July- Minimal Progress is still Progress

Oh the wonderful month of July.  I guess July marked the 1/2 way point of the training depending on how you look at it.  As awesome as I felt on the final run of June, the big 15 miler, I felt equally as BAD in July.  I mean I hate to blame stuff that is out of my control on what seems to be an entire month of regression, but I'm going to anyway.  July saw 11 days of 100+ degree temperatures.  The humidity was awful.  And on top of that, I obtained a sinus infection and a double ear infection.  Enough complaining though!   I did manage to log 97.23 miles this month and I stuck to the plan.  Well actually, I said screw the plan the last half of the month and started adding mileage to it.   Once I started adding mileage to the plan I actually started doing a little better.   July also saw a brand new pair of pumped up kicks, courtesy of Fleet Feet.  The Asics are nice, but they def. do not feel as awesome as the Brooks I had until mid July.  I'll probably roll Asics until Marathon day, then bust back out the Brooks for the big day.  July saw me hit a wall as far as weight loss goes.  I entered the month at 171 lbs and ended the month at 171 lbs.  I was crazy hungry this month though.  I cant complain too much, as I'm still down 50 lbs since last December.   July saw an EPIC fundraiser at Foothills!  We raised about 800 bucks that day for the Team Timmons and Team Swaim Think Pink Rocks charity for a Cure for breast cancer!  With a company match, we are still a combined 1600 short, although Team Timmons has raised about 2K more than Team Swaim.  Kudos to him.  Great effort indeed!  If you are reading this and feel sorry for me due to my lack of funds raised, fix that by clicking HERE 
This month on the trails I saw some pretty crazy stuff, not least of all the Elkin PD pulling his car behind mine and getting out to chase down a perp on foot.   I was also befriended by a Pitbull (everywhere? Everywhere!) in Jonesville that I was initially confident that he was going to eat my face.
Up next:  August.   Game day is in sights.  Only 3 short months remain.  I'm getting pretty dang nervous.  Actually, I am VERY dang nervous.  Nervous enough to have nightmares about the horrible possibilities of game day in November.   3 Months.  Lets do this.

July 1. /end program

After approx 6 months of grueling, painful, hot, cold, up, down, etc... runs, I have completed my pre training schedule.  I've had some awful runs and some great runs.  I've learned a lot, saw a lot, sweat a lot, but mostly, I've run a lot.  Since December 16, I've put in dang near 400 miles.   At times I honestly thought that there would be NO WAY I can make this happen, but as I wound down my last run of this pre training schedule I've never felt more confident.  In this post I'm going to put some best and worst of's of the last 6 months, along with some lessons learned.

Pre Run:  Prayer and 5 minutes of stretching

Worst Run: June 23rd 8 mile.  This started out with me backing into my mom's car. I was chased and bit on the shoe by a dog.  I tripped over the broken concret.  I had to walk TWICE.  I ran into a phone pole.  I was run off the road by a van.  I got started 3 hours later than normal and ran in the heat of the day.

Best Run: June 15 10 mile.  Wow I was busting tail on this one.  I ran on a Friday (not normal) and at night (not normal) and pretty much exclusively up hill (not normal) but somehow I managed to average a 10 minute per mile pace.  This was awesome and the day before I left for a 2 day bus trip to see 2 Braves Game.

Most Heard Statement:  26 miles?  You think you can do that?

2nd most Heard Statement:  I wish you put as much effort into this house as you are this training!!! (touche'   I will, just hang with me for a bit long.  It'll be all over soon, I promise)

Best Advice:  Dont over do it.  You dang idiot

Worst Advice:  Shoes dont matter.   Ok that was some bad advice.  ALL Gear matters!!  Srsly, if you dont have good shoes and a moisture wicking shirt, you wont be able to do this in this crazy 300 degree heat.  Or at least I cant.  

Most Awesome Place that I ran:  Las Vegas Nevada!  Sure, it was on a treadmill...but it was in Las Vegas.  Come on, thats awesome

Pre Run Meal:  Usually just a banana and some Gatorade

Worst Weather to Run in:  1:  Wind.  2: Heat

Most Extremen Weather I ran in:  35-40 mile per hour gusts, torrential downpour, extreme lightening all in the same run. 

Craziest things I saw:  The Pothead family.   A close 2nd would be the skunk that ran for about 1/2 mile with me.

Worst place I ran:  Jonesville track. That thing is awful.  

Most Run Course:  From FBC Jonesville, zig zag through downtown, up to 268, down by Lowes and the Hosipital, zig zag again through downtown and back up to Church

Best Pump Up Song:  All the Things that I've done by The Killers

Best Pump Up Group:  The Black Keys.   EVERYTHING gets me going

Well thats it I guess.  Over the next 7 days I will be "taking it easy" as I'm on vacation.  After that, its the OFFICIAL training plan for the 2012 New York Marathon.  One thing that needs to be said and realized is this:  

Philippians 4:13

New International Version (NIV)

¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.


Amen to that.  NO WAY I could do this without God.  


LETS GO!!!!