Bring it On...

I registered for my first marathon this week. It is a big date on the calendar to say the least. I used the end of the week to really gauge where I am in terms of fitness in getting ready for this upcoming ordeal. In addition I do have a half marathon to do on March 9th, or one month from now. So how did this week shape up, sort of like this (well exactly like this):

2/4/08.....3.88 miles.....45:32 time.....11:44 pace.....744 cal
2/6/08.....3.65 miles.....44:27 time.....12:11 pace.....643 cal
2/8/08.....4.90 miles.....56:31 time.....11:32 pace.....907 cal
2/9/08.....11:00 miles....2:12:24 time.....12:03 pace.....1944 cal

I have been nursing a sprained ankle. It is not bad enough to not run but it is bad enough for me to take it easy a bit. I intentionally slowed down on the first couple of days of the week to keep the pressure off. I think the progress is good.

My run tonight does give a good gauge of my ability. I ran the first ten miles sub 12:00 pace; the last mile I just bled time (13:13 pace for mile 11). It was late when I hit mile 11 so perhaps I was just tired, maybe if I was running during the day that mile might have been faster. It doesn't really matter, even when considered with the rest of the run it is still a very fast time for me for this type of distance. The strange thing is that I was ignoring pace and just trying to do the distance. But it all worked out. I think I have developed a good running base for the half marathon. I think I would beat my last time by at least 15 minutes today, I was on pace to do that tonight.

The other good news, when I ran my last half marathon in September, I could barely walk at the end of it. My ankles and hips were a mess. It was a week before I was normal again. Today, I did 11 miles and I just have a little tweak in my sprained ankle. No blisters, no soreness, nothing. So as to the half marathon, bring it on. As for the marathon, I think I am starting at a good spot to get ready. Things are coming up well for me in terms of the training.