run a marathon and finish before dark

I don’t think I could have been more tired if I had actually competed in the triathlon myself! Yesterday was the international triathlon for which I volunteered to be race director a few weeks ago. Nearly 300 competitors racing in 90+ degree heat by the time it was all over. Very few incidents; nobody had to be pulled from the water and only one bike accident—but the person still finished despite his road rash. A number of people told me afterwards how much they enjoyed the race, it was well organized, clearly marked, and held in beautiful scenery. It was a lot of fun. Race directors are in demand, so I may have found a new sideline….

My training schedule is shot to hell, because June was really one lousy month. Originally a group of friends had decided to sign up for a team triathlon at the end of this month, but I don’t think I’m even going to be in decent enough shape to pull my weight on the team. Luckily, the biker on the team-whose June was, sadly, lousy as well-hugged me with relief when I begged forgiveness for dropping out. Isn’t it nice when you think you’re going to be the loser, and you turn out to be the hero!

The bright spot in all of this is that the race director for the triathlon had to drop out at the last minute due to a family emergency-and since I’m not going to be racing anyway I volunteered to take on the job. So instead of competing that day, I’ll be making sure all the competitors have a great day-which I think I’d rather be doing anyway!

A friend who had been preparing to compete in an international distance triathlon in July decided she can’t be ready by race time, so she’s pulling together a team instead. I’m taking the running leg—so I’d better keep on pace with the training! There’s no motivation like the fear of public humiliation….

Man, I’m angry at myself for being such a bear. A real bear. The kind that bulks up in the fall and then hibernates for the winter. Almost like clockwork, every spring I get really active and lose weight, only to gain some (if not all) of it back the next winter. I’m getting too old for this-my body doesn’t “snap back” like it used to. And today I felt every forkful of pecan pie from festivus. As soon as my weight falls below 128, running gets really fun-like flying and meditating at the same time. But until then, it’s like running through deep mud.

Some days it feels like I have lead in my shoes. Today was one of those days, which is strange because I’ve had two days rest….

I haven’t been a big believer in rest days. A lot of the running magazines tout the essential benefits of rest days in one article only to highlight a champion runner who “never takes a day off” in another. That kind of schizophrenia just drive me crazy. But the training program I’m following insists on rest days, so I’ll give it a try. Just hope it won’t always feel like today after I take a rest. Blech.

I love running. It feels really good to be back out there. I’m really going to miss the dirt roads and the smell of grass and hay and honeysuckle. So I’ll just have to soak it all in now.

I downloaded the NY Marathon training schedule and discovered I’m about a month behind. Hmmmm.

The heart is an amazing thing. I’m not completely starting from scratch, just coming back from a few months off. But today I swear my heart rate remained about 5 beats slower on average, and recovery was much faster after reaching peak going up several steep hills. Using a heart rate monitor is definitely the way to go—don’t know why I resisted for so long …

for the Marine Corps Marathon in DC in October. Time to start building that base. Whoo hoo!

I’ve run off and on for the past 20 years, pretty irregularly because while I love it, I tend to push myself too far too fast. So I end up injured every year. Last year I finished my first mini-triathlon, and then had to stop running for the winter due to knee pain. I’ve seen a doctor who confirmed that there is nothing structurally wrong with my knees, so now my goal is to build up miles slowly so that I can run a marathon before my 40th birthday—which is still three years away.