John's Marathon Journey

I Juana Run

Today we did the Juana Run in Palo Alto. It's an 8k/5 mile run to benefit a couple of elementary schools. The neat thing about the run is that they have many kids' short races for each grade level. So, I dragged the family out to see me start at 8:30am, and later both Tony and Gabi ran their own races.

I did really well in my race. I decided to "run fast, but under control". After an 8 minute first mile, I did the rest of the miles under 7 minute pace. For me, that's outstanding. It's actually the fastest I have run a race of this range since I was 18 years old! Hey, I'm regaining my youth thanks to TNT.

Tony was excited for the race. Kids like the t-shirt and official race number, and the ribbon at the end was a great present. Tony ran most of the race pretty fast, but he broke stride with about 15 yards left. He said he couldn't breath and his feet hurt! Well, it was the first time he ran a 1/4 mile. Once he caught his breath, he was in better spirits and is interested in running it again next year.

Gabi did really well in the Pre-Kindergarten Girls event. She ran 1/8 mile, and was so cute! She kept running the whole way and did very respectably. Once she was in the finish chute, it was hard to keep her in line because she kept running to Mommy. But, she made it through to get her ribbon.

Tapering with a Vengence

Since the 20-miler, we have been in the "tapering" phase of our training. For the three weeks leading up to the March 3 marathon, we won't do any more very long runs.

I have quickly embraced this concept, and feel guilty about it. I actually missed my two cross-training workouts last week, which is beyond the call of tapering.

The body certainly feels lazy without the physical demands that it is used to. Just wait, it will get its demands next Sunday!

Not Bad

I'm happy to report that yesterday's anxiety wasn't merited. The 20-mile run in Fremont went quite smoothly. One thing that I realize the program teaches you is that some level of discomfort is normal, and not to panic. Although knees and a certain upper thigh muscle felt a little funny, it wasn't bad. It wasn't as bad as 18-miles in Woodside.

Another thing I've learned from the program is the value of running with others. I think that if I ran 20 miles on my own, I would be tempted to start thinking about every little ache and pain. When you're running with someone, you can put these concerns on the back burner. Either by the conversation you have, or just the fact that you want to maintain a steady pace with your partner, you can run stronger than you might alone.

I'm feeling increasingly confident that I'm ready for the marathon. It would be especially nice if we have perfect weather as we did yesterday: clear and not too cold.

Fear Factor

I'm heading out the door for the Dress Rehearsal to the marathon. We will run 20 miles along the Fremont shoreline.

I feel somewhat anxious. I've never run this long before. My health is good, but not "perfect". (I am such a hypochondriac.) The course has similarities to my worst run at Sawyer Camp: an out and back bicycle path. At least it won't be raining today!

On the other hand, I can do this. I did great at all the recent runs, including 18 miles. I've followed my rituals, including Clif bar, sport drink, shower, and vaseline over tender bits. I'm wearing my lucky socks. Mind over body -- I can do it!

Stay tuned for the report afterwards.

The Need for Speed

Every Tuesday night we have Track workout at Foothill College. It is a lot of fun, although it isn't a very hard workout. It is a good social opportunity as we always have time together for announcements and while recovering between our intervals. The intervals aren't very hard, as they are seldom faster than 10K pace.

I like the feeling of running fast (relatively speaking). So, when we we running 400 meter intervals, I ran fast but under control. It was a fun feeling. I chided one of my younger friends on the track, reminding him that this was his event in school. He rose to the challenge and ran with me the next lap, and pushed me six seconds faster on that lap. I was amused with what he said as we were running: you know John, I sure hope I can this fast when I'm as old as you. Gee, thanks! I know he meant it with all good will, but it just makes it that much harder to deny that I am arguably middle aged. Oh well, I'm thankful to be running and enjoying it very much.

Trail Running Rocks

Ran at Rancho at 7:00 today. This has been a recovery week after two weeks of increasingly long runs. Today we "only" ran 7-8 miles. The Rogue Valley/Wildcat Canyon loop has a good long hill, though.

It seemed colder than the weather report, as there was frost about and puddles had some ice. Once we hit the hill, things warmed right up, though. At the top, we regrouped and caught our breath before a very enjoyable downhill run. The trail through Wildcat Canyon is beautiful: crisp air, trees overhead and a small creek along the trail. These are the best runs of all, under the trees and on soft dirt trails.