Flying Pig Marathon: Toeing the Starting Line

On May 6, 2018, I ran the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, OH. The rationale for such an early marathon was that Jody and I were going on a babymoon at the end of May (a trip to Utah) so I could not run the Green Bay Marathon. And with Melanie due at the end of August, I could rule out any marathon after she graced us with her presence. Thus, to keep my annual marathon streak alive, we would drive the 6.5 hours to Cincinnati to run 26.2 miles.

In the months leading up to the marathon, I thought I had a good plan. I followed a different plan than the Hal Higdon plans that I had used in the past. This plan was from Strava and included a lot of speed workouts akin to sprints and interval training. I thought I would give strength a try over just running miles, which is the focus of most of the Hal Higdon plans.

I had a solid 12-weeks of training. Heck, I only I only missed one workout and came up short of my target mileage in another one when a massive snow storm hit Milwaukee on the day I was scheduled to run 20 miles. Instead, of running outside in blizzard conditions, I tried to run 20 miles on the treadmill. OMG! Worst experience ever! I binge watched Bosch on Amazon but could only muster 17 miles. Not bad, I guess, given that I was bored out of my mind after the fifth mile.

When it was time to leave for Cincinnati, I felt pretty good and confident that I could obtain my goal of a 4:30:00 race. I had even started to carb load a couple days prior to the race -- focusing on eating extra bagels, pretzels, and drinking a bunch of water ... but not too much.

The drive to Cincinnati was smooth and easy. and our our hotel was only a handful of blocks away from the running convention and starting corrals. 

At the time, I thought this was worth a picture...

The pre-race dinner was perfect. A bowl of spaghetti, bread, and water. The weather was even looking good. Maybe too good. No rain, but warm.

Overall, I wouldn't say I felt out-of-this-world great, but I felt good enough that I could achieve my goal to run the race in 4 hours and 30 minutes.

New Shoes!

My last post occurred over a year ago. February 19th to be exact. I've been thinking of this blog for a while now and wondering if I should resurrect it. I'll be honest, I'm not quite sure why, but I'm hoping that it helps keep me motivated.

February 19, 2018 seems like a lifetime ago, and in many respects, a lifetime of events have happened in the nearly 500 days since my last post. On August 28, I experienced one of the ultimate joys in life with the birth of our daughter Melanie.

I also experienced the crushing sorrow that comes with the passing of a close family member when my sister passed away after a brief battle with cancer on December 15.

Both events put a perspective on what really matters: family. I never hesitated to keep the running shoes on the shelf for the past eight months (the exception being a Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot).

In the coming weeks, I will have separate posts about what has transpired during the lost days as well as what I hope will happen in terms of my forthcoming running adventures.

This year, 2019, year is a bit different from all the previous ones now have a giggling, smiling, happy little girl to watch over and entertain. Running isn't quite the priority that it once was. Alas, I need something to keep the waistline at bay.

Moreover, I've missed it. Sort of. I haven't missed the sore muscles, aching achilles, and stiff joints, but I've missed the runs where the neighborhood is quiet and still. I miss the sense of accomplishment after a hard workout or long run. I also hope this year will be different because I want my daughter can be a part of some of my runs (more on this in another post).

A few weeks ago, I signed up for the Lakefront Marathon here in Milwaukee. I'm rusty and out of shape, but there are about 16 weeks before the race and plenty of time to just run. Let the chips fall where they may.

Bring on Lakefront!