Feel the pain

.... Mile 25 and I'm running when I shouldn't be running. Everything hurts, back, lungs, legs on fire, the Boston qualfying bus passed, but if I could just raise enough energy I could catch t. Brain calls to my engine room and the message comes back "I'm giving it everything I got, Cap'n". I keep pushng through when a sudden pain of acid fills my foot, the blister that was building since mile 8 gave way. I limp a little, but with less than a mile this isn't going to stop me. Passing mile 26 there are 385 yards to go ... round a corner and it is a long ramp with a mass of people lining the sides. The ramp goes up into the distance and round a corner hiding the finishing line. This must the cruelest marathon finish ever! I receive a cheer from Katy's mum and a few steps on I was shot in the middle of my left hamstring. This is not the suspect right hamstring pre-race. I think I saw a puff of smoke behind a grassy knoll. Magically, I could not see the exit wound and perhaps it could have been a cramp. I stopped, started to walk with the crowd encouraging me. I figure I could hop the last 200 yards. "Cone on, you're nearly there, not far to go". These are the same words of support I'd been hearing for the last 10 miles. Bless em, but mile 18 isn't "nearly there". I tried to raise my last jog/shuffle and I made the finish in 3:24. I lost a few minutes over the last mile or so. As I could hardly walk through the finishing area, I knew there was nothing more I could have done today.

Here we go .......

..... or here we come, depending on where you are.

No running for what seems like forever. Hamstring feels good but there is only one way to find out .......

A week to go

I'm not sure how to distinguish fear from anxiety or scared from nervous. A week short of the San Antonio marathon, and can feel something. That's a good thing. Imagine having no feeling!

After 14 marathons, I still find it exciting. It has changed for me though, from the uncertainity of completion to running a qualifier for Boston. Over time, I have developed a deeper appreciation that each one could be my last. Not to take anything for granted, even just finishing is not a given.

Pain is going to happen, but how much and will it be .... too much?

On Monday, during an easy 35 minutes, I felt a sharp pain at a point inside my leg about 4 inches about my knee. It travelled to behind my knee and then to the middle of my hamstring. There it stayed. I walked. I came home and the pain stayed for the day. It ensured I was aware of it's presence with any movement, even slightly pretending to stretch it. I check in with the new masseur Simon, who dealt out torture that you have to expect when you tick the deep tissue box on arrival. He left me brusied and sore to sit down (don't ask!) so the hamstring was lost in a whole new world of hurt.

Waiting until Friday, I tried another eay 35 minute run. It (the hamstring) hurt immediately and I became used to it. For the rest of the day I knew I had a problem. So I vowed not to run again until race day.

Today is Sunday and there is one week to go before the race. I believe my hamstring is improving and my spirit is lifted. I am also grateful that I will be starting taking nothing for granted.

The goal is 3:15 but I will be happy to walk away under 3:20. More than that is going to feel like a failure. I guess this is all self generated pressure. But that is what makes it exciting.

Dodge the bullet

I'm hanging in there, dodging the recession and patting myself down looking for bullet wounds after reading that my retirement stocks got flushed down the old porcelain squatter box. I still feel the same as I did before the world economy started crashing. Maybe I'm immune?

It hasn't been a good year at work. Someone left the back door open and a collection of arrogant, immoral and self absorbed armholes came in and took over. I didn't really mean to say armholes, but I thank spell checker from coming to the rescue of Mr Pottymouth.

Anyhow, I'll be glad when this year is done, so I'm starting 2009 a little ahead of time. Katy has nailed the end of her Uni and we are heading to the US of Obamaland. San Antonio marathon is locked in and I haven't suffered the usual strain or pull in the calf. I might add, just. The last few weeks I have been on the edge of breakdown but keep managing to get by. I might just rest this last 2 weeks and do no more running.

All the long runs are in the bank, and the speed was good last Wednesday averaging 4:30 for 18k (12ish miles) in 1hour 22 minutes and finishing strong and fast.