Beating My Body , and Other Reflections

So far so good,I seem to be holding up pretty well.  I have had a very busy and draining week, exhaustion has set in every day as i have started a new position.  An update on the ol' bod...

my feet hurt!  The bottoms!  It could be the distances taking the pounding.  It may be the silly shoes i have been wearing in my new profession.  The bottoms feel bruised!  Morning hurt the most as i roll out of bed.  Feels like I have been walking for hours on really rocky shores in bare feet.

My piriformis and my ITB are holding up remarkably well, which to me is such a joy and I am experiencing much less hip stiffness than I previously did.  Today my right calf hurts.

So all in all, my training is goin as planned.  I am not following to the letter any runner'sworld for newbies on the first marathon plan, but in my head I know my goals.  I am pushing the distance per week less than 10% each time to get to just below 42 km.  I have edged up and backed off a couple of time s to give my bod recoup time.  I am letting recovery runs be just that.

It is getting colder in the mornings.  Almost time to break out the winter gear, I would say, which is a pain since all the training I have done is in summer garb, so hopefully no huge amounts o chaffing wil happen.  Just in case, I have bought my first "glide" stick.

Some reflections.  I will be emotional for this race.  The half last year was emotional for me.  It represented so much, was very personal.  I have put a lot in to my training.  Not jsut physically,  but spiritually and emotionally as well.  All this year's challenges seems to be in the training.  From a new home to a family trial to a huge change up in career and all the uncertainty that came with it, my running times were the bread and butter of my coping, of reflecting, of problem solving, of coming "unravelled", of my being in the moment when I was feeling anxious, and my prayer life, my sweet worship times.  So this race in Oct will be like the expression of all that investment.  Which gets me thinking about beyond that, how the winter will be, I need to have some goals over the dark winter months.  Maybe not such lofty ones.  I have one month to gear up, taper and prepare for this race.  tIt will hopefully be the first in many, but I like to start with a bang!  My friend Jeremy will not be joining me this time.  This was a nice distraction last year,  Maybe Not having him might keep me more in the moment. Who knows.

I am thinking now of a word from scripture:

 1 Corinthians 9

24Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

I know th point of this script is not about running but metaphorically about seeking to love on God with all we have for a crown you can't receive here on earth.  But to appreciate the metaphor, it is so enriching to understand what the author is talking about in the discipline of running a race, the effect of things that hinder on your training and being purposeful.  those who win arent just kidding around, they are focused, they say no to  things others may not understand because they are saying "yes" for so long to the prize they envision.

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

When I look at this last scripture, I think of my father., Terry Teigen  Since he passed away, I have wondered what those who are with Jesus in glory get to see of our world once gone.  This scripture makes me think that I not only have him as an example, but as one who is allowed to rejoice with me in victory, to pray for me in trial and hardship, and to be a witness to God's work in my life.  He left a legacy, spiritually that continues in me.  One for running, especially, I think of him a lot while I run.  More on that again soon, me thinks. Sometimes, although i know I can't talk with the dead, i ask Jesus to give my dad a hug for me or to give him a message of love.  The veil is up, but it wont be forever, what a  day that will be!  So I run in the meantime.

How do you prepare for races?  What do you think about , especially on your firsts?  Let me know.

 Cheers!

Boston Marathon Qualifying?

Well,my last long run of 35 km was a very strong run for me.  It felt slow, but my overall time was under 3 hours.  That was quite shocking, as I am seeing the last few kilometers in the distance left to hoof out.  Then it dawned on me, what is the qualifying time for my age group in Boston, the mecca of running standards for so many endurance runners?  For me, it will be 20 minutes more than yesterday's 35 km long time at 3:20:00 .  Can I doll out 7 km at the end under 20 minutes?  Wow, suddenly that goal doesn't seem so far off!  Qualifying for Boston, although I doubt I would get there in the next couple for years, would be powerfully satisfying to me.  We will see how the next few weeks of training pan out to solidify this as a possibility.

This distance is truly humbling.  as I feel the weight of it when I set out, the prep it takes from trial and error and other runners' wisdom becomes a survival skill.  I must respect the distance as I note the toll it takes on my hips (especially after climbing stairs!) I ended up really tired yesterday and walking like a cowboys with saddle sores all day.

I am hydrating well, listening to music for maybe a quarter of the time, taking Gu at about the 1.5 hour mark.  I realize I must watch how I eat the rest of the day as it will not only affect my recovery, but I am feeling hunger all day and thirst all day long after these longer runs.  My wife noted that i expended over 2000 calories during my 35 km run!  That is almost a full day's  intake right there.  I could stand to lose maybe 8 pounds or so for speed sake, but this is new territory for me.  I ate quite randomly yesterday, which for my world is fun, but after the leftovers of my wife's birthday party are gone (including Purdy's chocolate fondue and fruit! :O ) I should really follow a plan in the next few weeks as I need to concentrate on recovery and fueling.  

Another note:

Last week as I ended my long run of 33 km, I was going up the long ill to my road and something deep in me needed a push, so I began out of gut level instincts to talk myself up the hill.  "You can do it, you can do it, you can..."  I rarely do this while running, but hill seem to do this at times to me, when I am digging deep.