So today I started my biking routine. I’ll do a long run on Saturday and a long ride on Sunday. My ‘long’ ride today was one hour and I only went 12 miles! I was kind of surprised. Even more than that, I wore my GPS and found that 12 miles of biking burns only 490 calories! I guess I’m used to that 12 miles=1,200 calories of running.

I did enjoy it, though. It was a bit misty and very cold out, and I didn’t warm up the way that I do when I run. I’ll have to remember that for next time, and maybe spend some money on actual biking clothes that will keep me a bit warmer than my running pants.

The thing I really liked about riding-I got a lot farther than I do when I run in a much shorter period of time! One hour instead of 2. But I was only going about 15 miles per hour at the most, and when I read about the tri athletes that go 24 I realized I have a lot  of work to do.

When I got off of the bike, I stood up for a second and then tried to run. My legs felt so heavy! I’m wondering if that feeling goes away. Well, I’m sure that it does, but just how long does it take? Will you begin the run portion of a tri with heavy legs? Tough!

Today I”m starving. WIth such a heavy week of training (for me, after only having done some shorter runs since the marathon), I am really working up an appetite! I’m tired today, too, but my daughter has a bday party to go to. I hate to say that I don’t want to go . . . but I’d much rather stay at home, pull the covers over my head and take a nice long nap!

I see the issue with running a marathon.

You either hate it and never do it again (my cousin’s husband said this-he did one, that was it, won’t do it again) or you love it so much you can’t get enough.

I fell into the second category. I’m training for san diego in june, which will be four months after the first, and then hoping to do long beach in november.

Yet I’m beginning to think of even loftier goals, like running a 30 miler, or trying a tri (well, I’m already training for this, but I’m thinking could I ever do ironman?)

What is up with that? I wonder sometimes why I want to do more, and further, and what sets someone apart who loves that type of pain from someone who does it once, says no way, and stops?

My cousin’s husband still runs. Don’t know the length of runs he does, but it isn’t 30 mile races anymore.

I think part of it is ego. Maybe that’ s it? Are long distant runners trying to prove something?

I believe so, but only to ourselves. I dont care what other people think. in fact, if you tell someone that you ran a marathon or that you someday would love to attempt an ironman tri they will look at you like you have two heads.

They can’t comprehend that distance, and they can’t comprehend why someone would want to do that kind of distance. What provokes a person to run 26.2 miles? That is a long damn way!

Ego, I guess, but only for ourselves.

You see, I know I can do an ironman. Or at least, I know that I can train and then try to d o the ironman. And I know myself well enough to know I’ll be lying on the floor bleeding from my eyeballs before I will ever stop, once I start that race. My first marathon was under really nasty weather conditions, and I had no desire to quit. I was going to finish it. I had trained, and I would finish it.

This next marathon, I understand that it is a long distance, but I already know that I can do it. You see, I’ve done it already. Now, for some reason, I feel the need to prove to myself that I can go further, faster and stronger than before.

Just wondering how many others of you out there finished that first long distance race and while you were busy congratulating yourself and beaming about the accomplishment were also thinking, “Hm, what would it be like to run 50 miles?”

So the last few runs I have done, when I get to six miles and beyond my knee starts to hurt.

I’m hoping this is a shoe issue, so yesterday I went out and bought a new pair of Saucony’s.  Loved the old ones so much that i took them in to match with a new pair but ended up getting a different model with the same  stability support. I love them! So cushy. Tomorrow I have an 11 miler, and I at least want to do ten. Today I”m going to spend some time stretching out my IBS area and hoping that this stretching and the new shoes will take care of the knee pain. it doesn’t last. as soon as I stop running, even if I stop and walk, the pain goes away. so I’m hoping it is nothing serious.

I have only about 11 weeks to the marathon and I am still at 8.5 miles as my longest run, so not a lot of time! I’m hoping my body remembers the last marathon in February and bounce back easily.

I am also going to signup for Avon’s two day walk event. The first day is a marathon at 26 miles and the second day is 13.  Since that is the only event between the June rock and roll marathon in San Diego and Long Beach’s marathon I’m hoping that it keeps me  in training mode.

So I’m back.
I wrote about that last week.

Something seemed to click. I don’t iknow what it was. I took off about a month from long distance running after the race. I couldnt do it. I would get out and try to to go 6, 8 or more, but I couldn’t get past 4. Sometimes 3.

I did 8 1/2 a few days ago and it was great. Had some knee pain right after, actually during the end of that, but I know it ws because i had only gone as far as 6 miles in the past month and I was pushing myself a little farther than i should. After I stopped running, the knee was fine.

Today I did 4 miles. Wasn’t sure if the kids would wake up in a strange place-grandmas-and need me.

I really think I might be able to do san diego in a few months. I need to train hard since I’ve only got about ten weeks and I”m only doing 8 as my long run. I’m hoping it all comes back easily since it hasn’t been that long.  Going to do about 5 on Saturday at my in law’s house and then on Monday, at mom’s, try to do my long run. By then the girls should feel more settled, so maybe I can go over to the beach and run the miles.

Hooked the GPS up to the computer the other day, it is fantastic! Shows my route, the amount of miles I run, and how fast I go per mile!! Awesome trianing tool. Hoping to do some speed work now that I have this, before the second marathon, to improve my toime. I’d like to consistently fall within the 9 minute mile range LOL!

so, today began my next marathon training program. I’ll try to do the san diego rock and roll on june 1, though I have some issues.

First, I have taken some time off of long distances since the marathon. I don’t know what happened, to be honest. I thought for sure I would continue those 11 milers on the weekends, then build up to 20 for my long rtain run before the race.

For some reason, my body needed to rest. Marathon training is rigorous. It is a lot of early mornings, and I guess my body needed to sleep instead.

Also, we are going to be on vacation during my 20 miler weekend, which means i have to push it up or back. Up means doing it one day after returning-ain’t gonna happen. Back means going quite some time between long runs and the race. So, I think back and then add a 15 milers in there somewhere after the 20 and before the race.

Yesterday I did 8 1/2 miles. My knee started hurting around 7 1/2 I think because my longest run in the past five weeks since the race was 6 miles. But, I realized as I counted up the weeks left and looked at my training book that I followed for marathon #1 that I really only have 11 or so weeks left, soI have to get this done!

I feel fine today, though. Heading to the airport soon, and I have my running shoes and GPS packed so I can go for a nice long one in Florida.