This week in running...

Dateline: New York

My runs this week have consistently improved. I'm still walking some, but...less. Due to torential downpours, I took Monday off, but ran Tuesday through Thursday. Tuesday's was a complete loss, as I felt like I had to crap after every few steps. Let that be a lesson to me that I can't literally roll out of bed and go for a run - I should visit the toilet first. Wednesday's was still a short run, but improved. Thursday's run was even better, 2 miles with very little walking.

I went to the gym Friday, where I tried not to overdo it, knowing today would be a long run. I did five minutes warming up on the stationery bike, then lots of foam roller and stretching, then weights, pushups, and pullups. I may have gone a little overboard - my stomach and calves were sore this morning and that didn't help the run.

I was out of bed by 6:30 and headed to the park by 8:45. I was running a little late, as I was to meet Michelle and her friend at 9. I got up to the Pritchard Square and met them - we chatted a few minutes and decided to start by doing the park loop clockwise, against traffic. They apparently let me set the pace or something - I was ahead of them, and though it was a "slow and steady" thing, I could only get about a half-mile before needing to walk and cough a bit. I let them go ahead and continue on so their run would not be interrupted - I didn't see them again.

I had a hard time with my stomach on this run. I just couldn't get it to empty. Too much breakfast? Sustained Energy mixed too rich? I don't know. I did complete the last mile continuously and was happy for that, but after finishing my run and while walking around cooling down, I lost the contents of my stomach - and yes that included breakfast. I felt a lot better afterwards.

So 6.7 miles for today. It was enough of a workout that I needed a nap after and my calves were tingling in that way that tells me the workout was good.

Dateline: Boston
Many friends completed the Boston Marathon last Monday. Steve Walker, host of Phiddipidations podcast (always "Phidipidators" in my head, tho), finished on four short weeks of training in an astoundingly good 5:01. It was exactly an hour slower than his marathon PR - and on so little training! Now, that's a runner! Another runner who came in at 5 hours is my new blog friend Mark Buschle. Mark is a runner w/ cystic fibrosis and is going to run the Flying Pig marathon next Sunday, May 3rd. Crazy. You can read his race report here.

Steve G, runner w/ severe asthma and one of the first two athletes w/ severe lung disease to be accepted by BAA, finished the marathon, but was immediately hospitalized. You can see a clip of him here:
Boston.com
and a writeup of him in the hospital after the race here
Boston Globe

Way to go Steve!

Dateline: Florida. I think.

My mom has started running. I admit I was less than enthusiastic over the phone about the news, but not for want of pride. When I'd mentioned to mom that I think she and Dad could realistically be getting more exercise, I'd envisioned longer bike rides, not that she'd take up running. I haven't heard anything since that first phone conversation, but I did counsel her that every-other-day is fine. It would be nice to be able to run a 5K or 10K with mom somtime, but it would be embarassing to be trounced by her, too. Well, that would make me all the prouder.