Akron Marathon Training Update

No, I have not fallen off of the face of the Earth!  However, a time of year for teachers that is slightly less hectic that September to May turned into a flurry of unexpected surprises both good and bad.  To keep things simple, I figured I'd give a "cliff notes" version of the ups and downs from the past two months.

July was one of those months when my training just clicked.  I felt great and was hitting mileage numbers I never imagined year ago I could have accomplished.  At the same time, the major hurdle I had to overcome during these weeks was the heat.  Wow has it been hot and humid!  I found myself either have to go out early in the morning or just prior to sunset in order to avoid the sweltering sunshine.  I made the mistake once of starting a long run too late and has to abandon it before even reaching the halfway point.  It was a great lesson in humility and recognizing that "pushing through" has its limits.

While July was a full, strong month of training, August was a completely different story.  The month started out with some IT band issues that sidelined me for four days.  My first run back from the minor injury was a local race - a 5K that became a 6K after getting lost on the course.  I still placed second (woohoo!) and got to catch up with a friend I hadn't seen in a while.

Following this race, running was placed on hold for a week due to an unexpected event - our daughter decided to come a few weeks early!  She is perfect in every way (I'm a little biased!) and has brought so much joy to our lives in the few weeks since she was born.  While I know life will never be the same, I'm excited for what is to come next.

Now, as you can imagine or know from personal experience, sleep with an infant is at a premium.  Add on to this the fact that I knew that I had to get in a few miles to get myself back on track for marathon training.  So, in a slightly sleep-deprived stupor, I laced up my Brooks for a 4 mile easy run.  I don't know if it was "new dad" endorphin or what but the workout felt amazing!  The sporadic-ness of my August running may have been just what my body needed to recover for the final weeks of training.

In less than a month, I will be meeting the Blue Line and 26.2 for the first time.  Excitement and nervousness are taking turns occupying my thoughts.  Either way, the race will be here soon enough, so I am going to make the most of the time I have left whatever may come!

Happy running!
Sean