Blog

Boston: T minus 27 days

Boston is four weeks from yesterday. Fingers crossed that four weeks from right now, I’ll be sitting in the sun in LA happily recovering from a decent* performance in Boston.

I haven’t missed a scheduled run this month, including my long runs. I had a good run/walk on Saturday – did over 18 miles, including a four mile crazy hard climb up Coldwater Canyon to Mulholland Drive. I didn’t intend to run up the hill, but I wanted to check out the trails in Franklin Canyon and that seemed like the logical way to get there! Also, my knee and back are doing really well and I’m enjoying running again. (No doubt the weather here and the fact that I’m unemployed have been pretty huge in the enjoyment factor.) But, I’m still doing a lot of run/walking and my longest straight run during this training was less than 40 minutes. Even my longest run/walk was only around 18 miles, which doesn’t really cut the mustard for a marathon. I’m not sure how that impacts my race plan – will I run for as long as I can and then, run/walk when I have to and hope to hold on until the finish? Or should I run/walk from the beginning and try to finish somewhat comfortably? This will be a topic for Coach John in the coming weeks.

Also, with this move and all the chaos surrounding it, I definitely have not been eating like I normally do. I’m not eating terribly, but it’s a little too much starch, a little too much sugar, and just plain a little too much. Another thing about New York that I never really appreciated is how much fitness you gain and calories you burn by walking everywhere. Nearly every weekday in New York, I walked a mile each way to and from work. I also walked Charlie, walked to go on errands and walked to meet friends. Here… not so much. I still probably walk more than the average Los Angeleno, but it’s a far cry from what my body was used to. I’m not getting “fat”, but I do feel heavy in some of the wrong places. I definitely feel this when I’m running.

I am excited to make the trip to Boston and run the marathon, no matter what my time is or how I feel. I feel fortunate that I qualified, and getting across the finish line will be an accomplishment no matter what. Right?

p.s. Charlie got his stitches out yesterday. His incisions are still healing and covered in scabs, but he is pretty much back 100%. It’s such a relief. What a trooper. I think spending the day on our front patio lounging in the sun and having an unemployed “dad” to hang out with have been big factors in his speedy recovery!

* Right now, I still don’t know what decent means in this context. I can say “I just want to finish” but that’s not entirely true. On the other hand, I’m not running anything close to the 3:13 that I ran at NYC in 2006. I’m going to set a realistic goal in the coming weeks.

Run – March 17
Distance: 3.75 miles
Time: 30 minutes
Average heart rate: 148
Course: Carthay/Wilshire
Conditions: Sunny and warm (low 70’s)

Swim – March 18
Distance: 2,400 yards
Time: 47 minutes

Run/walk – March 19
Distance: 5.25 miles
Time: 52 minutes (10 min. walk warm-up, 4 x 9 min. run/1 min. walk + 2 min. run)
Average heart rate: N/A
Course: Grove/Carthay
Conditions: Hazy and humid, low 60’s

Run/walk – March 21
Distance: 18.25 miles
Time: 2:52 (10 min. walk warm-up, 27 x 5 min. run/1 min. walk)
Average heart rate: 148
Course: Carthay through Beverly Hills, up Coldwater Canyon Drive to Franklin Canyon
Conditions: Overcast, high 50’s

Elliptical – March 22
Time: 30 minutes

Elliptical/Indoor bike – March 23
Time: 35 minutes

Strength – March 23

Run – March 24
Distance: 4.5 miles
Time: 36 minutes
Average heart rate: N/A
Course: South Beverly Hills
Conditions: Sunny, warm, high-60’s