll be able to do an 11 mile run on Saturday.

Training Log - June 21

I took yesterday off from running and decided to do some cross training today. My wife and I rode for about an hour and a half. While not as intense as a 7.5 mile run, it was a great change of pace and rested my shin.

Training Log - June 19

Ran 5 miles today. My right shin was bothering me. Argh! I think I might need to rest it a little. I've noted the problem before. As I think about it, there are two things that have changed. First, I've been increasing my midweek mileage. This means greater stress on the legs. Second, I've been doing some wall squates using the exercise ball. This pressures exactly the same spot that began bothering me.

Why is it that the treatment of running injuries always involves not running?

Training Log - June 17

Ran 6.2 miles up the Scenic today. This week is something of a lull in my training. I'm going to start ramping up the mileage again next week. I'm looking forward to it. Really.

I scheduled my 7.5 mile loop for Saturday, but discovered that they are going to be tearing up the road starting tomorrow. That's good, because the wooden bridges on that country road scared me. I'll have to find a new route. Maybe I'll drive somewhere just to run something different.

Training Log - June 16

Just a quick 3 mile run this morning. The good news is that I also managed to get some weight training in, something that I really need to start adding to my training.

Training Log - June 14

Yesterday's "cross training" didn't happen. The weather was lousy. I wound up having an "off" day instead. Oh well. I guess missing a three-miler won't kill me. In fact, it's probably just what my legs needed.

Today's 10 mile run went well. A little soreness that worked itself out after the first mile. Then it was just an awesome run. Long, but good. One highlight was seeing the smallest fawn standing by the side of the road. It couldn't have been more than two feet tall. It bounded off into the woods as I approached.

Training Log - June 12

A five mile run today. My shin was bothering me. In fact, my right leg seems a little sore an a variety of spots...in a way that I definitely don't like. I'll do some extra stretching today and then I'll see about my three mile run tomorrow. With a 10 mile run scheduled for Saturday, tomorrow might be a good day to get the bike out of the rafters and do some cross-training.

Marathon Rules

This weeks TIART topic is "As you start your marathon training don't forget..." What a great topic! As I was thinking about this, there were a number of things that came to mind. Things like having the proper training plan, eating right, getting plenty of fluids or remembering to listen to your body. All of those things are important...and if you forget them you'll pay the consequences down the road somewhere. But there is a mental aspect to this whole marathon thing that is important to remember throughout the process. That's why it's essential to keep in mind the two cardinal rules of marathoning.

As you start your marathon training, don't forget...

Marathon Rule Number 1: Those who do marathons are crazy.

• Throughout history, people have attempted to find ways to make life easier. They caught and tamed horses so they wouldn't have to run. They created carriages for a smoother ride. They invented automobiles so they wouldn't have to feed the horses. They improved roads so cars could go faster. Tell me again why you want to run 26.2 miles?
• In training for a marathon this year, I will run the equivalent of running from Des Moines to Austin, TX.
• At some point during every marathon I’ve run I’ve vowed I would never do it again. Yet here I go again.
• Who else discusses the color of their pee?
• Carefully watch the expressions of people who learn that you are training for a marathon. You’ll notice that they are quietly wondering if they need to keep you away from sharp objects.
• Here's a three-step sanity check: 1. Reset the odometer the next time you are in the car. 2. Measure 26.2 miles. 3. Think about it.
• Normal people would think that running that much every week might be okay since “you can eat anything you want,” yet most marathoners obsess about what they eat. They carefully watch portions and content in an attempt to prepare for the next run without gaining weight. Notice all of the healthy food articles in running magazines…and that there isn’t a single fast food advertisement.
• The guy pooping in your bushes is probably training for a marathon.

Marathon Rule Number 2: Crazy is good.

• “Uh, no way”: The response I get when I challenge my son’s varsity athlete friends to a foot race…to a point 20 miles away.
• Few great things in life are accomplished without extraordinary commitment. Why settle for ordinary?
• Endorphins.
• The discipline required in marathon training spills over into other areas of life.
• Where else can you spend a morning having hundreds of complete strangers tell you that you're "looking good"?
• Many of my mocking friends huff and puff after climbing a flight of stairs.
• I can wear my "thin" pants.
• Most of my best ideas and the solutions to my most perplexing problems have come while I've been running.
• Remember: If you’ve run from Des Moines to Austin, it's quitting during a run from Minneapolis to St. Paul that would be crazy.
• I can settle into my workday knowing that I have already accomplished something that most people haven’t: I’ve run my miles.
• As I write this in Caribou Coffee, a customer walked in who looks like he's had a few hundred too many Big Macs. Yes, sometimes a long run can really hurt, but it looks like he hurts just standing in line.
• I've cheered as my favorite sports team has won the championship. I've enjoyed winning a close game. But nothing in all of sports (and perhaps almost all of life) feels like crossing the finish line of a marathon. Nothing.

Now it's important to remember these rules because people will question your sanity. There will come a time when you question your sanity. Start your training right by repeating the two rules over and over on at least one training run per week. Then you'll be set for whatever befalls you between now and the finish line.

"I am crazy. Crazy is good. I am crazy. Crazy is good. I am..."

Training Log - June 10

Today was a 10k run on a windy misty day. My shin bothered me a little. Its one of those things that you notice when there is nothing else to think about and then it goes away. It made me wonder if I should get a new pair of shoes. The shoe company has discontinued the ones I like and I cannot find them online. So its another trip to the running store...90 miles away.

Training Log - June 9

A three mile run. What a great day in the woods! There was that early morning mist with the sun breaking through the trees every now and then. The sound of crows fighting in treetops. I saw the tracks of a deer I just missed seeing. Today was another reason to run.

Training Log - June 7

It was over 60 today as I did my long run. It seemed hotter. Today was one of those days when my long run was really mentally tough. Funny how some runs are like that. My legs are tired and have that post-run burn feel to them. I did experience a little soreness in my right shin, but nothing I couldn't run through.

I skipped a 3 miler yesterday. The weather was windy and rainy all day and I just couldn't face the treadmill.

Training Log - June 5

It's 50 out, but misty. There's a major storm coming in this afternoon so I ran 5 miles today. Normally I run on the gravel shoulder, but lately I've been running on the pavement. It seems easier somehow. Hopefully I'll get my next two runs in this week. It sounds like the weather could be a problem. I can always do my three mile run on the treadmill tomorrow, but I the thought of trying to do a 10 miler on the thing.

Training Log - June 4

5 miles up the Scenic today. There was a mist and drizzle part of the run.

Training Log - June 2

I ran three miles up the Scenic today.