Spring is in the air

Week 3 was uneventful as far as mileage/routes goes. And thankfully no knee problems to date!

April reminds me how each season brings its own challenges for runners, especially those of us who enjoy running outdoors. This week, I made sure to carry a Kleenex in one hand to catch the inevitable drips from my poor sinuses, helpless in the maelstrom of pollen floating about here in NJ this week. Spring peeper frogs cheeped in the swampy stretches along the running trail, robins hopped, and woodpeckers were busy high up in the trees.

The temperature changes hourly this time of year, so I checked it carefully each day before heading out for a run. Chilly mornings meant light gloves and two pairs of socks. Long runs in mid-afternoon made me peel off my fleece halfway to the finish.

Weekly total= 15 miles

Week 2 summary

Logged only 14 miles this past week. My running total noticeably shrinks the more hours I put in at the office. Up 'til now, I run only on my days off, or in mid-morning on those days I go into the office late. I plan to fix this as spring rolls into summer, and it gets warm enough in the early mornings to add in pre-work runs.

I've watched my food intake, both quantity and quality, MUCH more this week. With every leftover Easter candy temptation, and after each bite of a second helping at dinner, I wonder to myself whether it will help or hurt my training. It's funny, because I could think like that all the time, but really I analyze what's going down the hatch way more when I'm getting ready for a race. Which is just another good reason to plan to run a marathon.

First Training Week

My first week of training post-marathon sign-up went better than expected. Especially the 4mile Sunday run, coming after a 5mile run just the day before.

It's still cold out, enough to keep wearing running tights and gloves. I did trade in my funky fleece headband for a ball cap though. Slowly, slowly the spring comes....

Weekly mileage total= 20miles

Mon:    5miles
Tues:    3miles
Wed:    30push-ups (hearafter referred to as pups), 40sit-ups (henceforth called sups)
Thurs:   3miles
Fri:        rest
Sat:       5miles
Sun:      4miles

Signed Up and Ready to Train!

I did it! Monday I signed up for my first marathon ever. It's the Philadelphia Marathon held on November 17, 2013.

http://philadelphiamarathon.com/

Thirty-two weeks of training stretch ahead. This week I'm jacking up my mileage to 20 miles, from the paltry 9 or so I was doing all winter.

Foremost on my mind is not whether I can run the 26.2 miles, but whether an injury during these months of training may prevent me from even showing up to the race.

As a forty-something runner, mostly I'm concerned about two joints: my right knee, which has some type of chronic inflammation/loose cartilage/iliotibial band syndrome, I'm not sure which, and my left foot, where I've grown a bunion and trigger-toe from too many years in dress shoes. Ice, stretching and ibuprofen/aspirin will hopefully help me manage them in the coming weeks.

Wish me luck!