The Marathon Countdown Begins – 17 weeks to go
The marathon countdown has begun! It’s Saturday night and reflecting on the last couple weeks of our training for the Authentic Athens Marathon in November. 17 weeks to go!
Rob and I did a bunch of traveling this spring but after we returned to Boston in June, we hit our training hard. I actually invested in a Marathon training program! I’ll chat more about this along the way once I have a proper moment to give a full review! Actually, this is something I’ve never done before. In fact, in case you don’t know the story… I signed up for our VERY first 5K race (while recovering from anesthesia after Rob let me play with his computer) which was only 10 days away. Well, Rob and I crossed that damn finish line, while I was still pretty bandaged… but we were hooked!
After our first run, we ran several 5Ks, a 10K and decided to try our first half marathon… followed by a registration for our first full marathon… and an Ultra-marathon too. We never took training seriously. In fact, we didn’t train. We just went out and ran! Those were the days: we were young, care-free and invincible. Actually, those days weren’t so long ago… but they feel like another lifetime.
This week was rough. Not gunna lie. Rob and I were both a bit overwhelmed with work and personal things. We stayed committed to our training regimen though. I’ve been in a constant battle to remind myself that “I” come first. I only get this one life so, ahead of my job and my studies, my health and my personal life are number one. This is a tough balance sometimes. Unlike many others, my health is very fragile. I live with diabetes as you know, but I also have a genetic mutation that puts me at a very high risk of developing cancer (and more – that don’t need to be discussed today). Blah.
Today was our long run day. The plan was to run for 55 minutes at a steady pace. The sun was shining, there was a nice light breeze, the skies were blue and our running tunes were perfect.
Speaking of running tunes, I’ve been experimenting with several apps and solutions to keep us motivated during long runs and so far, my fave is Amazon Music. As a Prime member, I just go… and listen… and sing along to Rob’s dismay. Check out Amazon Music if you haven’t already!
The Plan
OK, back to the plan. Yes. 55 minutes at a steady pace. We generally run first along the north side of the Charles River and loop back on the south side through the esplanade. Each bridge is a milestone that we’re using to gage our time and distance. We should have turned back at the first bridge but we decided to continue to the second bridge. Therefore, our planned 55 minute run was more like a 1 hour 14 minute run. Oh well. We were strong until the end.
At the 3/4 mark, we decided to incorporate more walk/run intervals to ensure we didn’t cause overuse injury on our still kinda fresh runners legs. That helped – a lot.
Science is awesome BTW
At this time we are actually in an outpatient clinical trial for the iLet artificial pancreas. Rob and I both live with Type 1 Diabetes and today, we ran without much worry from our diabetes. It was a brilliant run day! I am sincerely excited for the day the iLet is available for purchase. There are more trials and modifications ahead but I know that I will be one of first in line. I’m honored to be part of this clinical trial and encouraged by what I see. Science is awesome. I have a great future to look forward to and I sincerely wish I could wear the iLet (even the ugly prototype) at the Athens Marathon in November. I’d be a much more confident T1D runner with it in my pocket. One day!
Of course we took a selfi!
Anyway, here’s today’s ‘after run selfi.’ Tomorrow, Rob and I will embark on a quick 33 minute speed interval followed by some weight training. Looking forward to the weight training – my fave! I have a feeling there is some Body Beast is in my future.
Chat more next week!
BTW – check out the recipes I share along the way this summer – lots planned. I’ll be sharing any favorites that help Rob and I stay strong as we prepare for the Athens Marathon! Actually, I have a bunch right now that I must find time to post. Stay tuned & stay strong!
Fellow runners – what do you carry with you during your runs to keep your blood sugar and energy happy? Comment below!
