Training day, first try

I have returned to the blog (yay) because I am recently unemployed (boo).

There is much to catch up on but I think I will start with the most recent: Marathon Training.

That is right party people. I have signed up for the Chicago Marathon and it appears as though it is time to start training. The math wiz in me thought I had another week but my running buddy told me, um, no. So I gathered myself together, eased any sort of anxiety with new equipment purchases and went on my way.

My first purchase was a little water bottle belt. What seemed like "big time" in the store became incredibly practical during my first long(ish) run. I filled two of the four 8-ounce water bottles with ice water and the other two with some sort of protein-make-you-keep-running-when-you-want-to-keel-over sports drink. The latter was not mixed with ice water which means in the 80-degree-by-8-day those water bottle were a boiling around my hip.

Thus,

Lesson #1: Do not fear the ice. Freeze everything for it will surely melt (in the summer).

The running store where I purchased said belt and new running sneaks had a nice little Run Boston map. I studied the hieroglyphics that made up my new map and found a route that followed the Charles River from the Cambridge side to the Boston side and back. I whined openly the night before about wishing my video ipod was a little less cumbersome and (*poof*) R produced an ipod mini he had stashed away in a drawer.

Thus,

Lesson #2: Whine openly and you may, possibly, receive.

Since returning to running I have found that This American Life is a delight to run to. So I loaded a few onto the mini pod, with some backup running music and set my alarm for a less-sweat-inducing Saturday morning run.

Dorkily equipped, meagerly warmed up and well stretched I ventured out onto the open road. And it was awesome. The route around the Charles River was splendid. A little hot and dry on the Cambridge side, but plush and environmentally distracting on the Boston side. Midway through my return trip on the Boston side I was awed and then accosted by a family of geese which made me stop and hobble via wide-birth into oncoming traffic to to avoid the hissing mother.

Just as my TAL episode (a completely entertaining trifecta on the subject of Kidnapping and/or being trapped) was coming to a close I began to feel what has to be the most relentless, awkward, Achilles heel of running: the inner thigh chafe. I mean, hot DAMN that is painful. I yanked and maneuvered my sweaty shorts down and around but to no avail. At times I even ran as though carrying a gallon of water between my thighs (not a pretty sight). No dice. From mile 6 to mile 8.5 I had to just grin and bear the chunky-thigh reality.

Thus,

Lesson #3: Embrace the spandex.

Besides the last lesson, the first long run out there was actually enjoyable. I think a new route had something to do with it and the boiled protein I consumed throughout, but in terms of the surprise that was week 1 of training, I'd say it was a success.

Estimated mileage: 8.6
Estimated time: 80m
Pros: Route, TAL episode, new sneaks, ice water, no IT band pain
Cons: Geese, the chafe
Rating: 7.5