Long over due

On Tuesday December 8th, 2009 I officially completed my second to last semester of graduate school. I took the liberty of taking a week long siesta. Thus, I also neglected this blog, but I knew it was only a matter of time before that happened. "I'm back on the wagon," as they say. Much has happened since my last post, so I thought I would break down my runs. I know this isn't creative but I hope it will get me, and those of you that follow, back on track and up to speed in the wacky world of Chad's Marathon Training.

By far my biggest highlight of week 3 came on Saturday December 6th when it snowed. Saturday was my long run day of 10 miles. 10 miles was the furthest I have ever ran continuously, so I was apprehensive and excited about the challenge all at the same time. That morning when I woke up the trees were covered with big fluffy wet snow, the kind that can stick to anything. This was the type of snow that it would stick to anything but pavement or blacktop, because the ground temperature isn't cold enough. So my paths were free of any snow except on the occasional bridge that crossed a stream. So many memories were evoked as I was running. One of those memories was playing hockey back in Minnesota on the frozen pond behind my house. The snow continued for most of my run, except for the last 2 miles. This run was a big confidence booster because afterwards my mind and body felt great.


Week 4 was also marked by interesting weather patterns. Early in the week there were highs of 60 degrees and as the week progressed the temperature plummeted to a low of 20 degrees. I didn't update the blog in time to show you my training schedule so here it is

Week 4 Training Schedule
Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: 4 miles
Thursday: off
Friday: off
Saturday: 12 miles
Sunday: off

The run on Wednesday and Saturday are worth mentioning. Wednesday's run was interesting because Knoxville experienced 40 mph plus winds (I think this was also the same time that a major storm system swept across the Midwest). The winds were brutal. My route kept me mostly in the downtown area and when I would pass alley-ways in between buildings the gusts would cause me to stagger. When I arrived back on campus, with less than a mile to go, I had to run under very old oak trees. I could hear the branches cracking and popping. I pictured myself in Harrison Ford's shoes in the movie Indian Jones and the Last Crusade where he navigates the final obstacles to reach the cup of life. Nonetheless, I made it home safely.


If I was apprehensive about running 10 miles, I was even more jarred with the thought of running 12 miles in temperatures hovering around 25 degrees. Before my fellow Minnesotans comment about that last statement, let me just say that after living in the South for nearly 5 years one becomes accustomed to things, temperature being one of those things. So, this run was my longest and coldest so far. During the first 2-3 miles I felt really stiff and tight. By mile 7 I could feel my right big toe becoming hot (indication of a blister). The sensation wasn't great enough to cause me to stop, it was just irritating. I finished in about 1hr 45min. Despite me thinking my body can handle whatever I throw at it, this run taught me that there is still a lot of training that I need to do.


OK we're up to speed. Again, sorry I haven't been posting that much.