« August 2005 | <<< Back to Ben Hauck's Marathon Page | October 2005 »

Sep 29: 8.0 miles in Central Park (1 lap + 1 lower loop)
--HOLY SMOKES!! I did 8.0 miles in 55 minutes!!

I was feeling very, very strong for today's run. I had two days of rest under me, virtually unnoticeable humidity (44%), 63-degree temperatures, and lots of wind! And I just flew. The beginning of my run I didn't particularly notice how fast I was going until I realized I was passing people, and passing them really pretty fast. Then, I passed an older man who jogged right beside me for a bit, but he never got past me, and I eventually sprinted away from him. On Great Hill, I sprinted up part of it, and with the gift of a speedy song, I went down Great Hill pretty quickly. Then, between miles 5 and 6, I came from behind to lap a very fast runner who zoomed in in front of me, whom I wasn't sure I'd catch. After finishing 6.3 miles, I passed a few more speedy runners, coming from far behind, and it wasn't until the last tenths of a mile that one runner passed me and was untouchable, despite my best attempts to keep up pace with him.

No sweat, though! I felt so relaxed for much of this run! Although I still feel problems with my hip when I walk, I had no problems at all with my hip when I ran, which I'm assuming was from being able to rest these last two days and perhaps from taking some doses of ibuprofen. I'm not really sure where I got my added strength; it may have been from the Pilates I've been doing litely, or maybe the protein bars I've eaten, or maybe the hand weights (though the power seemed more in my legs), or maybe it was just the wind and the temperature. But whatever the case, I beat my fastest 8.0-mile time by three whole minutes, and that's just something else. I wonder what my time for 6.3 miles was??

Since I have my longest run so far this year on Saturday, 22 miles(!), I'm going to take tomorrow off from running. I probably can't run until the evening even though I have the day off, and by doing that, I might zap some strength for Saturday's run, which I'll probably do in the morning. Plus, the competitive marathoner schedule recommends doing a 4-mile run, and that just seems annoying to me as I haven't found a great route for doing 4 miles. No regrets, though. But man, I'm just amazed how strong I felt today, and how quickly I traveled! It felt so cool!

Sep 26: 8.0 miles in Central Park (1 lap + 1 lower loop)
--I just found out that the temperature was about 10 degrees warmer than what I thought. Whew! I thought I was getting really bad in the running department!

Today I did an afternoon run that felt slow, and turned out to be slow: 8.0 miles in 1:03. I had thought I was jogging in 66-degree weather, but it was actually 76-degree weather with a yucky 73% humidity. Not only was the weather a problem, but my left hip again was an issue, but only for about the first 4 minutes. But still: It's officially an issue. Fortunately, because of work conflicts, the next two days I have off from running, and hopefully with that time off plus some ibuprofen I can get my hip healthy again.

Oh, and my mp3 player is working again! Turned out that the power strip that the recharger is plugged into was off, so my mp3 player wasn't getting recharged. And it charged pretty fast, too. So it seems I'm fine at least for a little while longer with the thing.

Next run is Thursday evening!

Sep 25: 6.3 miles in Central Park (1 lap)
--A cloudy morning, a packed park, and little humid weather (66% humidity with 66-degree temps) made for a little slower run than expected, but I did happen to squeeze out 6.3 miles in 46 minutes. I could have done it in about 45, I should think, had it not been for the slowdowns caused by the Race for the Cure, which was going on in Central Park concurrently.

My body didn't have that "edge" to it that it sometimes has the day after my long runs. I'm not sure why, but I have been doing Pilates of late, so that may mean a decrease in strength as it gets moved to my Pilates routines. Another factor could be that I'm not eating pasta the nights before my runs. I could also just be a little bodily tired.

My hamstring was not an issue during the run, but from the start and near the very end, my left hip was. The pain was a little sharper today than usual, and I'm thinking it's just something that needs to be warmed up before I use it. The question is, What exactly do I do to warm up a hip? I don't think I need strength exercises. I do a "leg fling" thing to lengthen my stride, which I think also helps my hip, but I'm no physiologist.

It was the second coolest day of this year's training, but it didn't feel it with the humidity and the cloudy skies. I run again tomorrow--I'm not sure exactly what time. I'm thinking to take advantage of a full day's rest, I'll go in the evening (I have the day off), though I may go after my morning gig. I'm a little concerned that for some reason I'm losing strength and speed, but I think it's possibly related to incorporating Pilates and arm weights into the mix, and either I'll adjust or need to trim them out.

Oh, and it seems my mp3 player is gasping its last breaths. I didn't bring it today, and it was missed. :)

Sep 24: 14.1 miles in Central Park (2 laps + 1 lower loop)
--Well, quite the surprise this morning to find the temperature when I left my apartment for my run was 59 degrees! I ran my 14.1 miles today in really nice weather, the coolest I've been in this year (about 62 degrees, 57% humidity, and windy), in about 1:52. I don't think that's all that hot of a time. It's an estimated time as my mp3 player died (again) during my first lap, zapping the clock with it, too. Upon finishing, I asked a person for the time.

My left hamstring felt better this morning, and during the run I fared pretty well with it until closer to the end when I felt more conscious of weakness. Afterwards, my left hamstring was a little sensitive to walk on. I hope I can get past this semi-injury soon enough. I attribute the relative slowness of my run to a few factors: deciding to take a more "slow and steady" pace; having run 6.3 miles about 14 hours prior; the wind; not having carbo-loaded; not really wanting to push myself too much today; losing power to my mp3 player; and maybe some hamstring. Probably the biggest factors were last night's run and the decision to go a bit slower. I had a disgusting, mild "throw-up burp" and general burpiness during this run, which I think was caused by eating some prunes just before my run. Stay away from pre-run prunes! :D

I'm curious if i can go without ibuprofen and ice today; that is, am I in good enough condition that I won't have that "popping" sensation in my Achilles tendon(s)? Not sure if I'll chance it.

Oh, and before my run today, I did a quic Pilates routine. Perhaps that also was a factor in my slower speed. No worries. I basically like to get these bits of infomation down in case I want to look at trends in the future.

Sep 23: 6.3 miles in Central Park (1 lap)
--Simply a "maintenance run" (as I called it) today. I did my requisite 6.3 miles tonight in 49 minutes, only really trying to pick up pace on some of the hills and at the end. I was nursing still a litely pulled left hamstring which I think will just relax on its own, but I didn't want to overdo the run tonight because tomorrow morning I plan on a 14.1-mile run (on a scheduled 13-mile day).

The weather was slightly warmer than the past couple days but not too noticeably--79 degrees with 53% humidity. The run was blustery at times, which was a nice change of pace, and I got a few sprinkles on me that didn't turn to rain until after I finished my run. Most of my run was in the dark, as I got out of work a little late, affecting my start time; I tend not to "like" running in the dark, but oddly enough, I actually do--in the past, I've just liked using darkness as an excuse not to run. Near the very last stretch, there's a part that's so dark going into it it's like going into a cave!

Nothing too much to report. I'm going to use one of my arm workout DVDs now. I'm thinking about doing my 12-minute Pilates DVD tomorrow morning before the run. We'll see how everything works out. Cheers!

Sep 22: 6.3 miles in Central Park (1 lap)
--Again: Fastest run of the year!!

Hahaha. Today, I matched yesterday's run in Central Park by doing 6.3 miles in 44 minutes. Today's run was different than yesterday's in that I was practically sprinting the whole run! Not quite sprinting, but I was using a much faster pace than I usually do. The result? I slightly pulled my left hamstring! I made it through the run fine, it's just that I have a pulled/strained feeling in the inside of my left thigh up to my left buttock. I hope it's fine in the morning and doesn't worsen.

The weather, again, was wonderful. I did my run at my regular evening time--73 degrees, 71% humidity (??), and blue, dimming skies. The air was cool. I was seriously blowing by people on this run! I had the good fortune of some aggressive music popping up on my mp3 player to feed my frustrated mood, and the overall benefit was catharsis!

I was to do 8.0 miles today per my training schedule, but no matter as it was a fast run today; I figured it didn't matter too much if I added 1.7 miles. Anyway, I felt pretty awesome on this run, and I'm impressed that I kept up such a fast pace for the entire run!

Sep 21: 6.3 miles in Central Park (1 lap)
--Fastest run of the year!! I did 6.3 miles in 44 minutes!! I actually am quite surprised I pulled this off today. Granted, the weather was beyond gorgeous--cool, cloudless, endless blue, 77 degrees, 44% humidity--but my breathing was shallow (is that what asthma's like?) and my body didn't feel as if it was moving as strongly as it did, say, for my last run a couple days ago. But nonetheless, I persevered, tried to pick up my pace in the second half (starting with sprinting up Great Hill), and found spots downhill to pick up my pace. My finish was comparatively weak, as I didn't muster that much speed in the last leg. I did, however, come from far, far behind to pass a runner who was from what I could tell following pretty closely behind me. Anyway, 44 minutes--that's some time to beat!

It was an early morning run today. I got up at 6:30am to work out my arms and to do Pilates, two things I haven't really done in the last couple months because I was getting enough of a workout from running. For vanity's sake, I'd like arms with more mass to them (I say "vanity" because I want bigger arms in my marathon shots, ha!), as my arms now are lean and "runner's arms"--they help me out when I'm sprinting.

I had the option of running last night as improv rehearsal was cancelled, but I decided to take the night off to read. It was a nice choice. It's something different being home on a weeknight, it is. What with all this training, it's somewhat foreign-feeling to be home at night on a weeknight!

Sep 19: 6.3 miles in Central Park (1 lap)
--Ya know, I'm just gonna say I finished tonight's 6.3-mile run in Central Park in 45 minutes. 'Cuz, dernit, it fer shure felt like 45 minutes!

Tonight's run was among the most fleet-footed in memory. I started out fast, and I kept up a rather speedy pace for nearly the entire run. I didn't really get in super-sprints, but my pace was so quick that sprints and super-sprints wouldn't have looked much different.

I'm only a little bit shy of saying confidently "I did the lap in 45 minutes" because technically, my mp3 player said I finished it in 46 minutes; however, I started a few seconds past the minute, plus I had to take two quick pauses while on Great Hill because I got a rock in my shoe. I tried to make up for the loss, but I don't think I quite did ... it's hard to tell. I did, though, manage to continue my fast pace, and not make that much of a difference in making for a still-fast total time.

Again, the weather was back to cooperative. The temperature was about 76 degrees with 66% humidity. My night runs (which happen after work) are starting to finish in the semi-dark. It was actually rather fun bolting through darkness in my final sprint--it seems to take the difficulty out of it, making it almost as if I was "flying" to the finish! My final sprint was very strong--I love that "machine" feeling, with my arms pumping and my stride powerful, a transformation from simple running stride to power-stride that is magical to experience within. I still secretly wonder if people are gape-mouthed as I sprint in that last length--I feel very, very, very fast.

There's a slight chance I'll be able to run tomorrow, should my improv rehearsal get cancelled. I'd kinda like to run that day, rather than take the night off. There's something wonderful about running in this weather in the near dark.

Sep 18: 6.3 miles in Central Park (1 lap)
--Again, I did the seemingly ridiculous by going for a longer distance than my training schedule recommended after my long run! I did 6.3 miles this morning instead of 4 miles, and I did the 6.3 miles in 46 minutes.

The temperature was just about 80 degrees with 40% humidity, and quite a reversal of the murky weather of the last few days. The skies were blue, blue, blue, and beautiful. If I had gotten my 20.2-mile run in today, I'd have fared much better physically, but in hindsight I'm glad I accomplished such a feat in such grueling weather. The result, though, was utter exhaustion as last night rolled on, plus my right Achilles tendon popping as I took on stairs around 11pm, and then a rough night's sleep waking around 4:30am. (That may have been caused by accidental late-night caffeine injestion--I had some strange white-chocolate beverage that may have had caffeine in it.) But the exhaustion didn't show up physically for my run, as I maintained a pretty fast pace, included some semi-sprinting toward the end, and passed everyone I approached.

I'm a little concerned about my right Achilles because the iboprofen and the elevated icing hasn't seemed to "cure" it as it had in the past. When I touch my tendon, there is no pain, and the issue seems to be something to do with some thin, spindly tendon or something near the tendon, almost as if it gets "caught up" on some inflamed surface and has to shift to move, causing that popping sensation I feel. It doesn't affect me at all during running, though, which is weird--the issue comes up on stairs and when I walk around a little bit. I'm still not in a place to go the doctor about it.

Generally speaking, I feel I have an edge shaved off of me from yesterday's run. I feel tired, zonked, and lacking in some strength. I think some of it has to do with allergies that are affecting me still this month. This week trainingwise looks comparatively light, with the long-run on Saturday "only" 13 miles, but the subsequent weekend it's going to be one of two 22-mile runs! I may be able to get in an additional normal run this week as I have no Thursday-night conflict. So there you have it!

Sep 17: 20.2 miles in Central Park (3 laps + 1 lower loop)
--This was probably my most hellish run all year, yet I persevered and accomplished my goal: I did 20.2 miles in yucky, humid weather.

Granted, at times my run became but a crawl, but I only stopped twice to refill my water bottle. At 18.5 miles I was very, very close to just ending it there without doing my lower loop, but I convinced myself to just keep on going and sure enough, I overcame the mental barrier I was wrestling with. During the last full lap, I started getting the sense that my body was tightening up as my arms were a little stiff and my knees hadn't been involved in longer strides--I even felt my lower back area, a sensation I thought might have something to do with my kidneys. I turned out fine in the end, with no sudden cramps; however, when I got home, I went straight to the market to pick up some Gatorade to get electrolytes back in me. (I'd had a nectarine just before my run, and pasta the night before, but I was a swamp in this weather, soaked to the bone in sweat, and I didn't know if my nutrients were dripping out of me.)

I did the run in 2:52, which isn't that bad--just around my target pace. The last time I did 20.2 miles, I did it in 2:46 and in much more agreeable weather. I got out early this morning, starting my run at 9:05am--the temperature was about 77 degrees and humidity was around 70-75% ... and cloudy. I dislike cloudy. Eventually, though, the sun shone through, and even some wind showed up.

After such a grueling run, I'm going to ice my legs, take an ibuprofen, as well as a nap. My improv group has a show tonight for which I must run lights, so I want to be rested and alert for the show.

I'm supposed to do 4 miles tomorrow per my training schedule. We'll see about that. I'd like to. The weather's supposed to be about the same, I think.

Sep 16: 6.3 miles in Central Park (1 lap)
--Well, a minute better for this morning's 6.3-mile run (50 minutes), in 75-degree temperatures with, again, murky humidity between 88%-98%! This run was more bearable than last night's as there was a little bit of a wind today. I took some extra care in stretching today because of yesterday's sluggishness, and for the most part it seemed to help, though my left hip felt a little worse, perhaps about to slice off some cartilage! At least that was the image. I don't know really good ways to warm up my hips, so if you know (dear reader...), please forward me some info. I don't want my hip to take me down! Fortunately, though, after some time running, it seems to "warm up" and not be a factor.

I added a few more tunes on my mp3 player, namely some new Nine Inch Nails songs. I also added some songs from the soundtrack to Garden State for more relaxing stretches of my runs. Nothing seems to beat System of a Down songs, though; I sometimes immediately start sprinting when some of their songs open! Today's run had one of those stretches, but more memorable was actually singing along to NIN's "Only" as I ran. I love that song.

Tomorrow is a 20-miler. Right now Weatherbug says humid for tomorrow. Not sure what I can do about that--it doesn't look as if I can escape weekend humidity. So I may just have to suck it up! Today's run wasn't so bad, so perhaps if I go early in the morning, I can benefit from lower temperatures. Hmmmmmmm... :)

Sep 15: 6.3 miles in Central Park (1 lap)
--YUCK! Today's run was UGLY! 90% humidity greeted me in 76-degree mostly cloudy weather, and the subsequent run was just downright slow!

Granted, I took two days off in a row, a last-minute decision yesterday that actually proved inevitable given some more subletter issues (a monstrous outstanding long-distance bill), so the two-day break sorta explains the sluggishness (possibly). But I did 6.3 miles in 51 minutes, not 45-46 minutes--rotten!

Actually, I'm not that disappointed. My motivation took a dive this week, which I attribute mostly to caffeine use; while caffeine brings me up, it also usually brings me down. Not moodwise; mostly motivationwise. The physiological feeling is basically tiredness/sleepiness, which I've certainly endured this week, and with humid, potentially rainy weather yesterday, I just decided against a run.

The humidity is supposed to stick around for tomorrow's run, and I'm not sure about for this Saturday's 20-mile run--keep your fingers crossed it goes away! My shins hurt of anything today (which is odd), and my left hip still is awkward, but overall my body feels healthy, and my final .3 miles were very speedy over the distance. And my final sprints are just powerful!

Sep 12: 6.3 miles in Central Park (1 lap)
--Whoa! I woke up today to find that the high temperature was going to be 92 degrees! That came outta nowhere! After days in the low to mid 70's, 92 was a shock, and when it came time for my evening run, the temperature was about 88 degrees. However, the weather only felt "warm," with not much humidity (33%). I could tell the difference in temperature while running even if I couldn't tell it while just being out in it. The result was that my body had to work a bit more, and possibly as a result of the warmer temperature, my body was in more pain the usual.

My first mile was a bit plodding if speedy enough. About a mile in I was lapped by a rather speedy girl plus a small guy trying to catch up to her--I'd already passed him a little bit back. The next mile was a pack of us three, with the girl in the lead and me rounding out the group. I kept my pace, though, eventually passing the guy and even passing the girl, who had decided to turn on her jets at one point and leave us guys in the dust. It was atop Great Hill when she passed me again, and at the bottom of it we met up and she then diverged. I thought I'd left the guy in the dust, until just over a mile left in my run the guy appeared again and just blew me out of the water.

Without that bit of rivalry, challenge, and competition, I might not have fared as well as I did. I pulled off 6.3 miles in 46 minutes, an especially good time considering my relative discomfort and the heat. Something special about today's run was my finish, which was the amazingly fast sprint with my stride very long and powerful. I've never felt so coordinated and fast. I felt like a machine!

I certainly could use a rest. I'm taking it tomorrow. Perhaps in the meantime I can figure out why the last couple days, my buttcheeks have been itchy! I'm not sure why, but I feel as if, when running and not, my bum has itchies all over it! Weird. I feel like scratching it now!

Sep 11: 8.0 miles in Central Park (1 lap + 1 lower loop)
--The string of beautiful running days continues! This morning I ran 8.0 miles in 59 minutes, meaning that I have yet again run with strength after my long-run days.

The weather was around 71 degrees with 50% humidity under blue, blue skies. The only physical information of note was that at the start of my run, my left hip, which doesn't seem to move smoothly in the socket when I walk some days, was not warmed up so I had to shift my stride a little bit to alleviate the pounding I was putting on that hip. The adjustment corrected the issue quickly, and by the second minute of my run, my hip was a non-issue.

I had with me my mp3 player again, having purchased new headphones yesterday. Overall, even though I ran the 8.0 miles in 59 minutes, the run felt a little bit slow (not that much), in the sense that I didn't really sprint until the very end, a lighter sprinting at that. No worries, though, as I think I tend to have more strength the second day after my long runs; tomorrow I might have more of a desire to sprint. Probably another factor was lapping people rather than having people with whom to compete as they try to pass me. They tend to turn my competitive spirit on.

Tomorrow's a run day, then Tuesday is off!

Sep 10: 15.8 miles in Central Park (2 laps + 2 lower loops)
--Today's run was sans mp3 player, as my headphones on one side died. No worries, though--I was up for the challenge of running 15.8 miles without any music!

It was a warm, bright, sunny day without no noticeable humidity (29%), the temperature around 80 degrees. I felt better than average, and mentally I felt well above average. In fact, I noticed how over the last couple days I was rather intrepid about this week's long run; it seemed "like nothing" for me to be doing!

And for the most part, that was the case. I ran 6.3 miles in 46 minutes exactly and my 15.8 miles in 2 hours exactly--this time timing myself with a stopwatch rather than keeping track of time with my mp3 player. There were a lot of runners in the park today given an 18-mile run going on, so I had to move around some runners--without them there, I probably would have gotten my run in in just under 2 hours (but no problem!). I felt some considerable pain in my left knee I think in my 13th mile, which I thought might bring me down for a moment, but I used my little mental trick--saying to myself, "Courage."--and that seemed to work. A nice guy in mile 10 met me at the water station after we traded advances, and for the next couple miles we shared a few friendly words about our pace and goals for the day and the amazing running weather. He would get in front of me, then I'd creep up on him, which seemed to surrpise him. Ha! It was nice to have a friendly trading of advances for a change, rather than these anonymous, competitive ones.

I probably best take some ibuprofen and ice my legs today so I don't go about overconfident about my bodily accomplishments in today's run. Before the run I had (ahem) a Baby Ruth; yesterday for dinner I made a point of having pasta. I'm not sure how they figured into today's run. But overall, I'm pleased with how it went, and the guy who was nice to me seemed impressed by my pace. So hey, that feels pretty good!

Sep 9: 8.0 miles in Central Park (1 lap + 1 lower loop)
--This morning's run was ... ah ... normal, I suppose. I got 6.3 miles in in about 46 minutes, and completed my full 8.0 miles in just under 1 hour. The weather was cloudly, I had a few inconsistencies in my morning schedule affecting my discipline, and the weather felt a little more humid (though only about 40%) with the temperature at 76 degrees.

Overall, I just felt sluggish and wanted to take my time today. I was passed by one really fast runner, and on the approach to Great Hill I was passed by another one. Well, I let him go ahead of me, but there was suddenly a rivalrous bit of "anger" that creeped in, and I thought, Hell, I think I can sprint past him when I hit Great Hill. Sure enough, I did. Actually, I sprinted up almost all of Great Hill! I had speed and strength for the climb. Granted, we're not talking final-sprint pace, but it was a faster pace than my run up to that point.

The rest of the run was then a trading of advances with this runner. I'd get in front of him; then, when I thought I'd long blown by him, he'd pass me. But then he'd hit a hill and I'd pick up my pace and pass him. It was kinda funny to me. This happened a few times until I eventually shook him around mile 6.

I feel a little pudgier today for some reason. I'm not quite sure, but maybe it has something to do with sugar intake or salt intake. I have some pretzel rods in my apartment, but I haven't eaten that many. And I've been drinking 100% grape juice lately, which is probably more sugar than I usually consume. Not that I look fat or anything, I just don't feel as lean. That was probably another reason why I felt a little off today. However, it was nice to have some competition to spark me into making a bit more of today's training run. And, hey, 46 minutes--that's still one heck of a time for me for a sluggish start!

Sep 7: 6.3 miles in Central Park (1 lap)
--45 minutes! I did the lap in 45 minutes!

And that makes for my fastest 6.3 miles of the year! Tonight, I really hustled. Around the time I started my second mile, I decided to pick up my pace, and for much of the run I sustained this faster pace. Toward the end of my run, I really picked it up, hustling past runners with a powerful stride. I felt great!

Plus, the weather cooperated. This may have been my coolest run of the year, 70 degrees with 60% humidity (negligible, really) and a breeze. There were a lot of runners in the park this evening, and not one of them passed me. Man! I really look forward to my runs now, which is quite an accomplishment and different than the other marathons I trained for, for which training felt more like an obligation at times. My running discipline has become almost as automatic as making my bed in the morning or making myself breakfast--I don't even think about not running!

Tomorrow I have off because of a night job, and Friday I believe I'll be getting in a morning run. Probably 8.0 miles since I didn't do a longer run today. "Only" a 15-miler on Saturday. Can you believe that I am seeing it as "only" 15 miles?? I tell you, the weather has a lot to do with it. But also does my training in the hot, difficult weather of the summer ... gotta give myself some credit!

Sep 5: 8.0 miles in Central Park (1 lap + 1 lower loop)
--GODDDDDDDDDDD!!! Do you know how gorgeous it's been in NYC these last few days??? And the weather forecast is for even more gorgeosity for the next few days to come!

Again, the benefit of low humidity, comfortable temperatures, and clear, blue skies made for a fantastic run this morning. At 73 degrees with 52% humidity, I felt very, very strong yet again on this run, the second day after my 20.2-mile run. Yesterday I busted out 6.3 miles, and today I busted out 8.0, matching my time yesterday, and even besting my 8.0-mile time for the year! That is, I completed 6.3 miles in 46 minutes and 8.0 miles in 58 minutes. In these weather conditions, the factor that's keeping me from dropping to 45 minutes (a goal I have for now) is probably just a matter of adding some sprints into the mix, something I haven't been too crazy about doing given the fast pace I'm already running at.

I wasn't passed even once in this whole run, blasting past lots of runners--I'm guessing that my training in muggier weather benefitted my (comparative) abilities, as others probably didn't brave the more humid weather and are waiting for days like this to run, making me ahead of their game.

A note of advice: I learned before taking a shower yesterday that my one toe was covered in blood! My toenails had gotten long enough that one toe was jabbing its nail into the adjacent toe, puncturing it on the side and making it bleed! I had planned on a pedicure that day, but the puncture was additional motivation to keep those toenails trimmed. Ha! The rashes on the inside of my thighs seem fine after today's run, scabbing up a little and not nearly as uncomfortable. On the right thigh, the rash is bigger than I thought, going up my leg a little; I had noticed it later in the day yesterday.

It just feels really good to be in this kind of shape. I hope that I can even improve more in my training. With a finish time so far looking to be under 3:40, I'm getting a little excited that I might shave off a lot of time from my previous marathon times. Man. If I finish below 3:40, that'd be so cool!

Sep 4: 6.3 miles in Central Park (1 lap)
--Not even 24 hours after completing 20.2 miles in Central Park, I was running again, full-strength, completing 6.3 miles in 46 minutes! So far this year, 46 minutes is my top speed!

This morning's weather was even more picturesque than yesterday morning's, with slightly cooler temperatures (77 degrees), humidity somehow unnoticeable (50%??), and cloudless clear blue skies. My pace was very fast for this run, almost a mile of which was spent keeping in front of a strong, tall, fast runner who seemed to want to pass me; my competitive attitude was on and I didn't want him to get by!

Overall, I'm astounded by how strong I felt in this run. Some of the factors that contributed to my strength may have been yesterday's post-run ibuprofen, inclined legs, and iced Achilles tendons. Other possible contributing factors may have been eating large bowls of granola yesterday, plus a late-night Red Bull to write by (which was probably responsible for my waking up on my own before 6am this morning). I have a considerable superficial injury, though--the inside of my right and left thighs are chafed to hell, the right pretty severely, from my Under Armor's seams and the brushing of my thighs together. The right looks as if it's bleeding, and to the touch the skin feels very thin. I put a coat of triple antibiotic on the spots last night (the size of Chicken McNuggets), but I have a feeling this may be a troublesome injury to recuperate from, especially if I keep my running up. It's mostly the result of long running; I usually put Body Glide in that area but Body Glide is no match for repeated chafing over 20-something miles of running. It's no biggie--the spots just sting a little and make walking a bit uncomfortable.

I'm happy I got the run in very early in the day (I got back from Central Park just after 9:30am)--my day already feels very productive. Now, it's time to wash my running clothes. P.U., they stink!

Sep 3: 20.2 miles in Central Park (3 laps + 1 lower loop)
--What a f*cking gorgeous day, and what f*cking luck to be able to have it come on the day of my longest run of the year. This morning I did 20.2 miles in Central Park, starting at 8:51am and finishing at 11:37am, making my running time 2:46. If I kept up a 50-minute 10K pace, I'd finish the marathon at some time under 3:40!

The main instruction I gave myself for today's run was "Slow and steady wins the race." So I took the run slowly (for me), and refused to compete with anyone who passed me. It worked very well at keeping my pace and breathing even. I actually passed a ton of people in the park (which was pretty busy with runners and packs of runners), and I was only passed by about 4 or 5 people in my whole run.

My hunger was fine (I was hungry at the end), and I didn't actually refill my water bottle until nearly halfway into my third lap (taking up about one minute of time). The sky was clear blue, cloudless until the end (with only random little poofs), and the temperature was barely even noticeable: about 81 degrees with about 30% humidity. I usually think that 55-degree weather is the best to run in, and that 65-degree weather is practically "temperatureless." Today's run felt "temperatureless," too.

Upon completing my run, I was in pain. It was tolerable pain, but considerable discomfort, running from my buttocks down to the backs of my knees. I'm going to take a hot shower, take some ibuprofen, prop up my legs and ice them, and probably take a nap. I'd like to run tomorrow evening if possible--hopefully waiting until the evening will afford me more rest time, though I prefer morning runs because I get the rest of the day to work on my book.

Overall, this run felt effortless. I thought about it in terms of "doing 3 laps" rather than "doing 20.2 miles," which I'm sure made it more manageable to accomplish. Man, who would have thought I'd do 20.2 miles and feel pretty good about it so early into my marathon training?! I sure didn't think I'd be at this place!

P.S. I lost close to 5 lbs. from this morning until I got back. That seems to happen with these long runs--5 lbs., gone!