Thursday, Zero Week

I am feeling pretty good today. There is some slight pain in my hip, but nothing serious. I have an appt. on Monday the 22nd to discuss with the Doc.

I did a light 2 miler today in accordance to Hal Higdon's Recovery program. It was nice. Let's see how things go...

Marathon Fallout...

Mike Downey of the Tribune is entitled to his opinion, but he makes himself out to be a tool. It takes alot for a Monday morning quarterback to get on his soapbox and chastise runners for being foolish to run. Stong work, Mike. You've got a whole new group of fans.

Another writer in the sports section said they should narrow the field for future marathons. That idea has some merit. He goes on to say that runners should have to qualify. I can't say I agree with that. Without knowing the breadth of the marathons available for runners, I have to ask how it is people new to the sport get a chance to break in. Does it mean we need to go to Milwaukee next year? There's nothing wrong with Milwaukee, it's a great city, but...

Let's talk about what went wrong.

Was there enough water/Gatorade? No. It's just that simple. Let me quote Carey Pinkowski, race director for the marathon: "Our participants were not drinking the water, they were pourng over their heads. That's something, I'll be honest with you, we didn't anticipate."(Chicago Tribune, October 9, 2007; Section 1, p.12) Excuse me, Mr. Pinkowski, but have you ever watched ANY part of a marathon or taken part in one? That's a question, not an accusation, by the way. To say that they couldn't forsee runners pouring water over their heads is ludicrous. That's poor planning. A mantra for ALL project managers out there:

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

And that goes for the runners as well. I can only speak for what I experienced. I saw plenty of runners out there that brought nothing with them. That means they probably used as much water to drink as they did to pour over their heads. If there was a little planning on their parts, plain and simple.

The blame has to go to both sides. But let's talk about the real world. The culpability will rest with the event organizers. And I am waiting to see the litigators come out of the woodwork. I think I might pass on any class action suits that come out of this, if any do.

For more incendiary stuff, take a look at the letters to the editor(Voice of the People) of the Chicago Tribune. This one is really good.

RACE DAY....I FINISHED!!!!! (edited 10/8)

And MAD MAD PROPS to everyone out there who finished. If you're reading this and you don't live in the Chicagoland area, the temp at about noon today was 91 degrees. At least that's what a bank sign said, so I am going with it.

IT WAS BRUTAL!!!

Now here's where I feel for some of the folks who did not come better prepared. This is not to rip on them at all, because sometimes you just don't have the benefit of friends that gave done this before. Here's what I did that I didn't read about anywhere (and the people who suggested it):

1. Frozen bottle (for a bike) of Accelerade. (Dave Otwell)
2. a gel bottle for 3 gel packs. I added water this morning and was good to go. Adding that water removed the gag factor. ("Nancy" at the running store...not her real name...it's marathon related, so don't ask)
3. 5 powerbars yesterday and 1 this morning. I was totally carbed up. (Dave Barstow)

Thanks to all of them.

Anyway, by the time I got to the first water station - No Gatorade...just water...good thing I came ready. second water station - No water, no Gatorade. Again, I still had enough to keep me going. I really, really feel for the people out there that didn't have a fallback.

I became one of those people at around mile 16 (station 8). Again, no hydration. By the 10th mile, I ran out of my Accelerade. Tossed the bottle I was using, served its purpose, which was dumb since some stations didn't have cups later on.

Things went south for me at about the same time that they said the course was closed. My left hip started to burn a little at about mile 10, but then at about 19, my right knee started feeling like a long needle was being inserted. Was I compensating? Anyway, we were told about about mile 20 that the race was cancelled. What they didn't say is that runners that didn't make it past the halfway point by 11:30 were going to be re-routed.

Be that as it may, I was already at about mile 17.5 by then, well past halfway. At 19 I started walking. Good thing too as hydration for the next 3 miles was a little spotty.

Let me gives kudos to the volunteers that hung out at miles 20 and later. Strong work on the part of them. On top of that, the spectators...man those people were still out there. That was really awesome.

Let me break my reverie by extending my condolences to the Schieber family. Chad Schieber, 35, died during the race today.

So, I found this little quote in an article online:

"Almost 10,000 of the 45,000 registered runners chose to not race in the heat despite more mist stations, cooling buses and water-soaked sponges."

Mist stations? StationS? There was ONE...at about 25.5. Anything else was an opened hydrant or a caring spectator who had a hose spraying out onto the runners. Mist stations, my ass. I mentioned mist stations to one of the organizers at the Expo on Friday and he kinda looked at me as if to say "I wish..."

Alright...so how long did it take me? About 6 hours. I had hydration and sore mechanics to worry about. Before the bad news at 20 (and the left hip tightening up), I was on pace to finish at 5:11 or 5:18-ish. Pretty darn good for those temps and my break from the training plan.

So, the hip and knee, I'll be taking it easy for the next week. And then I'll set up an appointment about the hip. There might be some issues there.

Alright...that's all for now. I think I may just retire this puppy now. We'll see.

And just throwin' it out there, there's no way that I can do another marathon with my hip like this. Maybe short distance, but nothing to the extent of a marathon.

18-5 Day...rest for the weary...

I had a late night last night doing some work. I wasn't watching the Cubs despite I think that they are doing a capital job providing hitting, pitching and fielding practice for the D-Backs.

Picked up my packet today and also a race number belt. I can use it for the next race.

Tomorrow I am going to jog 2 miles...just to see how I feel. I am also going to be wearing the number belt and the HRM so that I have a sense for how it will be during the marathon. Shouldn't be a radical departure from what I have done so far.

And now, if you'll bow your heads with me: Please dear God, let it cool off on Sunday......

It's 18-4 day...a long time since I have posted...

My running has been pretty erratic of late, primarily due to construction work on the house. I've had more than a few days where I have worked so hard on the house that I was too tired to run. Which in retrospect was probably pretty stupid.

Alot of people have asked if I think that I am ready for Sunday, a scant 3 days away. My response? It doesn't matter at this point if I am ready, I am doing it. The only thing that could stop me is injury or if the train breaks down on the way to Chicago.

I figure what I will do is start at what I think is comfortable and go from there.

So what's been going on over the last few weeks, seriously almost 3 weeks??? Well, suffice it to say that I ran a few times, missed one big run day, which was definitely a no-no and shorted another big run day, another definite no-no.

The shorted run: I was in Kentucky visiting my Mom who is still recovering from knee surgery (get better Mom). I decided to run indoors on her treadmill instead of in the heat. What was supposed to be 12 miles turned into an hour on the treadmill, and definitely not 12 miles. And I don't think that I ever sweat that much....ever. My wife came in and I was ready to tell her that she needs to get a rain poncho on... I decided to cut it short since apparently conditions were not conducive to a good run...it felt like 12 miles though.

A quick note: Kudos to Lisette for getting into it. Start easy and go from there. Believe me when I say that my first time out running, I only ran 1 mile. Baby steps....

See you out there!!!

15-6 Day!!! The 2nd biggest day on plan...

The first being the marathon itself.

Today, at mile 17.5 is where I really started to question my sanity. I think I was waiting for the runner's high to kick in. If that means that you start hallucinating and a voice in yer head says "You know, walking would be good", then, well I hit the runner's high.

I ran the 20 in 4:12:02. That's a 12:39 pace. Slower than a dang snail. Oh well. I had like 3 bathroom breaks, two in the first 40 minutes. I also had some funky things going on with my heart rate too. I would barely start out, and BAM 150bpm. And this was with barely any effort. Interesting.

I tried a different gelpack today. Carbboom Strawberry Kiwi. The Apple Cinnamon was too over-powering for the senses when all I have been taking in is water and lemonade Accellerade. It tasted ok, but the gag factor is still there. Good times.

OK. Time for me to pass out while the wife has the kids with her looking for Halloween decor.

See ya out there!

15-4 Day...did 3 miles instead of 5

My hip was kind of bothering me so I decided to cut it short...I was going super slow as it was anyway. Now to rest up for the 20 miler on Saturday...

15-3 Day...a 10 miler

I missed yesterday, but no big deal...

Today it was almost cold out there at 50 degrees and dropping. I ran the 10 in 1:46:20...that's a 10:38 pace. I sprinted at the end cuz I needed to use the facilities or else it would probably have been about a 11:02 pace.

See you out there!

14-6 Day!! 14 miles and thank God it cooled off...

Took it easy today. Ran my 2 mile loop around the neignborhood. Did the 14 miles in 2:43:15. That's a 11:39 pace. Not too shabby.

Nice part about all this - I've lost 16 pounds since starting the program. Those that know me would probably say I didn't have 16 pounds to lose, but a tall, skinny guy with a gut?? No way.

And even better, it's not like I am doing any clean living. I am still partaking of the Sam Adams every now and again, which is why I started running in the first place. No disrespect to those that are fighting the good fight, but is it a sign of a problem that I will run so that I can have a beer once or twice a week?

See ya out there!

14-4 Day! Was going to do 5 but did 4 instead...

Ran it in 41:05. That's a 10:16 pace....that's ok in my book.

14 slated for this weekend...

What day is it? How long has it been? It's 14-3 day...

At this rate, I am going to be totally cashed. Ah well...my new goal - finish the marathon. I don't even care how fast I am...

I finally got back to it yesterday, which I means I missed ALL of week 13, including an 18 miler. I ran 6 yesterday in 1:02:04. Pretty good pace.

Came home tonight and put the stairs on the deck I am building. Did I tell you that is why I missed all of last week? I would love to have gone running today, but I am exhausted.

Ah well...it's 5 miles tomorrow and then 14 on Saturday or Sunday....

12-7 Day!!! What happened to 12-2 thru 4???

I caught a pretty good cold after my 16 miler last weekend, so I took the time off. This again on the advice of a friend. This was a god thing as I was able to recover faster.

Today was all about just plain running. I was going to run 12 miles, but decided to run 8 instead. I had alot of work to do on my deck this morning. I figured that digging into clay would serve as a balance to the 4 miles I took out.

The run went ok. I ran at a very light pace, but still managed to be quick about it. About 4 miles in I eased off and took to walking more here and there. My intent was to mainly get back into it and continue with next week asif I didn't take any time off.

Next week is a 4-9-5 week ending with 18 miles on Saturday. And I need to build a deck in there somewhere....wish me luck.

See you out there.

11-6 Day!!! Sixteen miles in 70 degrees and rainy...

It didn't rain while I ran though, which I think, besides the morning was the only time that it didn't rain all day.

I had re-configured my route so that I was running by my house every couple of miles or so. I also took the advice of a friend, who is also a triathete/triathlon coach, Kevin Meek (Thanks dude), who gave me some advice on hydrating and staying fueled.

The plan I went with was to stock my cooler by the house with 4-20oz bottles of water and 4-20oz bottles of Accelerade (Lemonade flavor - needs help. Where are the Wyler's people when you need them?). I also went with Carbboom's Apple Cinnamon flavor gel. I swear to God that this stuff tastes like apple pie filling. My only problem with it is the texture. All said, it wasn't that bad once you muscle it past the gag reflex.

Onward into week 12....see you out there...

11-4 Day!!! 4 miles at night...

It was a decent night for a run. I didn't have my heart rate monitor with me and actually I didn't really care how fast I was. I was really trying to take it easy knowing that I have 16 coming up in two days!!!

11-3 Day! 8 miles in the middle of the week???

I actually ran 8.14, but who's counting, right? I am that's who...

I took yesterday off. Why? Because I felt like it. Last Saturday was chock full of lessons learned. Basically I allowed my a$$ to get handed to me by not prepping right. Won't do that again. Anyway, I did crosstrain on Sunday (aka worked on the house)....so there.

Today's run was done in 1:31:27. That's an 11:14 pace which I am pretty darn happy with. I drank enough water which was also a good indicator of how bad Saturday was for me. I am basically guessing that I would need about twice what I was carrying in order to make it this coming Saturday.

But, it's only supposed to be 64 degrees for a high on Saturday, so BRING IT ON!!!

4 miles tomorrow...see you out there...

10-6 Day! 15 miles and it was a smidge hot out...

I ran the 15 miles in 2:58:01. I walked a few times for water and had to take a bathroom break, so that burned some time.

It was a pretty fast pace, and by fast I mean that it was probably on a 10:30 per mile pace, which is not sustainable when it's this hot out. The temps according to Accuweather.com were (using RealFeel) 85, 87 and 93 at 8a, 9a, and 10a respectively. Brutal...

10-2 Day!!! Supposedly 7 miles, but I went longer...

I ran 7.61 miles in the lovely mountains of Murrieta, CA. It was a nice change of scenery.

My time was 1:18:30 for the distance, making it a 10:40 mile. That was pretty good considering I was running some serious hills. Well, at least I thought they were serious hills...

10-1 Day! 3 miles..mostly a recovery run...

I did the three in 29:02. That's right at about 9:40 per mile. Not too shabby at all, especially given that I was running in the lovely mountains of CA. Talk about running hills!!!

9-6 Day!!! Half-way through!!!

10 miles today...1:48:48. That's a 10:52 pace. I walked four times to get hydrated.

I was going to track my splits, but I need to either learn how to use the watch that I have or get a new one. I should have waited and bought a Polar system, since I hear those are better.

More later...

9-4 Day!! Was supposed to be 4 miles...

But I shorted my route by a third of a mile. Oops!

It wasn't too bad. I got up before the sun again, which, given the oppressive 95 degree heat forecasted, was a good thing.

I ran 3.66 miles in 36.07. That's a 9:52 pace. I took it kinda easy at some points. By all appearances I think I got through a plateau and am starting to show some gains in speed and fitness.

Tomorrow's a rest day and Saturday is 10 miles (stepback week).

9-3 Day!! 7 miles & up before the sun...

I actually carried my sunglasses with me since it was too dark to wear them.

I pushed this one a little more than yesterday, but still found that again I was in Zone 3 for some of the time. I ran the 7 miles in 1:08:33. That puts it at a 9:48 pace. Very nice.

I think I need a nap though...too bad I am working today...

9-2 Day!!! Man, was it hard to get outta bed....

But I managed to...and ran my 3 miles in 29:32. That's about a 9:50 pace. I stayed right at the top of Zone 3, much like my 13 mile run last week. Couldn't speed up and sustain to save my life. I am thinking the lack of sleep caused that...

It's 7 miles tomorrow...

8-6 Day!!! 13 miles w/o really kicking my own a$$...

This is coming a couple of days late, but my "cross training" day was busy with mowing the lawn and tearing down a "sucker tree" - whatever that is. Basically it was a weed that grew so big that it became like a tree. Had thorns too...little $^%!&#!...

So two days ago was 8-6 day...and here I am on 9-1 day and getting ready to be mid-way through the training program. I tried to keep it at the high end of Zone 3/low end of zone 4. That said, I did the 13 miles in 2:24:45...that's an 11:08 per mile pace!!!! Remember a few posts earlier when I said I just want to finish? Well that's still true, but hey...I'll take a faster pace any day.

I am tweaking the page a little, so please notice the graphic and link to the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid. GO CHICAGO!!!!

8-4 Day!!! 3 miles somewhat easy...

3 miles in 28:44. That's a 9:34/mile pace. I didn't push it that hard, so I am happy with that.

It's almost midnight so I am going to bed....

8-3 Day!!! Skipped another one...

But felt better for it. Today was 6 miles. I went a little slower today since I ran after work. It was quite a bit hotter than I am used to but hey....

It was 6 miles in 1:04:24. That's a 10:44/mile pace. Not bad in 82 degree weather.

The training is going better than I expected. I can't wait for the day though when a big mileage day won't intimidate me...

7-7 Day...12 miles...

I would normally have run on the 6th day, but we had a family picnic yesterday and I didn't want to be completely cashed.

Anyways...12 miles in 2:17:08. That's a 11:25 per mile pace. Not too bad, especially taking into account that I stopped for a bathroom break and walked 6 times for water.

More later. I am going to take a nap!

7-4 Day...and I ran at night...

It was my fastest 3 miles ever. 26:49. That's a 8:56 pace per mile. Of course I had some great incentive. The neighbors across the street, Jason & Becky told me I could use their hot tub after I ran. So they automatically rock!

This weekend is 12 miles. I am so glad that the Canadian air mass moved in. Even this morning the humidity was murderous. But things cleared up nicely in the afternoon.

7-3 Day!!! Skipped a day but...

I had gotten only about 3 hours of sleep Monday night. I was so cashed Tuesday morning that I thought I could bag the 3 mile run. So I did.

My Mother's cousin (my first cousin once removed) passed away over the weekend. I attended his wake last night. He was battling liver cancer. Your prayers for the Ouimette family would be appreciated (pronounced "we-met").

SIX miles today in the humidity. I pushed a little at times but mostly stayed in Zone 4. I finished in 1:00:41. That's just about a 10:07 per mile pace. At this rate, I should be pretty well set up for a relaxing 11:00 per mile pace for the marathon.

6-5 Day!! Seven miles in 70 degree weather...

It was another beautiful day for a run. I think I am starting to get spoiled.

I did today's run at the peak of Zone 4, on average. I ended up walking to drink some water three times, at the 2 mile, 3.5 mile and 6 mile intervals.

That brought me to the end of my run in 1:09:47. That's a 9:58 pace. I am pretty happy with that.

For the marathon, I found out that they are setting up pace teams. At this point I am thinking about hooking up with the 11 min/mile pace team, which brings me into the finish line in 4:48:17. I shouldn't have wrote that because now I will lock in on that time.

All in all, I'll be happy finishing, ecstatic if it's under 5 hours.

6-4 Day!! Another gorgeous morning for a run...

I woke up a little late and couldn't find my heart rate monitor, so I simply went out and ran on "feel". I pushed it a little and did my 3 miles in 27:30. That's a 9:10 pace. Not too shabby...

The balance of today and tomorrow are rest. In fact, tomorrow night I am going to be lazy and take the kids to see the new Harry Potter film. I am kinda hoping that the spookier stuff will scar them for life...

6-3 Day! 5 miles in 60 degree weather...

Talk about nice...it was a great morning to run. Now I know where the general malaise came from...the HEAT.

I tried to stay at the peak of zone 4, which is about 144 bpm for me. I did 5.12 miles in 52:07. That's a 10:10 pace. Now that's more like it. It felt pretty good too.

I am again looking forward to getting out on the road tomorrow.

6-2 Day (part deux)....

Some musings on why the 10 miles was so dang hard...aside from the possibility that I could be a total wuss.

I have been taking a gel pack every morning before my long runs. This last weekend I ran out and failed to use my brain to get more. So...here I am running for 2 hours on an empty stomach. That was pretty stupid.

I was still feeling the effects from Sunday this morning when I woke. I gotta get more sleep.

The next thing to worry about is when the last Harry Potter book will be out on audio so I can listen to it. I know - I'm a huge dork.

6-2 Day!!! 3 miles again...

Today was more of a recovery run, given that I did my long run on Sunday instead of Saturday.

I stayed at the low end of my aerobic zone (about 138 bpm) and managed to do the 3 miles in 29:40. So, without really pushing, I was at about a 9:50 pace.

The breakdown for the rest of the week...
Wed. - 5 miles
Thu. - 3 miles
Sat. - 7 miles (it's a stepback week)

5-7 Day!!! 10 miles in the sweltering sun...

It's 90 degrees out there now as I am writing this, so I am guessing it was about 80 when I ran..Oy!

I think I stopped about 7 times to walk because of the heat. How slow was I? VERY! On top of it being hot, I didn't make any good markers for my turn around so I managed to go about 10.56 miles instead of just 10. So...10.56 in 2:05:11. That's a 11:51 pace but again I walked quite a bit too.

Today was the first day that I got out there and thought "I don't wanna do this." So I worked through it and thought to myself "All you gotta do is finish.." and I did.

5-4 Day! 3 Miles....along the lake...

'Twas a nice run, but a little hot. I don't know the exact temp it was when I ran at 11a, but it was 78 degrees at 7:30a according to the local news. That means HOT!

I did the 3 miles in 27:35, which makes it a 9.13-ish pace. I was wondering why it took me so long, especially since the route was significantly flatter than the route at home. Then I realized, I had a "long-ish" day yesterday.

This Saturday....10 miles!!!!

Happy 4th of July!!! 5-3 Day...

5 miles today...at about a 10:18 pace. I tried pushing a little and came in under my 10:49 pace for the 9 miler last Saturday.

I was asked about how long it is going to take me to do the marathon. I've been counseled by experienced runners not to even think about finishing in a specific time. Just finish the race. That said, I would still like to finish it in under 5 hours. If I don't, that's ok too. It's my first marathon...

Have a happy and safe 4th!!!

5-2 Day! DANG!!! I woke up late!!!!

So it was a quick three...in 27:15.32.

That makes it a 9:05 per mile pace. Not too shabby. And here I thought I wasn't feelin' it due to my diet yesterday. Pizza Hut for dinner? Ugh! But hey, the Jamba Juice line at the train station was too long, so I took a risk.

Never again...

5-1 Day!....Rest and blog stuff...

If you've been reading this, then you'll notice a few tweaks to the blog, but nothing major.

Today is a day of rest, so I will do just that. My main goal? Rest and eat and go to bed early...

4-6 Day! 9 miles...took it "slow"

Wow...that took a little longer than I thought it would, but that's ok. I felt great when I finished and now, 4 hours later, I am good to go. Thanks in part to the fine people that discovered espresso!! And I made it at home, didn't buy it at Starbucks.....

So how slow was I? An hour and 38 minutes and two seconds. 1:38.02. That's a 10:49/mile pace. I stopped to walk a couple of times to drink my proprietary blend of Gatorade and water...ok...not an ancient Chinese secret...it's 1 part water to 1 part Gatorade. Pretty good stuff.

If anyone reading this has any tips on some good flavors for those "power gels" I would greatly appreciate it. If your mind went to a dark place, keep your comments to yourself, I already beat you to it.

Seriously, a friend gave me a tip to mix the pouch of Gu power gel (plain flavor) with water. What I have been doing is taking one of those on my long days. Well, I mixed it with water and it tasted like hell. So I added apple juice. All better!

Back to it, power gels that taste ok. Here's what I have tried:

• Chocalate fudge (too thick)
• Lemon Lime (just gross)
• Double Latte (see Lemon Lime)
• Banana Strawberry (passable)
• Plain (see above)

Thanks in advance for the help. Take care. My cross-training tomorrow? Mowing the lawn. HA!

4-4 Day...3 miles - easy...

Three miles today in 30:38...that's a little under 10:13 per mile. It was a nice pace that I probably could have continued, but one must stick to training.

More later...

4-3 Day!!! 4 miles the hard way....

I am using my Wednesday runs to liven up the pace a little. That said - 4 miles in 37:15....that's about 9:20 pace.

Like yesterday, I used my heart rate monitor to ensure that I stayed in Zone 5 for a good period of time. Tomorrow I'll ratchet it back to Zone 4 and take it easy.

4-2 Day...3 miles

Three easy miles today. Done in 29:58.

What do I mean by easy? If you run without a heart rate monitor, that means run at pace that allows you to talk while you run. If you can't because you are breathing too hard, than slow down.

Another way to do it is to find out your exercise zones and use a heart rate monitor. There are ways to guess-timate what your zones are but the best way is to do a VO2 Max test.

The VO2 Max test will determine the level of exercise at which your body uses oxygen. Check at your local running store or fitness center for help.

4-1 Day (Week 4, Day 1)...

Today is a day of rest for me so that's the plan...absolutely nothing!

The long run this coming weekend is 9 miles. That will be interesting to say the least. As I blog my progress, I'll include a link to the route that I ran so that y'all can see what I am actually doing.

Unfortunately, USATF turned off the elevation data, which would give an indication of the hills that I have. Now, I ain't running in the Rockies or anything, but there are a couple of tough ones here and there.

Either that, or I'm a wimp...

3-6 Day!!! A relaxing 5 miles...

Posting this a day late. I'm not totally OC, but I'll try to post on the day that I am talking about...

It was cool and drizzling. To me a perfect day for a run, as long as you watch your footing.

Yesterday's run took me down the usual path that I will be using for my longer runs, but allows me to tailor it for distance. And it's relatively quiet at 7am on a Saturday which is an added bonus!

I did the five miles in 52:17. That's just under a 10:30 pace... 10:27 to be exact according to this calculator I used.

Did you end up here "randomly"?

Meaning, if you didn't get here through my fundraising webpage, please visit and consider donating to my cause. Don't want to donate to mine? Let me know through the comments if you're looking for a specific cause. I'll be more than happy to help you find a cause you personally believe in...

Day 1 of the blog....Day 5 of Week 3 of training...

Here it is 3 weeks into the training program and I have something to actually talk about. I found out yesterday that I received a slot on the Run to Remember team for the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. So let the training continue and the storytelling begin!

Some background first...

My father was diagnosed with colon cancer in early spring 2005. He "moved on to the next room" as a result of this in February of 2007. In the last few weeks of his life, he had the assistance of the exceptional people at the Alliance of Community Hospices of Louisville . My family was blessed with their help and doubly fortunate in that he was able to partake in what they termed "home hospice". The thought there is that the patient is best served in their needs by being at home with the family provided that the appropriate levels of care can be provided. It wasn't too long after he started in this program that he passed, but we are glad they were there even for that short time.

What charity are you running for, Rob?

I am running for the National Hospice Foundation through their Run to Remember program. This program supports the efforts of the Foundation and also allows charity runners to commit 50% of their donations to a hospice organization of their choice. For my run, I am going to direct the 50% of the funds to the hospice group that assisted my father so well.

So what makes you think you can run a marathon???

Last year I started dabbling in some running, biking and swimming under the auspices of doing an Ironman-length triathlon by the time I am 45. Unfortunately, I allowed training to get interrupted at times and so in the spring, I took up running again, just to get off my lazy ass.

A less-than-epic performance at the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge induced me to get back into gear for real with the running. A couple of weeks later, I find myself thinking "hmmmm...the Chicago Marathon is do-able..." Mind you, this isn't because I was training so well and consistently. Let's just chalk it up that inspiration was upon me!!!

So I did some research the next day only to find that lo! I was only 4 days away from being able to kick into Week 1 of the 18 Week Novice 1 Training program on Hal Higdon's training site. So off I went.

Let me be absolutely clear about this one - I am not out to nor am I able at this point to set any land-speed records. Gimme until next year to start getting quicker. That said, I am averaging a 10:15 mile when "running easy". As long as I can get the marathon done in less than 5 hours, I'll be satisfied.

How's it going so far?

I can't complain. I'm liking the running. I'm pleased with the routes that I have set up on the USA Track & Field site and I don't have to get up at 4am to run - yet!

Tomorrow is what I'll call 3-6 day (week 3, day 6). It's a step-back week, so I am only running 5 miles for my "long run". Shouldn't be too bad.

Are all your posts going to be this long?

Probably not. But there had to be a primer, eh?

So there it is read and (hopefully) enjoy!