Training: Day #8

Last Friday evening, I had the pleasure of joining Mandi at the church for an evening of fellowship, dinner, and games with her MOPS (Mothers Of PreSchoolers) group. As usual, it was an enjoyable evening and I was blessed to have the opportunity. The group began the evening by giving an appreciation gift to those of us dads whose wives are on the leadership team for the group. The gift was a keychain in the shape of a shield, and called the shield of faith. On the back is printed the Bible verse from Joshua 1:9, which says, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." As I read this verse, I was immediately struck by the relevance as I continue my training for the marathon.

Fast forward to last night, and the final day of the second full week of training. Yesterday's long run was a six-mile journey, and one of which I was terrified. I honestly did not believe I had the endurance to run an entire six miles without having to walk at least a small portion. I didn't feel like I was being negative, rather, simply realistic. After dressing for the cold and light falling snow, I went into my room for a few moments of silence. I literally got down on my knees, bowed my head, and thanked God for the blessing of health and the ability to even try this marathon training. I didn't ask for God's assistance during the impending run, I simply offered my thanks. I then stood, read the verse printed on the aforementioned Shield of Faith, placed it in the palm of my hand, and put my glove on over it. Out the door I went.

Trudging through the snow and facing a light, but bitter, North wind, I made my way along the previously mapped six-mile route. As I ran, my thoughts turned to my wife who has been so gracious in her support of this crazy idea. Even as I left, she looked me in the eye and told me she believed in me, and that she knew I could complete this run. I thought of my kids, who have acted as my personal cheerleading squad. And, I continued to clutch the Shield of Faith with every step. As I entered the final leg of the run, it became obvious to me that these last two weeks of training are beginning to pay off. Not once did I walk, even after climbing some pretty decent hills. Not once did I stop. I was feeling the burn, but not enough to force me to quit. As I took the last few steps of the run, I extended my arms in the air to celebrate my personal victory. This training is every bit mental as it is physical, and I had just overcome a mental block. You bet I was celebrating, and I didn't care how many people passing me on 1st Street thought I was nuts or wondered what I was doing. It was a great feeling!

I now have 31 miles under my belt over the last two weeks, and am ready for week #3 beginning tomorrow.

Training, Day #7

Today was another ugly Nebraska winter day, albeit fairly typical. Bitterly cold winds, and an afternoon dose of snow amounting to a couple of inches. And I was due for a three-mile run as part of my training. As I cuddled on the couch with my four-year-old daughter and enjoyed the warmth and protection of the cozy house, I couldn't help but wonder if I would be better off waiting until tomorrow to run. Not that I had any proof that tomorrow's weather would be at all better, but at least there was no snow in the forecast. The notion of waiting was becoming more and more inviting.

But, alas! My beautiful, wonderful wife walked through the door at approximately 3:30, and promptly told me that she had seen three different people out running this afternoon, and figured they must be training for a marathon to be dedicated enough to run in this weather.

Sigh.

That did it. I had no choice but to run today. So, I strapped on the new running shoes and all the cold-weather gear, and out the door I went. Make no mistake, it was a tough run. I have actually found the last few three-mile runs to be getting much easier, but as you can probably imagine, today's was difficult. High-stepping through snow-drifts added a much different element, but I didn't quit. Mother Nature didn't defeat me today. Had the run been much longer, I can't say I would have made it without walking, but it wasn't longer, and I did make it. Sunday is the long run of the week, and it's a six-mile jaunt. Snow is in the forecast for Sunday, so I'm going to get an early start and hope things go well. More on how it goes next week.

Training, Recap

Time has escaped me over the course of the last week or so, leaving me with little opportunity to post on the last few days of marathon training. Rather than go into great detail, which would surely make for a long story, I'll simply recap some of what I have learned to this point in the training.

• During the run on day #3 of the training, which was just a three-mile jaunt, I learned a hard lesson. That is, always go to the bathroom right before leaving for the run. Wow, did I have to pee about halfway through the run that day, and all the movement of running wasn't helping my poor bladder. Not good. I had to go so bad that I felt like I needed to run faster, but the faster I ran, the harder it was to control. I was a raging mess by the time I got home. I'll just leave it at that....

• Day #4 was a five-mile run, which was the longest distance I've ever run in my life. I mapped out a run that took me along what had to be the hilliest in town. Dumb. Real dumb. I ended up walking about six blocks in order to make it past some of those monster hills, but I did learn that it is okay to walk now and again. Walking doesn't equal failure. Not finishing the run because I refuse to walk here and there does equal failure.

• Yesterday was day #6, and I learned that I had been starting out my training runs at a pace that was far too fast for me. This was hindering my ability to finish the runs. Yesterday was a 4-mile run, and I started out a bit slower, kept that same pace all the way, and finished with no problems! Lesson learned - slow down!

• I have learned that training for a marathon is every bit mental as it is physical. Staying positive and learning to shut out potential distractions such as weather, aches, exhaustion, etc., is just as grinding as the actual physical aspect of training.

• And finally, I have learned to leave the headphones at home. The book I am following for this training suggested not listening to music while on training runs for a couple of reasons. I wasn't happy about that, because I used the music as motivation to keep going, or even just to get started. After leaving the headphones at home yesterday, I was surprised how little I missed them. I was also surprised at how well it worked to run without them. So, I shall leave them at home from now on.

All in all, training is going very well to this point. I have run a total of 22 miles now, and by the end of this training week, I'll have put in 31 miles. I am feeling stronger all the time, and I feel like my body is getting used to the grind of the longer distances. So far, I've been lucky to avoid any injuries outside of the usual aches and pains of training my body. My confidence continues to grow the further I push forward in this process, and I'm excited for continued results!

Training, Day #2: Windwhipped

As I type this, I am unable to feel my nose, lips, and most of the top layers of skin on the front of my body. Frankly, I'm not even sure if my nipples are still intact 'cause I can't feel them, either. Today's run was difficult, and yes, bitterly cold. It was a four-mile jaunt today, and the first half went very well. I felt great, had a ton of energy, and as I approached the half-way mark, I felt as though I could fairly easily complete the run.

And then I turned around.

As I began the second-half of the trek, I realized why the first-half was easier. I had the 20-30 mph wind at my back! Now, I was forced to take Mother Nature head on for two miles while she struggled to get her temperature to ten degrees. It was a tough one today, folks. I ended up having to walk around six or seven blocks, but what motivated me to get moving again was the fact that my sweat-soaked clothes were beginning to freeze to my skin, and then I tried to spit and sort of slobbered all over myself because my lips were frozen. Not good.

But, I'm darn sure not giving up that easy. I'll keep plugging away, and I may even be more motivated than ever. I did learn that I need to invest in some decent running clothes that will help keep the moisture away from my skin. I hear Under Armour is supposed to be some pretty good stuff, although kind of expensive. Anyone else have suggestions?

I'll be back at it on Friday with day #3. Until then, anyone have any nipple cream?????

Training, Day #1, Take Two

Nope, I didn't make a mistake in the title. Today actually was the first day of the sixteen-week training regimen leading up to the marathon as there has been just a slight change in plans. Originally, I was going to make Sundays the first day of the new training week, thus, last Sunday would have been the first day. In doing so, the longest runs of the week would have fallen on Fridays. That would have been all good for at least awhile, until those long runs started creeping over six, seven, eight, and all the way up to eighteen miles. Since Mandi goes to work on Friday mornings, and doesn't come home until just before I leave for work, long runs on Friday would have meant getting out of my warm, cozy bed at the crack of dawn in order to get the run in before the day begins. Now, mind you, I don't mind running in the early morning, I just don't think I would have had the time to make it happen.

In addition, since the marathon is on a Sunday, making that day the long run of the sixteenth week of training, it only seems logical. Plus, neither Mandi or I work on Sundays, so I have more time to run. Even more logical. You see, logic tends to escape me at first, and sometimes for quite awhile. Had I just turned the whole training schedule creation over to my wife in the first place, I wouldn't be writing this because she would have nailed it on the first try. Someday, I will learn. Someday.

So, my official start to training today was a good, three-mile run. Although it's a mere ten degrees out with a windchill of about zero (the weather channel says it feel like three below, and I believe it!), I still worked up a good sweat and feel great! Tomorrow, I will run four miles, then take a day off. Friday will be another three mile run, and finally the long run of the week on Sunday, which will be five miles. I'll keep you posted!

Training, Day #1

Today launched the first day of the sixteen-week training regimen designed to get me to the point that I can run the Lincoln Marathon in May. Today's run was a three-mile one, and I was able to accomplish it without too many problems. I was slowed a bit by a stiff wind, which I didn't even realize was blowing until I made my way around Oak Lake and was in the wide open. Once I reached the half-way point of my run and turned around, that's when the wind smacked me in the face for quite awhile. I pressed through, though, and made it all the way with no stopping. For those of you reading this who are regular runners, three miles is most-likely nothing. Maybe even laughable. While it presented a bit of a challenge to me, I am looking forward to getting to the point where I, too, can say three miles isn't much. God willing, it'll happen!

I will run again on Tuesday (four miles, I believe) and will post my thoughts again then. I'm excited to have pushed myself to undertake this process, and am looking forward to seeing the ongoing results of my training!

T-minus 4 Days

Including today, I have but four days left of preliminary training before the sixteen-week training regimen leading to the Lincoln Marathon on May 3rd. The goal of the preliminary training was to be able to run for thirty minutes without stopping. I have achieved that goal, and will run twice more this week before beginning the "real" training. At that point, the training will be based on miles rather than time.

As I've mentioned in the past, I'm certainly not looking to set any speed records throughout this entire effort. I am simply setting out to finish the marathon, and I have every confidence that this goal will be achieved. It's going to take lots of effort, lots of patience, and lots of understanding from my family in the way of needed time to train. I am looking forward to the challenges which lie ahead, and will continue to post updates during my progress.

My only request is for continued prayers for strength, endurance, and a little luck. The strength and endurance are obvious, but I need the luck to avoid the injury bug. I will make the commitment to do all of the proper stretching both before and after my runs, but will still need a touch of luck to avoid becoming injured. Thanks in advance for your blessings!!