Week Two Recap

Today I wrapped up my second full week of marathon training. It's been a busy week at work and home, with school underway and after-school activities in full swing (piano, soccer, horseback lesson) and I ran more miles this week than I have run in a week for a very long time (19.4 miles).

Oh, and I booked a surprise trip to New York City for my wife's 40th birthday (by surprise I mean she surprised me by wanting to go to NYC to celebrate). I can't wait to go, so much to see and do of course, but also because we'll be there during the upcoming NYC Marathon weekend with thousands of other runners.

I'm happy to report that I set a new personal record running my fastest mile this week (8:43 was impressive for me given I usually run a 10 or 10:30/mile pace) and while I'm sore at the end of week two I'm injury free! One of the mornings I learned that even at the end of a long run I have more left in the tank than I thought being two blocks from home as it began to rain.

Foolishly, yet predictably, I was anxious to get ahead of my training plan mileage. It was all I could do to hold back earlier in the week, but after reading Tom about not overdoing it, I'm glad I didn't push too much. I'm also not as aggressive with my cross-training this time, preferring to stick to lifting and walking, rather than biking a ton of miles. I'm hopeful this will allow me to train without injury so I don't miss out on either of my planned races.

Changing topics now....this is my favorite time of the year. The humidity in Iowa moves out, the mornings are crisp and college football kicks off. With a full schedule ahead I'm hopeful for a better year from my Hawkeye's. Something very unusual is happening this fall however...it's September 1st and my Cubbies are leading the NL Central (very rare in my 40 year lifetime).

All is right with the world, at least for this morning. Hopefully the Hawks are successful in Chicago and the Cubs can sustain some momentum for the stretch run.

NYC by Captain Mayhem at Flickr
Wrigley Field by Damon Green at Flickr