Marathon Training

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Half Marathon Time!

Tonight I am finalizing my preparations for the St. Luke's Half-Marathon in Allentown, PA. I'm checked into the hotel and just finished a pasta dinner, clothes are laid out, and alarm is set…. I am ready to go!

I was encouraged with my easy run this morning. It was exactly that – slow and easy. My right hamstring was still sore and it took me awhile to loosen up but I managed to run 4.5 miles on the treadmill. And, as the day progressed, I continued to feel better. Aside from my run this morning, I did not do anything strenuous. Yes, there is still plenty of yard work that needs to be done, but I wanted to have more of a restful and relaxing day. So, I'll be giving tomorrow's race tomorrow my best shot.

Temperatures are supposed to drop to 36 degrees through the night so it will be a bit chilly in the morning. The forecast is calling for race time (8:10AM) temperatures to be in the mid to upper 40's.

It is Half Marathon time again – Yeah!

John

Friday, April 27, 2012

Close Call

I am feeling fortunate tonight as I reflect on this past week. I was out of town on business (Houston, TX) and went out for a morning run on Wednesday. At 3.5 miles, I took a spill (tripped on a cement curb) and nearly wiped out! I came so close to falling flat on my face – I really don't know how I managed to pull myself back and stop from falling. The outcome was a very sore right hamstring – ouch! I had to sit through a meeting all day but I managed to get ice on it later in the day. Two days later, it is much less sore but I have not run since Wednesday morning. My plan right now is to get to the gym tomorrow (Saturday) morning and do a very easy run to test the waters and see how it goes. If I manage to get through the easy run, I'll plan to follow through with my plans to run the St. Luke's Half Marathon in Allentown, PA on Sunday morning. I am hopeful that all will be OK. After all, next weekend is the 10-Mile Broad Street Run in Philadelphia and I really don't want to miss that one.

Wish me luck and Happy Trails Everyone!
John

Monday, April 23, 2012

Long Distance Race Lineup

Ok, I definitely have Running Fever. I just made a commitment (by registering) to run 4 Half Marathons starting in June as part of my preparation and training for the Marine Corps Marathon in October, 2012!

Call me crazy but I've been 'on the fence' about exactly what races to run and how to prepare for my marathon this year so tonight I bit the bullet and decided to run one half-marathon each month between June and September. This is in addition to the half-marathon I am running in April and the 10-Mile Broad Street Run. So, here is my lineup of longer distance races:

Mon	Date	Race	Location
Apr	4/29/12	St. Luke's Half Marathon	Allentown, PA
May	5/6/12	Broad Street Run (10 Miles)	Philadelphia, PA
Jun	6/16/12	½ Sauer, ½ Kraut, ½ Marathon	Philadelphia, PA
Jul	7/22/12	Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon	Chicago, IL
Aug	8/19/12	Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon	Providence, RI
Sep	9/16/12	Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon	Philadelphia, PA
Oct	10/28/12	Marine Corps Marathon	Washington, DC

Looking forward to a very full and hectic summer of running!
John

2012 Races

5K: BCRR Cham-Pain (1/1/12) - 24:33
5.3 Mile: BCRR Predict Your TIme (1/8/12) - 42:30
8 Mile: BCRR Polar Bear (1/15/12) - 1:08:10 PR
4.6 Mile: BCRR Honest Abe (1/22/12) - 42:53
9.3 Mile: BCRR Terrible Tyle (1/29/12) - 5.3 Miles - 46:35
5.3 Mile: BCRR Pick Your Way (2/5/12) - 42:57
Half Marathon: BCRR Eenie-Meanie-Minie-Moe (2/12/12) - 1:58:38
4.6 Mile: BCRR Staggered Start (2/19/12) - 35:45 PR
10K: MCM Irish Sprint 10K (3/17/12) - 54:54
5K: Central Bucks Family YMCA (3/25/12) - 23:34 PR
5K: New Hope - Solebury "Spirit" Run (4/22/12) - 24:45
Half Marathon: St. Luke's (4/29/12) - 1:55:38 PR
10 Mile: Broad Street Run (5/6/12) - 1:25:13 PR
5K: Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure - Phila (5/13/12) - 24:46
5K: Doylestown Red, White, Blue (5/26/12) - 24:04
5K: Chalfont Challenge (6/9/12) - 26:31
6 Mmile: Princeton Healthcare 10K (6/10/12) - 49:40 PR
Half Marathon: 1/2 Sauer, 1/2 Kraut, 1/2 Marathon (6/16/12) - 1:57:11 2nd Place Male 55-59
5K: Herb Kahl Memorial (6/24/12) - 24:32
5 Mile: Run the Gates (6/3/12) - 40:40 PR
10K: Revolutionary Run (7/4/12) -52:36 PR
Half Marathon: Rock 'n' Roll Chicago (7/22/12) - 2:08:26
Half Marathon: Rock 'n' Roll Providence (8/19/12) - 1:59:25
Half-Marathon: Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia (9/16/12) - 1:57:42
18Mile: LBI 18-Mile Run (10/7/12) - 2:48:30 PR
13K: Hatfield OctoRun (10/21/12) - 1:08:55 PR
Marathon: Marine Corps Marathon (10/28/12) - 4:36:54
5K: BCRR Covered Bridge (12/9/12) - 26:26
5.3 Mile: BCRR Jingle Bell (12/16/12) - 42:23 PR

2011 Races

5K: Central Bucks YMCA (3/20/11) - 27:17:18
Half-Marathon: FirstWatch Sarasota (3/13/11) - 2:06:12
5K: New Hope-Solebury Run (4/3/11) - 26:34:54
5K: Bridge Valley Trailblazer Race for Autism (4/16/11) - 27:42:31
10Mile: Broad Street Run (5/1/11) - 1:35:54
5K: Cornerstone Race (5/7/11) - 25:55:87
5K: Race for the Cure - Phila (5/11/12) - 27:19
5K: Doylestown Red, White, Blue (5/28/11) - 26:18:94
10K: Princeton Healthcare 10K (6/5/11) - 54:42:82 PR
5K: Herb Kahl Memorial Scholarship (6/26/11) - 25:13 (3rd Place Male 50-59)
5K: Chalfont Challenge (6/11/11) - 26:04:17
5K: Run Over (Pancreatic) Cancer (7/2/11) - 24:51 PR
Half-Marathon: 13.1 Minneapolis (8/21/11) - 1:59:48
Half-Marathon: Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia (9/18/11) - 1:59:02 PR
5K: Chestertown 5K (9/24/11) - 25:25 (1st Place Male 50-59)
18Mile: LBI 18-Mile Run (10/9/11) - 3:08:30
13K: Hatfield OctoRun (10/23/11) - 1:10:57 (2nd Place Male 55-59)
Marathon: Philadelphia Marathon (11/20/11) 4:23:46 - PR
5K: BCRR Covered Bridge 5K (12/4/11) - 26:29
5.3Mile: BCRR Jingle Bell 5.3 Mile Race (12/11/11) - 43:39

John's Book Reviews

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It’s been a while since I’ve been ‘wowed’ by a book so it was with great pleasure that I recently finished reading The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin. Set in the 1800’s in the Pacific Northwest, the characters in this story represent what would be considered an ‘unconventional’ family by some standards in our current society – a family created out of horrific circumstances when 2 young (and pregnant) girls (Jane and Della) come upon William Talmadge (“Talmadge”), a loner who tends to and nurtures his orchards of apricots, apples and plums. Talmadge’s family roots are similarly tragic – he and his sister, Elsbeth, were orphaned as youngsters. And, at the age of 16, Elsbeth walked into the woods and never returned, leaving Talmadge alone and left to wonder what became of her. This lack of closure regarding his sister’s disposition is a key driver to the relationship he develops with Jane and Della - that of a nurturer and always wanting to provide a sense of comfort and belonging.

The complexities of the relationships that Talmadge has with Jane and Della, as well as Jane’s eventual daughter, Angelene, are compounded by the circumstances that drove Jane and Della to escape their painful upbringing and living environment. Trust and a willingness to be nurtured are not always welcome and these are the forces that drive the conflicts between what Talmadge wishes for the girls and the final outcome of the tragic events that continue to shape their lives.

(view spoiler)

Although it is still early in the year, I think it’s going to be hard for me to come across another book in 2013 that is so beautifully crafted and inspirational. Bravo to Amanda Coplin for this splendid novel!

View all my reviews