Week 20

This was the first of two warm up weeks before I start my formal training for my marathon. I'm going to use the 18-week Novice-1 training schedule set out by Hal Higdon on his web site. I completed the Gulf Beaches Marathon in 2003 and finishing it was a great experience. I remember when I started training back in 2002, I couldn't run a mile. I was just a bit overweight and I started running because I was sitting in my La-Z-Boy recliner and I felt my heart beat just a little irregularly and I freaked out thinking I was on the way to a heart attack. I had always been a pretty active person and I just felt the need to be active again. I can't remember when I decided to run marathon but I committed myself to doing it and had fun training. I had a calendar of miles that I had to complete and I liked checking them off.

This week's highlights:

I ran about 10 miles this week. My legs still suck. Can't wait until they are like machines.

Luckie and I finally got to see The Dark Knight this past Wednesday. It was great entertainment. Just LOUD as hell. We still didn't get to see it in IMAX because it was sold out and the 7:30 show we originally got tickets for was so packed we couldn't find seats together so we had to get a refund and go to the 8:50 show which ended at 11:15! It was a long night to see just one movie. We left for the theatre at 6:45pm.

Dark Knight

Luckie and I decided to go see Batman: The Dark Knight in IMAX at the local Muvico theatre. Evidently, everyone else had the same idea. All the IMAX shows for today were sold out. Alas, we'll have to go another day. My buddy Rich says this movie has gotten more hype than the second coming.

Today we are going to celebrate Rich's birthday. To celebrate, a group of us are going putt-putt golfing and then over to Rich's for cake and ice cream. Hopefully the weather will hold up.

In last night's preparatory run, I worked on my heel-toe form. I tend to run on the outsides of my feet so I was concentrating on getting a good heel strike. My legs got a good workout. Next run on Sunday.

I want to start tracking how my weight fluctuates as I train. Weight Watch: 184 lbs.

What's Been Going On?

I joined my church choir. It's been fun. I can't sing all that well but I can carry a tune and can sing notes. It's amazing to be around the musicians and other creative types. I envy people that can make music.

My Girlfriend Luckie and I celebrated one year together on July 5. We went on a casino cruise to celebrate. I won 50 bucks and then spent most of it. It was cool though.

On the nerd front, I built my own PC instead of buying one. I spent exactly $350. My goal was to move from Windows to Ubuntu Linux. I have found a way to do everything that I did on my Windows PC on my new PC. My biggest worry was what to do with my iTunes library. When I tested Linux-based music programs before, I couldn't get one to synchronize my iPod. Now, there is a new open source music player called Songbird that i use. Songbird is still under development, but I find it to be pretty neat. I eventually want to learn enough C programming to contribute to the project.

Back to Training

Beginning training for the Marathon of the Palm Beaches is a chore. It is so hard to get your body back to getting used to the grind of running. I'm trying to get back in slowly before I start the harder training. I ran on the treadmill for a couple days last week. This week, I'm running on the road. The road is so much harder than the treadmill. I find I can run 3 milse on the treadmill without much problem. On the road, I can run about 1.5 miles before my legs get fatigued and then I walk for a couple minutes and then run another mile. Hopefully next week I'll be up to running 3 miles with no problems.

Drive In Movies

Last Friday,  Luckie and I went to the local drive-in movie.  I thought it would be a nice change of pace date.  I haven't been to a drive-in since I was about 19. That was a long time ago. We enjoyed it.  We went to our favorite taco stand first, Taco's Al Carbon, got a couple of burritos to go and then on to the drive-in. We saw two movies: "Leatherheads" and "21".  Leatherheads was forgettable, and 21 was entertaining.  All in all, we had dinner and a double feature for a grand total of about $24. Not a bad date.

First 4-Miler

Yesterday I did my first 4-miler of the training season.  I looked in Bob Glover's book and found that I need to have a base of 25 miles per week BEFORE I start my marathon training schedule, so I figured a weeks worth of 3-mile runs was not going to cut it. I have to step up my game. Just a mere 2 years ago, I used to knock out this 4-mile run with my eyes closed. Yesterday, I labored to finish. I finally did, but not without stopping at the 2.5-mile mark. I don't know if there is something wrong with my stride but my right quad gets very fatigued.  The left one is OK.  I wonder if I am favoring my right leg too much.

After I got home, I rested for a while and was tired for a little bit. My girlfriend Luckie came over and we went to get groceries and made a pizza. I was back to normal by then. Tomorrow is a rest day. I'll see what I can do on Friday.

Morning Running

Today is the second day that I've tried morning running. It takes a lot to get me going in the morning. I usually set the clock for 5:30 hoping to get up and get out by 5:45. As it has been happening, I've been sleeping through 5:45 and on to about 5:50. I then have to make a decision: Sleep in some more or get up and do a quick 2-miler. I've opted for the 2-miler both times. I feel great after I get back from the run and shower but it is just A BEAR to get up.

I've been reading lately about runners that get up and do 5-6 miles in the morning. By my calculations, I'll have to put my alarm for about 4:15 to try to get out of the house by 4:45 to squeeze in a 6-mile run. At any rate, I'm not even there yet. My legs are still not strong.

I need to put together a schedule. So now that I have a couple weeks of steady running under
my belt, I'll turn to my old trusty friend Bob Glover, author of the book The Competitive Runner's Handbook. I've had this book for about 20 years it seems. I always go back to it for advice, even though it is probably outdated.