Call me a marathoner!

I did it...even though I was one of the last to finish. But now I can say I've run a marathon. Woo-hoo!

Surprisingly, even though I felt like I had practically no sleep the night before, I felt the strongest I've ever felt for a race. I didn't have too many butterflies flitting about in the tummy either. The only problem was that they started the race 30 minutes late, because some runners hadn't gotten to downtown Phoenix in time.

I wonder if I could've done any better than I did. The balls of my feet began to hurt and cramp at mile 9 and kept hurting for the rest of the time. I had to stop about 5-6 times along the side of the road to rub my feet, which translated into at least 20 minutes of lost time. It's a little frustrating knowing that this could be a persistent problem.

R didn't greet me at the finish line, but here's a picture of me leaving the Scottsdale part of the race:



You'd think the last thing I'd want to do is run another one of these torture-fests. But I'm already thinking about the next one. How about this summmer??

Death march - I mean, marathon - is a week away

So the Arizona Rock N Roll Marathon is a mere week away, and I of course haven't trained nearly as much as I should have. So my strategy is to just walk and run it as much as possible, and enjoy the scenery. Not that suburban Phoenix is that picturesque, but it's a way to enjoy some free time. I'm really not trying to stress about it at all.

I loved being in Arizona the time I was there, but I am glad I don't live there now. Politically, I don't think I would've been able to stand it. And I probably wouldn't have been able to handle the constant heat either. Still, it's great to visit in the winter, especially when coming from a place where it snows.

Hopefully I won't be too incapacitated to write an entry after the race, which is what I plan to do. All the gory details...

Still sick...and a big step forward

Home today - no work, except for my writing and photography. And no one home either - R is off today and hanging out with friends. I have to somehow make a semi-miraculous recovery and take J to her soccer tournament game tonight, and N and their stepsister. Yikes, I hope I don't get pneumonia being out there tonight. I really just have to get them there, then I can go home. Their dad (X man) is picking them up.

But I did inch closer to my marathon commitment this morning. I finally registered for the Rock n Roll Arizona. Double yikes - first marathon, hopefully not my last. As late as last night, I was dithering about whether I should do this one, Austin, Napa Valley or another Arizona race called the Lost Dutchman Marathon, even though we already booked the flight to Phoenix in January and reserved the hotel in Scottsdale. But because of cost and logistics, I finally settled on this one. I think it'll be a good first-time one, even though there's a six-mile out and back on the SAME road. And it's not even a nice looking one.

Crazy? Sure.

Crazy in the heat

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but I am currently training for a marathon. Even though I've attempted this nutty goal before, illness or injury always prevented me from going further and making it. I've now run three half-marathons, and will be running the Denver Rock n Roll half in two weeks. I debated on whether or not to run it, but it came down to a friend calling and telling me that she and her 12-year-old son would be doing it. So will I now, apparently. The nice thing is, I know what to expect from it. Getting through it, though, will be another matter.

So far, so good with the training. I'd probably be doing better if I was with a group, but I'm kind of afraid to run with others. You'd never guess from the way my body is built, but I'm a slug. Slower than a turtle or a penguin. When I run, I barely move - but I really love running. It makes me feel invincible when I've run six miles, and now I've done that on a regular basis.

The aim is to make the Arizona Rock n Roll marathon in January, MLK weekend. I don't mind going to Arizona, since I lived there for two years going to grad school. And despite its crazy conservative reputation, I really enjoy some things about the place. Besides, we will be sick of winter by that point, and it'll be good to be in warm sun. Even if I'm going to ruin it by running, then slogging through 26.2 miles.