Training: Week 1

Well the family left and left me an absolute wreck. After 10 days of constant alcohol I needed several days just to dry out. I'm not kidding when I say my body was retaining at least 40 pounds of excess water due to my alcohol consumption. Another reason I think the Kenyans are on to something. I mean think about it. Drink like a fish and eventually you become a camel and have all that extra water that can be used during the race. It's the best plan ever!
So after a week off, training began last Tuesday. The first training session was speed work. 12 x 400 with a 20 minute warm-up and a 10 minute cool-down. If you're counting that ends up at about 7 miles! So much for those short mid-week runs. They evidently won't be happening this time around. The workout went great. I had a goal pace of 2:00 per lap, and stayed under it for all but one of the laps. Not bad, not bad. And the 20 minute warm-up run to the track overlooking campus is always a nice strenuous one. Think a 1.5 miles straight up the side of the Empire State Building and you'll start to get an idea of how it feels sometimes.
Thursday was atomic meltdown. I'm totally on board with the Food Terror Alert System. Food Item: 6" Subway Turkey Sub with extra Turkey and with Pepperoncini. FTAS Rating: Red. I was to run a 6 mile run and I was in Berkeley. I headed out from the RSF to the Ohlone Greenway planning to run 3 out and 3 back. I was uncomfortable the entire time. I was so full of gas and rumble and burping that I could barely run. I was starting to feel light headed, sweaty (I know you're thinking, "Duh, you're running!" but it wasn't like that.) and overall crappy. I, in my Sixpack wisdom, decide to complete the 3 miles and see what it feels like. By mile 3 I'm seriously considering a visit to the land of bulimia and seeing what that finger down the throat really feels like. Instead I decided to just walk. So here I am, 3 miles from campus and I have to walk back. If you know the geography this puts me somewhere across the Albany border, but still shy of Sabrina's house. The walk back was a bit more enjoyable - less rumble, less gas, less cramps, but still chilly, sweaty, dizzy, and weak feeling.
AFter that failure it took me some time to get the gumption to go back out, which I finally did this morning. The distance today was 8 miles. It was an intense one. The goal pace was 9:35, which I didn't quite hit. I'll blame it on the hills. The first two miles were ahead of pace, on account of the fact that they were entirely downhill. The uphill of miles 3,4,5,6 and 7 kind of blasted the pace. The whole run just felt bad, I have to say. My legs felt like bags of jello, kind of like my carnival fish somehow ended up in a bag of cherry jello and inexplicably attached to my hips to be used for conveyance. They were not cooperative. I didn't feel like I was even "enjoying" the run until I hit mile 6. Awful late in the game to be hitting my first wind. The good news is that I finished the whole thing. No knee pain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FTAS Level: Green Food: 1/3 cup All-Bran, 2/3 cup Fruity Cheerios, 1 cup 2% milk. Went down easy, and ran 8 miles right afterward.

I'll be resting and bracing myself for a bike ride tomorrow and for more speed work on Tuesday. Wish me luck.

Stats:

Miles: 18 run 3 walked

Overall time: 2:52:38

Average Pace: 9:28

Overall Impression: I'll Be Running Up That Road, Be Running Up That Hill, Be Running Up That Building, With No Problem. (IBRUTRBRUTHBRUTBWNP)

And I'll issue another call for everyone to check in here! Let us all know where you are at! Especially you Stroller. We're dying to hear how your training for the Marathon is coming along! You too P.P. Where you at?