My first workout back since the flu is done and over. Let’s just say I may not be completly over the sickness. Also the weather did’t help thing any either, 28 degrees out.
The workout was 4 sets of 4 x 400 meters with 200 meter jog recovery and 3 min jog between sets. It was all I could do to run 70’s all the way through. Sure there were a couple 69’s in there and a 67 to finish, only because coach put a sprint in over the final 160 meters, but there were a few 71’s to let me know that I am still recovering. Add in the fact that my heart rate just hovered around 125-139 beats per minute, even when I was well rested, confirmed that I am still under the weather. But this is a step in the right direction. I have a hilly 15 miles scheduled for tomorrow. That is all.
I am here in Ottawa, we got in yesterday, Karen, Ari and I. It has been a long time since I was here last, 2003, and that was the first marathon that I finished. I meant to come back here probably at least 4 times since 2003 but various things seem to pop up, sickness, being unfit or I’ll prepared for the 26.2, and the last time I got injured before I was to head out to Ottawa. Also to be honest I had no buisness being out here running a marathon in 2003 as I got really sick before the race and missed out on a good amount of training prior to that. So that fact that I am here now is a good sign. I am healthy, rested and fit. It has been awhile since I have made it to race day with no lingering thoughts of training missed or questions about my preparedness; the last time was probably in 2006. But even then training did not go as smoothly as it has this time around. The biggest reason for that is the timing of our training group coming together at the time it did, Richard Lee’s willingness to oversee the training and the programs and the individuals like Richard, Ryan, Tom and Trevor coming put to practises and runs to train together.
Without these 3 factors training for this marathon would have been really difficult. If you do the math it would seem that 2009 minus 2003 equals 6 and that I have been at this marathon thing for 6 years, but as I look back at my prep this time around that kind of math just doesn’t add up, of is not that linear and in this case 1 plus 1 does not equal 2. I realize now I have never done the required training needed to run a marathon properly. Now this was not intentional and I had an idea of what type of training I should do, and I sure as he’ll was advised by Al johnston ,on many occassions, what I should be doing, but the fact was I was not ready for the specific training needed, and it scared the crap put of me. It was a lot easier to say ” I need to run a 10 mile tempo right now by myself but you know 20 quarters ok the track sounds more inviting tight now. Sure I could run long runs on Sundays everyweek and get in 120-150 miles a week but it was mostley easy runs, workouts that were run way faster that marathon pace and with virtually no specific marathon paced work down.
So in a really round about way I feel like I am just now starting my marathon career, 1 plus 1 does not equal 2 for me and no having the knowledge of what a real marathon prep contains and having people to do the work with has made all the difference.
I am ready, healthy and as prepared as I possibly can be so I will let the rest take care of itself at 7 am tomorrow morning.
Stanford U. From the Hoover Bell tower.
