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Jul 31: 8.0 miles in Central Park (>1 lap)
--Wait. Neat. I just discovered that what I thought I was running, 7.5 miles, turned out actually to be 8 miles. I had misremembered the distance of the lower loop of Central Park! So I guess I'm doing better than I thought. Today, in this the first day of my blogged marathon training for 2005, I ran a lap around Central Park, plus a lap around the lower loop, making for a total of 8 miles. The weather was sunny, around 80 degrees, with comfortable humidity. I pushed myself today to do a full lap even though I probably could have relaxed a little bit--yesterday, I ran two laps around Central Park, for a grand total of 12.3 miles!

I've been working of late on speed in my 10K's (one lap around Central Park is basically a 10K), in particular making fast starts to my running rather than slower starts. The aim has been to find a steady breathing rhythm so I'm not prone to gasping for air and so that I can keep my body working like a "machine" as I run. My effort to increase my speed seems to have worked in the last week; already I'm passing people more quickly in the park, and less often getting passed. There are, however, occasional "superrunners" who pass me, and for the most part I'm fine with that, though I sometimes play mental games in hopes of "beating" people who try to pass me.

I need a new lumbar belt for my water bottle, which has a rip in it that allows for my water bottle to shake when I sprint. The bottle fell from my belt at the end of my run (I usually sprint the last length of my runs), and that's the second time. I understand Paragon Sports carries just what I want so I may take a trip down there soon. For now, I suppose I'll have to carry my bottle when I sprint.

Though I've been running well, I haven't been eating very healthfully. I haven't minded that much about my fat intake (that is, junk intake) because of the amount of miles I've been running. I don't really know what to eat to maximize my running but staving off the feeling of starvation. I've been eating of late a particular protein bar (320 calories, 32g of protein) and I just ordered some workout DVDs to target my arms and shoulders--the hope is that the combination will increase my upper body strength, which is handy for climbing hills and just overall feeling stronger.

Anyway, stay tuned! As in 2003, I plan to update this blog after every run with the details of my training. The marathon is November 6, 2005, and though that seems a long ways off, it will probably arrive in no time. Let's hope I don't get burned out with my training!

Cheers!
Ben