My journey as a marathoner...

Two weeks ago I raced the New Bedford Half Marathon - a race I've won in 2011 and 2014. I was hoping to do the same again this year, but a combination of a good field, not so great weather and an "off" day for me did not play in my advantage. However, I don't believe the result is any indication of my true fitness level currently. In fact, in the past 2 weeks, training has actually gone exceptionally well. I'm happy to have come off of New Bedford healthy and motivated to keep training. The only adjustment is that I need to make is to increase my iron intake level. My March 17 blood work indicated that my iron levels were at the lowest they have been in 6 years. This could at some extent explain my poor showing at New Bedford. I have since increased my iron intake and am hoping that there will be a silver lining to this as I continue to strengthen my fitness in the upcoming weeks. Having raced New Bedford, recoved well and then completed a tough week of training r...

I started this week a bit slow and easy to recover from last Sunday's 24-mile solid long run. I had a huge knot in my my right calf. I received dry needle therapy on Tuesday and again on Friday to help it heal. When dry needle is done on the calf, it can be really painful for the next 1-2 days, but on the 3rd day things start to loosen up and you can feel some relief. A huge thank you to Pinnacle PT staff, especially Barbara for staying an extra half hour past her shift to work on my leg. It made a big difference as my calf now feels back to normal. It really takes a village sometimes. As this point, I'm not risking anything, if anything hurts, I will take the time to fix it, have a day off or do some cross training. I have to continue to be mentally tough as there are always obstacles down the road. Thankfully, an excellent group of sports medical experts who have been helping me. Week 5 Mar 7  Mon AM  3-0-min Stationary bike  PM 35-min Stationary bike(again),...

This past week had its ups and downs. As with any marathon training program, there is a fine line between injury and fitness. The fitter you are, the more likely you are flirting with injury. For me, this has been something I've struggled with a lot in the past. My aerobic capacity and ability to train at a higher level becomes stronger than the load my legs are able to support. I had to skip a key workout this week to allow my body to recover. For London, my goal is to get to the starting line in shape and ready to give myself a chance to run the time I need to run. In order to do that, I can''t simply take days off here and there. It'd be easier If I was training for the mile, but strength and endurance are not things you can fake in the marathon. I'm continuing to do everything I can to be healthy, but I also have to make sure I get appropriate training to get me fit. It is critically important that whenever I have 'bad stretches' or 'mini setbacks...