14.36 and Boy Was That Terrible.

This marathon training is teaching me one hard lesson. This will most likely be the one and only marathon I ever do. It's really doing a number on me and the truth is, if it weren't for this cause, I'd be packing it in and calling it a day.

So Sunday, I ran 14.36 miles all told. It is the furthest distance I have ever "run" in my entire life. Ever. Ever. But I have to put the "run" part in quotes because around mile 12, I just couldn't do it anymore and had to walk. I was still 2 miles from home and at first shut my watch off in disappointment and defeat. But then I realized, either way I was walking home and the truth is there is a very good chance that I will be walking part of this marathon anyway, and that is totally ok for me. So I flipped the watch back on and let the miles continue because, ultimately, I was getting the distance in.

Today my right knee is a mess. I am icing it like crazy and hoping that I can feel ok enough to run tomorrow. I am likely to take my Sunday run and drop it to something like 8-9 miles as an easier week, but we will see how it plays out. A while ago, when I started this adult onset athleticism, I remember Claudia telling me it was better to go into a race under-trained than over-trained. I remember being surprised by that, but there is a lot of truth to it in the end. I would rather go into this having to push more on the day than wreck myself along the way of getting there. Its a hard lesson to learn, but its one I have learned in spades. Truth is, I am way off a plan now. I am making my plan up as I am going and I am making it up with an eye to being very conservative. I really don't care about the time. I don't care about the place I come in. I care about my cause and I care about living to fight another day, you know? Most of all, I care that I can run, because for a while even that wasn't in the cards. So while I had to walk the last 2 miles of my run on Sunday, I ran 12 miles and did ok with it. And that is such a blessing, really. I am not Deena Kastor and I don't want to be. I'm me and that me may be someone who has to walk a big chunk of a marathon, but knowing I am doing it for the right reasons is what matters.

I wound up taking Tuesday morning off. I was still hurting and wound up having to work a lot that night, so the two things together told me to just relax and heal. Tomorrow morning I am heading out and will see where things stand now.

I found out on Friday that 2 team members and 1 backup team member of Team Casa Myrna Vazquez have pulled out of the race due to injury. Which leaves us with a team that is now 1 short. Not good. But truth is, I am not surprised. When our team first kicked off the guy who had been assigned to the team as the "coach" sent everyone out his plan. Mind you most runners for a charity are new runners, or at least new marathoners. So you have to be cognizant of that from the get go. The coach presented a plan that had a long run the first week of 8 miles and the second week of 13. Most runners live and die by the 10% rule. You never increase your overall mileage in a week or in a single run by more than 10% of the week before. Breaking that usually means shin splints and stress fractures and lots of bad things. Even I was walking a fine line in kicking my mileage up as quickly as I did, but it was careful, measured, and started far enough back that I could do it ok. But the team coach started people off on the last week of December, with little time to build up to it. And off people went. I had expressed some concern with this plan to the group, but short of irking the coach, I don't think anyone really paid much attention. Bummer. So now the team is coming up short. And with several months still to go and the distances increasing, I am not sure how the rest of the team will fare. I just know for me, I am out there on April 21st regardless.

More later, as I figure out where things stand. Stay tuned... its always exciting over here. :) And happy Wednesday.