That's it, then?

Knee sprain or torn ligament. Its too early to tell which.

To tell the truth, I'm devastated. It hurts, locks up when I walk, and has me sitting on my ass thinking of all I've gone through to get to this point and the possibility of going no further. I have 1 month left. Only 1 fucking month! I'm nearly there!!!
This couldn't happen in oh, say, November?!?! I have no time to recover or complete the training (if I'm fit enough to do the event at all.) If its a torn ligament, I'll be under a knife in April instead of running in Nashville with my friends.

It seems like a cruel, cruel joke.

Easier

Today was a cut-back day, which called for easy pace for 100 minutes, which worked out to be roughly 10 miles for me.
Until last week, I hated the idea of taking a walk break or stopping at any point during my run. It misses the whole point, doesn't it? To run is not to walk. If you're stopped, you're not running. (staggering logic, I know!) In last week's post, I all but apologised for walking part of the distance. It makes me realize now that it saved my but. After that short, break, I felt recharged and finished.

This week worked out better. I stopped thinking I had to prove something. It was a cut back run. It was supposed to take it easy - and I did. I had faster moments here and there, but I acutually stopped once or twice to drink some water and stretch a bit before going on my merry way. As I ran I thought about the marathon itself. I've never done one before. Why not stop and walk a bit if I need to? Its better than crashing an not fishing. I don't get the t-shirt if I don't finish and that, my friends, is unacceptable.
Must have the t-shirt.

Hey, Chicago

Waterhouse Taven & Grill

$20 at the door
Free draft beer 8-11PM

See "Dr. Seuess" post for further explaination.

Irish Blessing?

"May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face."

To say the least, I was a bit nervous about today. All week long, the forecast called for rain (thunderstorms, to be exact) and I was a-feared that I would be hoofin' it through a gale. Second, the run was sixteen miles. I didn't feel ready for sixteen miles. I nearly crashed at 14 last week. I didn't know how my body would deal with it.
Perhaps its because the Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parades happen this weekend that a little Irish luck was in the air, creating unseasonably warm weather and allowing the sun to show its shining face. There was wind, but today it was coming from the south!
The first leg of the run was a little tough. I tried to ignore the chill and wind by concentrating on the taste of my Jolly Rancher and silently singing along to some tunes. Once I turned around, it felt like the temperature rose 10 degrees with the wind at my back and (say it with me, now) the sun shining upon my face.
Aside from the 50 or so feet that was my walk break, I think I did pretty good.

Now, the Southside parade is tomorrow, so all I have to worry about is the beer run.

A Running Debate

I read an e-bulletin today that posed a debate: Are slower runners ruining the sport?
I wasn't shocked. I'd read an article or two arguing either side. Some gripe about how standards have gotten looser due to the lack of powerhouse runners like there were back in the day while others applaud beginners and slow runners for peeling themselves off of the couch.
I started running a little over 2 years ago. My sister and I trained ourselves for a 1/2 marathon with the sole goal of getting through it. Since then I've been trying to keep running and now I'm doing this crazy marathon thing with the sole goal of getting through it. If I felt pressured to maintain a certain speed during my first race, I likely wouldn't have done it. If I felt pressure now, I wouldn't have put myself through all of this. I'd be on said couch with a pizza and the remote.
I don't believe that slower runners hinder the sport, I think that they keep it going lest it wander into strange obscurity where only a handful of people attempt it: like Street Luge.

My apologies to any Street Lugers who read this blog.

I Turned the Corner

14.
I've never done 14 miles before.
In a previous post I wrote about being unable to see around a blind corner when it came to this training.
I turned the corner today and there's a mountain in front of me. It seems doable, but its going to be rough. I nearly hit the wall at 12 miles today despite my tasty Jolly Rancher.
Not good.

The Lottery?

"Entry number: 52**

Dear J*******,
We have received your application for the ING New York City Marathon 2006.
Your entry number is 52**. Please include this number along with your name in any correspondence pertaining to the marathon.
The lottery for U.S. applicants will be held in mid-June, and the international lottery will be held in mid-May. Results will be posted on our Web site as they become available. We will also e-mail accepted entrants and process their entry and optional fees upon acceptance.
For further information about the ING New York City Marathon, please visit http://www.ingnycmarathon.org. Race history, answers to frequently asked questions, and a course simulation are all available now. Travel offers and participant information will be posted closer to the time of the lotteries.
Thank you for your interest in the ING New York City Marathon 2006, and best of luck."


Well, odds are my name won't get pulled, but it would be pretty cool if it did.

Maybe I'll see how this one in Nashville goes first.