I'm happily back on the road this past week, recovering from a chest wall muscle injury. Reading the other Marathoner blogs, I commiserate with the runners working through aches, pains, muscle strains and some real injuries. It was hard to take time off – I felt guilty going home directly after work. It was harder still to get back to it. The first two runs were especially difficult and worried me – how could I lose so much fitness in one short week? The good thing is that I started slowly, concerned mostly with finding my rhythm and running without aggravating the injury. I also readjusted the training schedule and goals.
This past Sunday was a slow, steady 18-mile run. The day was perfect for shorts, no gloves or hat! Sylvie and I ran through parts of Lincoln, past the Decordova museum, along a dirt road with meadows and a horse farm, into Wayland and then Weston. Past the Campion Center in Weston, back to Conant Road into Lincoln and then to the Cambridge Reservoir abutting the Waltham Office parks. The final push was an uphill climb on Trapelo Road to Lincoln center and home.
We both recovered well after the run and this week is going fine. I did a short run Tuesday, and plan an 8 to10 miler this afternoon after work. Next Sunday is the final long run – 20 miles and then we'll start to taper.
So, what are my goals now? For my first marathon, I hope to be smart at the start and find a comfortable pace to hold for the race. Sylvie has run 3:50ish marathons so we'll start together. I hope to finish under four hours. My dream would be to finish under my qualifying time (3:45) but I'm not sure that's realistic any longer – there are too many variables, so finish is the key word.
No comments:
Post a Comment