Well, that didn't work so well --- the whole blogging thing. Forgot I even had this thing. So I finished the Wakefield marathon despite high heat and humidity -- 90 degrees or so at gun time. My finishing time was 4:08.14 - good for 15th place out of the 104 who started the race (only 80 finished). I'd been hoping for a sub - 4 hour finish, but what can you do?
After a couple weeks of rest, I started training for the October 28th Cape Cod marathon. Plans to run that one were derailed by a knee injury (patella femoral tracking issues plus what I believe was a partially dislocated kneecap) in early October. I still ran the BAA half marathon and finished that in 1:45, despite the injury, so all that training wasn't completely wasted.
The last few months have been spend undergoing intense physical therapy to rebalance the muscles in my quads. Basically, I run funny. Over time (and many miles) the outside of my quad became much stronger than the interior. This imbalance pulled my kneecap out of line and caused irritation especially following the partial dislocation of the kneecap.
To cut a long story short, I'm running again. 24 miles the week of Christmas, including a 9-miler. I'm hoping to complete a 10 mile run this Sunday. If all goes well, I'm clearing myself to begin building back up to marathon shape. Here's a list of races I'd like to run this year. Note that there's no way I'll run all of them. In fact, all but two marathons (Lincoln and Chicago) and a half-marathon (Madrid) I plan on running like training runs. But planning a full race schedule is awesome, so I just can't bring myself to cut them down now!
3/2/08 - Napa Marathon - Probably going to miss this one. It's just too soon.
4/6/08 - Paris Marathon - I'd like to do this as a longer training run, but my sister is due to have her second baby around this time. Seems rude to camp out in her apartment while she's at the hospital.
5/4/08 - Lincoln Marathon - The first race I'm really targeting. If I don't run this one, I'll be shocked.
5/25/08 - Depending on how I feel either the Run to Remember (Half-Marathon in Boston) or the Ottawa marathon. Either way, it'll be a fun run at a slow pace.
6/21/08 - Madrid Half-Marathon - Racing in front of the parents. Going to try to get my giddyup on for this one.
7/25/08 - Wakefield Marathon - Maybe. Last year was really hot.
8/3/08 - San Francisco Marathon - This might be a good race to cap a summer training phase featuring long, slow, aerobic runs.
10/12/08 - Chicago Marathon - The capstone race of the year. Take no prisoners.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Welcome
Hi there! Welcome to the first post in my first blog. I've plenty of opinions, but my plan is that this space will be devoted almost entirely to running and the outdoors.
I've been running for about three years now. I ran my first 5 mile race at Boston's "Run to Remember" back in 2005, finishing in 46:14. My second race was the half-marathon for the same event in 2007. I finished that one in 1:55:16. That's the sum total of my racing experience so, obviously, I'm still quite new to this.
I'm currently training for a July 27th marathon in Wakefield, MA, and have to admit (despite the hubris of it) that I have already started thinking beyond it to the next challenge. Over the past four months, I've stretched out my running from the standard 3-6 miles 4 times a week to as much as 20 miles at a pop. As I've done so, I've begun to really love running, rather than simply endure it. I've started to hear the seductive call of ultras, trail running and triathlons. I've started to spend more time on running websites and browsing through magazine racks. It feels like I'm at the beginning of something new and exciting, and I'm not sure where it will lead me.
I'm starting this blog to keep my family and friends updated on my training and races, and to chronicle my adventures in the outdoors. From time to time I'll also post columns on topics that may seem extremely basic to an experienced runner, but are new to beginners like me. I'll do my best to put down everything about training and racing as accurately as possible, no matter how painful or embarrassing, so that you'll know what it really felt, smelled, and tasted like.
Lastly, for those of you who aren't up on running terms, I'll try to bring you up to speed as I go and as I learn them. The first one that might be slightly confusing is this blog address. A "Clydesdale" in running terminology is a heavyweight runner. There is no standard definition of what weight qualifies someone as a Clydesdale, but at around 200 pounds as of the date of this first post, I think I would qualify by most standards.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy the posts that follow. Remember to keep me in your thoughts on July 27th. I'm going to need all the positive thinking you can spare.
I've been running for about three years now. I ran my first 5 mile race at Boston's "Run to Remember" back in 2005, finishing in 46:14. My second race was the half-marathon for the same event in 2007. I finished that one in 1:55:16. That's the sum total of my racing experience so, obviously, I'm still quite new to this.
I'm currently training for a July 27th marathon in Wakefield, MA, and have to admit (despite the hubris of it) that I have already started thinking beyond it to the next challenge. Over the past four months, I've stretched out my running from the standard 3-6 miles 4 times a week to as much as 20 miles at a pop. As I've done so, I've begun to really love running, rather than simply endure it. I've started to hear the seductive call of ultras, trail running and triathlons. I've started to spend more time on running websites and browsing through magazine racks. It feels like I'm at the beginning of something new and exciting, and I'm not sure where it will lead me.
I'm starting this blog to keep my family and friends updated on my training and races, and to chronicle my adventures in the outdoors. From time to time I'll also post columns on topics that may seem extremely basic to an experienced runner, but are new to beginners like me. I'll do my best to put down everything about training and racing as accurately as possible, no matter how painful or embarrassing, so that you'll know what it really felt, smelled, and tasted like.
Lastly, for those of you who aren't up on running terms, I'll try to bring you up to speed as I go and as I learn them. The first one that might be slightly confusing is this blog address. A "Clydesdale" in running terminology is a heavyweight runner. There is no standard definition of what weight qualifies someone as a Clydesdale, but at around 200 pounds as of the date of this first post, I think I would qualify by most standards.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy the posts that follow. Remember to keep me in your thoughts on July 27th. I'm going to need all the positive thinking you can spare.
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