2013 was a pretty huge year for my “Bucket List”, even if I didn’t know I had a Bucket List. Looking back, I knocked out quite a few “once in a lifetime”, or at least “big ticket” things in very short succession. It’s actually hard to believe it all happened last year.
And Week 6 is a wrap! One activity — The Boston Marathon. The remainder of the week was rest and recovery, or at least try to rest while we traveled back to Austin. Time to get back into it!
Six weeks down, thirty to go!
In light of everything that happened at the Boston Marathon this year, I couldn’t decide how to write this post, or to even write one at all. Despite the personal accomplishment and significance of the race itself, the cloud hanging over the event for so many others in Boston, the running community as a whole, and around the world can not and should not be forgotten. With that in mind, I want to recap the everything from my perspective, chronologically, to capture the emotional highs and lows of the weekend.
::TRUMPET FANFARE::
The. Boston. Marathon. This is it. The big one. Honestly, it’s probably the apex of my running career. But that’s ok. It was a tough, occasionally hidden, road to get here. Now that it’s here, it’s pretty surreal. But before we fall into any sappy, nostalgic mumbojumbo, I’ll give you a quick preview of what’s about to happen this weekend. 
Continue reading
Now that I’m coming around on the fact that I’m signed up for an Ironman, I realized I haven’t really said much about my training recently, so here’s a recap to bring you up to speed.
Since Ironman 70.3 Austin, I took some time off before ramping up for Boston training. As you may or may not know, I had huge plans for the Boston Marathon: 3 hours. Or really, 2:59:59. That’s a huge threshold to break as a marathoner, and I wanted it bad. Things got off to a slow start with a minor medical procedure, but I rebounded quickly. I was feeling strong and my training runs were even better than when I qualified for Boston at Vermont.
And then things derailed in a major way. After a great 21 mile run, my hip flexor called it quits. I couldn’t run 100 yards without intense pain. Now I’m pain-free thanks to physical therapy and a month off, but my Boston goal is out the window. It’s 5 weeks away and I’m not quite back to where I was when I got injured. So instead I’m going in another direction and starting my Ironman Arizona training. Today.
It may seem early, starting 36 weeks before the race, but it’s an Ironman. It doesn’t get harder than this. 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run. I need all the preparation I can get. So I intend to run Boston for fun, using the fitness that I’ll build from triathlon training and carry it all the way through to November.
I’ll try to post regularly about my training in between all the food posts that have been coming up recently. I’ll need to in order to burn off all these calories.
Now, off to the pool!
I run a lot. I eat well. I generally take care of myself. Sure, there are things I could do better (more sleep, less kettlecorn [damn you, kettlecorn!], more sunscreen), but overall I’d say I’m holding things together pretty well. So when Ev mentioned implored that I should pay a visit to the dermatologist to check a questionable spot on my back, I didn’t think much of it [damn you, ego!]. Warning: some pictures not ideal for the very squeamish. Continue reading
It’s December 10th. You know what that means?? It’s Day 1 of training for the Boston Marathon! Or at least it was supposed to be. Instead I’m on something of a temporary medical leave starting today for the next 10-12 days. Nothing like a doctor’s strict “don’t exert yourself” to bring things to screeching halt before they can get started. So for now I’m talking the next week and a half off to think about resting before intense training begins. My biggest concern is how much fitness I’ll need to regain after two weeks off. Ok, end of pity party.
New official start date for training: December 24. Let the countdown begin!
Before anything be sure to catch up with Part 1 and Part 2 of getting into the Boston Marathon. That’s right. I’m officially in the Boston Marathon! I got the email today!
As I explained in my Registration post, after signing up they leave you with an ominous “ok, we’ll get back to
you at some point”. All you can do is keep your fingers crossed in hopes that your qualifying time was fast enough. I got the following email earlier today and everything changed. It turns out my time was fast enough! Phew! Oh, and Colin made it too 🙂
And if that official email isn’t enough, you can check out the official 2013 Boston Marathon Entry List. In the big scheme of things, it’s not really a big deal. But in the running scheme of things, it’s huge. For now I’ll bask in the excitement of being accepted. For later I’ll worry about months of training and actually running 26.2 miles. All I have to say now is:
<
p style=”text-align: left;”>Yay!
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
