leaving, on a jet plane...

it's 5 am and i'm getting ready to go to the airport. catch the inbound #2 @6:45, transfer to the outbound #18 @ 7:25, arrive at BNA around 8:15. Flight leaves at 10:15 & arrives in DC 2 hrs later. This is my first solo, out-of-town marathon. Usually, Mende is the logistical coordinator, and she is awesome at getting me in line and prepared. We'll see how I do at managing myself (pathetic concept, i know).

Just got back from a 2-mile quickie -- to knock the dust off. Legs feel great, my breathing was a bit off, and i kept trying to run too fast. If i can control my pace early, i'll do well. I've really taken this tapering seriously. Weekly mileage went from 45 to 28 to 16! (and i only have 6 miles this week before the 26.2) I hope this method proves beneficial.

Really, i think it's all mental at this point. I mean, i have a strong 20 & 24-miler under my belt, a pretty solid base from which to work, and good amounts of cross-training. Time to slow the world down just a bit, rest, hydrate, and just put one foot in front of the other.

Looking forward to catching up with Scott and Paul in DC. Staying with Mr Stone while I'm there. Even though i know i'll be tempted to get out at see some monuments/sites on Saturday, i think i'll just chill at Scott's place. There will be plenty of time for that the following week when im right back there!

Well, that's all from me for now. In boca al lupo

lazybones

it's Sunday morning, and i've only run 8 miles so far this week. Lots of excuses -- sleeping schedule off, cooler weather, long work hours, busy schedule, (the list goes on). Not sure which excuse to blame it on, so i'm going with "lazy". Just watched a news segment on Dean Karnazes - the Marathon Man! He's running 50 marathons in 50 days. What a badass. He'll be running in the DC marathon that im running next weekend. Anyway, that's inspired me to put on the running shoes and hit the pavement. Lets see what i can do...

Oktoberfest 5k

Ran the Germantown Oktoberfest 5k Bier Run this past Saturday. It was a good race -- well organized and free beer, to boot! In order to get in my long run, I ran up to the race from home (6 miles), ran the race (3.1 miles) and ran home (5.5 miles). I wasn't expecting to post a good 5k time, but i actually PR'd. Nothing special, just 22:40-something. I think that I'll train to run a fast 5k after I'm done with this marathon. Speaking of which, it's TAPER TIME. Ran 28 miles last week (boy, that seemed easy, too!), running 28-30 this week and only 10 or so the week of the Marathon.

updates

Yeah, so it's been a while since i've added to this blog. Here's the 30,000 ft level view of what's been goin' on:

Early Sept - Building base. Good long runs of 14 & 18 miles. Soing some mid-week speedwork, but nothing too fast. Added strength-training at the gym -- lots of leg work. Long run pace mid 9's. Ran the "runfortheparty" 5k in 22:55 -- didn't push it, just strided; felt good.

Late Sept - steppin it up. weekly mileage hovers around high 30s / low 40s. Concentrating on hydration during long runs, which helps tremendously. Long run of 20.5 goes well -- i beat the "big hill" on trimble (mapped out a course where elevation closley resembles that of the MCM). Pace isn't great, but i'm finishing strong.

Early Oct - peak training. Weekly mileage mid-to-high 40s now. Long run of 24 miles goes very well. I'm finally learning to start slow and step it up at the end. I think i have the training in me to finish strong in DC -- perhaps not in 4 hrs, but that's okay.