Baltimore Marathon Training Week 15

Tuesday: 3 Miles  (26:56)

Even runs through my neighborhood have become the norm the last few weeks and I remember why I am not a fan.  Thought this was my first run after Quad Cities, I was surprised at how good my legs felt today. I actually experienced less pain running than I had experienced all day while walking at work, though any downhill movement is still painful.  

The biggest surprise of this run was the 2nd mile as I hit an 8:10 pace and had to slow my pace as I spent the first half of the mile in the mid to high 7’s.  I didn’t feel pain, which considering how I felt over the last 48 hours, it came as a complete shock.  Ultimately, I came back to reality quickly afterwards as when I stopped running, my legs again felt like jello, leading to almost 30 minutes of walking afterwards just to ensure I didn’t fall over. The runs after marathons are definitely interesting for me to say the least.

Quote of the Day:

“Strength grows in the moments when you think you can’t go on but you keep going anyway.”

Wednesday: 6 Miles (50:46)

Our Wednesday night run led us to Main Slice in downtown Lee’s Summit. It was nice to be able to get back to running with the group and be able to talk with Stephanie about Quad Cities. Our conversation definitely and our pacing throughout was relatively quick considering the marathon was less than 72 hours ago.  Talking about my takeaways from the marathon as well as advice she gave allowed me to reflect over Quad Cities and continue to feel more and more like I have a good chance of having even more success in Baltimore in October.  

Quote of the Day:

“Do it over and over again until it becomes who you are.”  

Thursday: 3 Miles (22:29)

“That what Speed Do!” This pretty much sums up the thoughts in my mind as I finished today. After feeling as though I was holding myself back the last few days, I decided to push the envelope and see what I could accomplish.  I can’t recall the last time I was able to maintain such a pace, but I felt great in the end. Though running through my neighborhood is hilly, each hill is always met with an equal amount of downhill which seems fitting for the elevation chart that I have been analyzing for Baltimore.  These days make me believe that I can push the tempo in Baltimore at the end, most certainly not the entire time, I would be fooling myself, but I do have the ability to get into the 7’s and finish strong, just have to continue to believe and make it happen.

Quote of the Day:

“You see things and say, why? But I dream things that never were and say, why not?”

Friday: 5 Miles (43:57)

Back to the trail! Friday morning at LBT with Stephanie was the perfect way to start the morning.  The difference temperature and humidity makes is almost indescribable.  My body reacts differently, the aches and pains are less severe and the my overall tolerance is elevated. Our pace wasn’t fast by any means, but with taper week in full effect, it was nice to get out early, stretch the legs out and be in nature this morning.

Quote of the Day:

“Stride forward with a firm, steady step knowing with a deep, certain inner knowing that you will reach every goal you set yourselves, that you will achieve every aim.”  

Saturday: 11 Miles (1:31:28)

With a 10 miler on the calendar today, my goal was to arrive early, get in a couple miles before 6:30 and then spend the time running with Stephanie and her sister Amanda.  While I had only anticipated running 2 miles, as soon as my feet hit the pavement, I felt great, so my 2 miles turned into 3 miles after running the first mile under 8 minutes.  

Miles 3-6 took the 3 of us away from Gusto and through a neighborhood near by.  As Stephanie told her sister to slow down, which you never hear Stephanie say, again tapering week, the engaged a little banter which reminded me of the conversations I never got to have as an only child.  It is neat to see siblings that enjoy the same sports especially when they are able to do them together.  

After completing the first 6 miles, at a relatively fast pace, we met up with the other runners and found that “The Godfather” selected a very unique dress attire for our run, see photo below.  This is yet another reason why I love our group.  We have so many unique personalities that collectively make our group the most fun loving combinations of personalities I have ever been able to be apart of.

In addition to the unique outfit, we had a moment to honor our friend Jim, who lost his sister unexpectedly with bands in her remembrance as well as a donation to the foundation that his family created in her honor. To see everyone rally around him demonstrates the selflessness that they possess and while running brought everyone together, it's rooted in something far greater, it's a family that looks out for each other and is there to support one another in good times and bad.

Quote of the Day:

“Running has given me many things but there greatest gift has been the people that it’s brought into my life.”

Sunday: 6 Miles (49:58)

With the weather cooperating again this morning, our pacing was identical to yesterday’s pacing. Running down the outer road along 50 with the sun rising gave me an opportunity to do some reflecting on my week and the week and gain some clarity.  At one point, I was so focused on my thoughts, that Stephanie had told me to slow down, not realizing that I was picking up the pace, it shows what you think about has power, especially when it is fueling a significant amount of thoughts and energy. The last 4 miles also looked very much like the middle portion of Quad Cities and hopefully in two weeks, I can say looked like the middle and end of Baltimore!  

Quote of the Day:

“A person’s mind is so powerful.  It can invent, create, experience, and destroy things with thoughts alone.

Final Thoughts:

This journey began with a simple but strategic step to achieve a goal that I have been chasing for almost 4 years. Though Quad Cities allowed me to break the 4 hr barrier, I didn’t feel as though I able to fully push past my threshold for fear of hurting myself in preparation for Baltimore. Now, with 12 days remaining until I face one of the last obstacles in my mind, I am very reflective over this journey and where it has taken mentally, physically, and spiritually along the way.

Mentally, my mind is at peace, something that hasn’t existed for quite some time. While I still have my moments, as we all do, my runs continue to allow me to process, decompartmentalize and rationally think about where I am going and how running has allowed me to get there. Physically, I have changed, not necessarily on the outside, but I can feel my legs propelling me, my core staying tight, and my body not breaking down as it did in 2012 and 2014.  Spiritually, I have not had this much clarity in quite some time. Life is simple, we make it complex, running has stripped the complexity away, its broken barriers and it has helped me understand that no one else’s opinions, thoughts, or even actions have an impact on me, until I let them in.

As each mile passes, 546 to date, I am reminded that this journey, this life, has no guarantees, except for one. Every step, every breath, every mile, every race, could eventually come crashing down. But yet, we seldom think of those things as we create lists and worry about our obligations rather than to stop and simply take in life and appreciate what we have. Those lists and obligations however can easily be altered in an instance when life throws a curveball and instantly everything slips away and you lose what you took for granted.  So are those lists really that important, those obligations all that necessary, or are the fleeting moments of peace that we experience in such small instances what we should really be chasing, I guess in the end, it’s all in how you want to look at your life.