Free… Yes, F-R-E-E… Marathon

What does the word MARATHON mean to you? Yes, the obvious answer is 26.2 miles of running, walking or crawling, depending on who you are! To me, it’s one of those love-to-hate things like child birth, deep tissue massage or dieting. You know, the intense pain before the immense pay-off! I mean, think about it… when you decide to sign up for that race, you agree to:

1. commit MONTHS of your life to training
2. forfeit a couple toe nails for the cause
3. run through at least a couple pair of rather expensive shoes
4. live with the aches and pains in the hams, hips, quads and knees
5. forfeit your normal social life for one centered around the long weekend runs

AND, for all this wonderful (code word for torturous) fun, you would normally, pay (happily, I might add) a couple hundred dollars just to register!!!! Well, I found a F-R-E-E marathon!!! It’s called The Really Big Free Marathon, and it’s in VEGAS on November 3rd!!! WOOHOO!! Here’s the rub… registration opens on March 24th at 12:01AM PST. Yes, that’s Pacific Standard Time, which is 3:00AM for those of us on the East Coast! UUGGGHH!! Eeeh, what’s a little lost sleep in the grand scheme? RIGHT?!?

Hot and Humid Running…UGHH!

So as you know, I’ve been a little lazy about running lately! OK REALLY lazy! But… I’m trying!  I did run a 5K charity race on Saturday after NO training! And frankly, IT SUCKED!!! Not the race itself, but my performance! It was SO hot and humid! I know, I know… I live in FLA, I should be used to it. But to run in the sun is just not fun! Now I sound like Dr. Suess… great! Anyway, I had my iPhone with me and had the Nike + app running, but for some reason it didn’t register my pace or distance only my time. FRUSTRATING!!! So at 1 mile there was a sign, and at 1.5 miles there was a water station. But the entire rest of the race was unmarked. I was convinced at about mile 2.5 that we had run at least 5 miles. That’s what I get for not training! I did finish, even though my time wasn’t good! YAY ME!

Now I’m back on my schedule of 1 charity race a month. I figure it’s the only way I can keep myself motivated. I’m actually hoping to do a couple of half marathons in the fall! Notice I didn’t say FULL! Yes… I still have it in my head to someday run a full marathon, but for now I’ll stick with my halfs. I just want to keep my knees healthy and after my training injury, I decided to take it really slow! Really, really slow! So, I’m starting with an easy 3 days a week 4 miles a day schedule. This should get me through to summer. Then I’ll kick it up a little and add some extra miles! Because I love to run in 120ºF temps! 🙂 The sun beating down, and the sweat stinging your eyes… you’ve got to LOVE it!!!

Injury Alert!

OUCH!!!

So the last time we spoke I was doing great…training for the Disney Marathon, running my miles and feeling GREAT!! OK, yes, I had a blister or two, but I was really feeling GREAT! Then, it started…slowly at first…but the pain was inching its way into my runs. A twinge in my knee, an ache in my hip… the excessive mileage was catching up to me. I couldn’t bend down and get back up anymore. Here I was a 44 year old moving like I was an 80 year old and grunting and groaning like one too! No wonder the elderly are seen as grumpy…pain sucks! It’s getting worse too! I went out for  a short 6 mile run the other day and grimaced and cursed the entire way. Afterwards, I was walking to cool down when I felt a strange pulling sensation in the outside of my left knee. Then, it just went limp. NOT GOOD!! I could barely walk the quarter mile to get home. I stretched as soon as I got home and iced it down, but nothing helped. It was done!!! I limped around for a couple days and decided to give it a couple days off to see if it would start to feel better. Not working! It’s now been 5 days and I’m still in pain, while not as bad as before and I’m not able to run on it. The marathon is in 6 days!!! I am afraid it’s just not going to happen for me! WAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!! All that training and no pay off!

Well, I guess the ability to walk for the rest of my life is more important than bragging rights. RIGHT? Can I still claim to be a marathon runner if I only ever completed 18 miles? I did run a half marathon race, and despite a few mishaps, I ran a decent race. Is a half marathoner still considered a marathoner? I’m sure all the half marathoners out there are saying yes and all the marathoners are saying NO!!!

I will try to run again tomorrow and see if it’s any better. But for now, I’m not planning on attempting the Disney Marathon 2010…frowny face :((

Injury! :(

Florida Rain

Well, the weather today in FL is very wet and dreary, which fits with my mood. You see, I may have an injury. I’m not sure, but my big toe on my left foot is a little suspect. It is a little pink around the nail bed and every once in a while I can feel it throbbing. I’m hoping that it is just a passing thing, but it may actually be a toe nail injury, which would really stink! While it isn’t hurting all the time, it has made itself known in the wee hours of the morning, by waking me. Yet, it doesn’t hurt when I run! Go figure! My toes have plenty of room in my running shoes, so it isn’t like they are jamming into the end with every step. But there is something going on, that’s for sure!

So, you know, I have this new challenge to run at least a mile everyday! Well, I am wondering if this injury isn’t a result of that. Could the excess running be causing the injury? Maybe…but then why doesn’t it hurt when I run? I will keep you posted! But I will run!!