Wednesday, May 15, 2013

4 Days To Marathon 4....

The countdown is on.  Sunday, whether I'm ready or not, I will be running the Pocono Mountains Run for the Red. I am pretty sure this will pan out to be my best race by far or a complete and utter disaster.  I don't think there will be any middle ground here.  I almost backed out of this race.  But then Boston happened and I feel that I NEED to do this.  I need to run.

It has been a tough training cycle.  I have pushed myself through a craptastic (that is a real word...I'm sure of it ;)) winter with Thing 1's torture training plan. Sometimes hitting my goals, sometimes wanting to die & failing.  It has been SO cold & windy! I have had more speedwork than I am used to and my long runs have not been as plentiful.  I did 2 16's, an 18, a 20 and a 5.5 hour trail run that substituted for a 20.  Then I went on vacation and my taper has been really tapered! I had a fantastic time in Spain, but we were only able to run 3 times in 9 days.  I ran my last 'long' run the day we left...10 miles.  Then I got in 3, 3, 5.5 and had to work back to back 12's starting the morning after getting back.  So I figure I'll either be REALLY well rested and awesome or crash and burn.  Then there is the course.


I am both a little excited & a lot scared! It has potential to be a fast course.  I don't mind those rolling hills.  I'm just not sure how to prep my body for that steep 5 miles of downhill.  Do you think I should tape my knees just as a precaution?  They have been ok in training so far.  Little twinges now and then but I haven't had to break out the KT tape like I did for Wineglass.  Honestly, I want to attack that downhill.  I really, really do.

Also, I lost my entire itunes when my harddrive crashed so completely that nothing could be recovered.  Yes, I know I should have backed it up.  Anyway, all my playlists are gone so I am starting fresh with a new one for the race.  Any suggestions????  I have a $30 itunes gift card burning a hole in my pocket ;-D

Also, Caro at Canadian Runner in Exile was taking pictures at her son's game and got one as he got hit by a baseball! Thank goodness he is OK! It reminded me that I had this image capture of the most epic steeplechase fail of all time at a track meet Thing 1 was competing in last month. (Actually, there is a 6 frame series that captures it all but this is the worst).  SD had to hold both me and another mum back from running out onto the track.  He did not even miss a step.  Got back up and kept running....I could not believe it.  I was sure he had hurt his head, given how red his face was.  Nope.  He had a heck of an abrasion on his leg where it hit the steeple but was otherwise ok.  And just so you know, he is ok with this photo.  It is all over his facebook. And Thing 1 would want you to know that he still came in 8th.

Check out the faces of the kids watching...it was that awful a crash!

7 comments:

Coy Martinez said...

WOW!! Check out that crash!! That's a great photo for how bad it was :)Dang!

I'm excited for your marathon. It looks so interesting! Not often do you see one with a chart like that! Best of luck and fingers crossed for a great race!

Anonymous said...

So glad I stopped by to wish you an awesome race!!!! woohoo!

Nelly said...

That marathon elevation chart looks crazy - I hope you don't thrash your quads on the descent from mile 5-10, maybe don't run the downhill too fast or else you might pay for it later in the race. The downhill from 15 to 26.2 looks perfect.

And wow on that crash - crazy!

Kate Geisen said...

That's a great picture, but I'm sure it was terrible as a momma to watch. Good luck in your race...I vote awesome!

Frickin' Fabulous at 40 said...

Is there SUPPOSED to be a huge puddle after the hurdle? When did track become a mud run?

Have a great race!!

The Unexpected Runner said...

That, my friend, is what's called 'Steeplechase'...a 3000M race with steeples (which are solid hurdles...the DON'T fall over if you hit one) including 2 water pit steeples.

Caroline said...

Ohhhhhh I would have jumped on the track I think
This looks painful....the faces of the kids say it all....
It is a good thing he is fine

Wishing you all the best for your marathon ! What your your knee problems... Downhill is rough... I hurt myself last year running a downhill half marathon. It was a groin tendonitis... I hope it will go well for you!