WEEK 10: Thaw

 The thaw started this week. It breathed new life into my eagerness to run. I wore shorts again for the first time in months. The sound of song birds started to return. The piles of snow turn into puddles on the sidewalks. It only all lasted about 2 days before another blast of cold air hit, but it was enough to add a little fire to my training

Im across the halfway point of my training now. Only 8 more weeks until marathon day. A momentous moment, but the highest mileage is yet to come. Ive been toying around just under 50 miles per week up to this point, but now 50+ will become the norm peaking over 60. 

Make no mistake, 50 miles a week is a lot of time on the feet, but it came incrementally. First a 5k then 10k then half marathon before aiming for a full marathon. Even then, the training has been progressive and getting comfortable with running at this level took two years. Its been said that the marathon is the last 26.2 miles of a thousand mile run. There’s a lot of truth in that.   

Incremental progress is all part of the deal. A little further a little faster with relentless consistency and thankfully, good health and no serious injuries to get in the way of progress. All that said. I am starting to feel the effects of the tough workouts adding up. I’m at the point in the training where I start to get a little nervous about a set back. It wouldn’t be too late to recover, but I’ve come so far it would be pretty disappointing to see the training evaporate because of a twisted angle from a misstep or strain for over doing it. 

On a slightly tangential note, I accepted an invitation to be part of a planning committee for a local 5k/10k 3k walk/run. I’m looking forward to being part of a team and helping bring an opportunity for others to challenge themselves toward healthier lives through movement. I’m also working on a pretty interesting running art installation. More on both those fronts soon. 

For now, just remember, Forward is progress.