Hi Friends, I hope you all enjoyed spring break as much as I did! My family and I spend 6 wonderful days in sunny San Diego! Between trips to the beach and the pool, I was thrilled to get some great runs in. After nearly killing myself with the 14 mile run, I decided that I needed to do more low-mileage workouts to build up my strength and speed. So, though I haven’t yet added on the distance yet, I still have a few weeks before the big day– April 18. This should be ok, anyone who has run for 2 or more hours knows that at some point, your legs just stop fighting and will keep moving as long as your brain tells them to… its really all about mind over matter! At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
One of my runs in particular was a lot of fun as I practiced running up hill. The Boston Marathon is the most famous of all marathons and “Heartbreak Hill” between miles 20 and 21 is particularly notorious as the modest elevation hits runners during the race at a time when they are pretty tired. According to wikipedia: “The nickname “Heartbreak Hill” originated with an event in the 1936 race. On this stretch, defending champion John A. Kelley caught race leader Ellison “Tarzan” Brown, giving Brown a consolatory pat on the shoulder as he passed. His competitive drive apparently stoked by this gesture, Tarzan Brown rallied, pulled away from Kelley, and went on to win—in the words of Boston Globe reporter Jerry Nason, “breaking Kelley’s heart.””
In my fluffy marshmallow state, I’ve kinda been afraid of those hills and so I wanted to practice running up hill. So I had my wife drive me 4 miles down hill and drop me off, so I could just focus on running uphill. I started off in about 4pm, as the golden California sun was starting to trend towards the horizon. In spite of the hills was pumped up and feeling great. As I run, I don’t listen to music, as weird as it sounds, I listen to a Podcast of monotoned-voiced sermons from the General Conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (if you are interested, send me an email and I’ll forward you the link). But let me tell you, the Spirit and power that seems to flow into me when I’m listening to these powerful messages is really awesome. I feel like part of me is just fueled with pure joy and sunshine! At least that’s how I felt while I was climbing those hills in San Diego. It was a great run.
But as soon as I got back to Boston, I was planning a 16 mile run, and guess what– it snowed!! I couldn’t deal with that so I’ve put in a few more short runs, building the mileage slowly. I’m testing out the concept: Go Slow to Go Fast, and so far I agree!
One last thing, please consider donating to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. I am running, not just for myself, but for a cause, to help those suffering from cancer. You don’t need me to tell you how devastating cancer is, but you need to know that you can help! So do something today to fight cancer! Consider donating the value of one meal from Spangler or a mid-morning snack from the Aldrich snack stand. No donation is too small: //rundfmc.org/2011/zackj
Thanks for making a difference, and have a great day!
Next week’s goals: Long Run!
