Two long runs

How is it I haven't touched this blog in two weeks?

Well, the running is turning around these days and I'm happy about that. Last Monday, on Labor Day, I put in 15 miles, running up to Prospect Park and completing four loops. I took my time, walked quite a bit on the way up to the park, walked regularly during the run. I was doing pretty good until the last loop of the park and that became a real struggle. Once again, my only thought was "this is what training's all about."

Today's run was 16.67 miles. I walked to and from the park, so the run was five loops of the 3.35-mile park drive. Due to the storms yesterday, everybody was out in force today and the park was so crowded with runners and bicyclists that reversing direction every other loop would have been more effort than it was worth. I was fairly bored at times, but listening to Pheddipidations on my iPhone helped pass the time.

There are some common themes to both of these long runs. Each run has been preceded by at least two days of rest, which I don't think actually affects things any.

I have been started on Aztreonam trial by by CF doctor and have been on it now for almost two weeks. I think it is beginning to make a difference, as I haven't felt the shortness of breath in these two runs that I'd been feeling for the prior runs. However, I am having some pretty significant wheezing. This clears up after five miles, but still; it's disconcerting.

The big irony right now is that I am NOT having runners' knee problems. Instead, I am having ankle and hip joint pain. Both hips hurt last week, when I as changing directions in the park, and just my right hip today, heading in one direction. Hm... road camber, perhaps? I am also having problems with my calves tightening up and cramping far earlier than I want them to. This is a new problem for me. I think perhaps the joint pains and the calves cramping are both related to my orthotics needing adjustment. I'm going to call my sports doc tomorrow morning.

god help me. I just want to get this fucking marathon done. Then I can go back to being a half-marathoner.

Speaking of God helping people - I finally wrote to Ryan Hall on his blog. I told him what an inspiration he is to me and that I thought his ordeal in Beijing was just about typical of first-time Olympians. That America sent a boy, and China sent us back a man.

I don't have the charts uploaded from my watch to my computer yet. I haven't been hearing beeping from my watch; so I don't know if it IS and I'm just not hearing it over the podcasts, or if it isn't keeping track of the miles correctly.

If nothing else comes of all this running, I am getting a rockin' tan. My last three long runs, I've done shirtless. I'm just more comfortable that way, though the salt crystals that form under my arms tend to chafe after awhile. The result is that I'm getting a nice healthy tan everywhere except my loins and my feet. Yes, my tan ends fairly abruptly at my waist, my upper thighs, and VERY abruptly at my ankles - it's actually a pretty sharp line right there.