Just 3 months

April 13 is just 3 months away. Thireteen Sundays from today! That Sunday in April will be my second running of the Flora London Marathon! Am I excited?? YEAAHHH, I am excited!! Three months from today all the hard training will be finished, I won't have to deal with the bitter winds of today, the needle-like pins in my face, the layers upon layers of cothing, the hat, the gloves, the blinky lights and Hi-Vi bright yellow bibs for better visability.

No..all I will be dealing with is the job at hand. Running my fourth marathon and aiming to run it in a Personal Best. I know it will test me, stretch me, strip me of all I am made of, but it will also test me to see what I am made from. I'm looking ahead to just 3 months from now. The great memories, the sense of acomplishment, the pride, and the aching body that will reward me with a job well done.

So as I look forward I also look at the here and now. This day is where I am. I'm not 13 weeks ahead, I'm right here. I do what is infront of me. Sometimes when I run I have a tendency to look straight down at the pavement ahead of me. I forget that I also need to look beyond my own feet to where I am headed. To focus on where it is I am aiming for and run towards that.

I am taking each day as a step to the finish line in just 3 months. I am keeping to good nurition, I am getting out and running my marathon schedule to keep my body ready for the longer runs that are coming up. I am keeping grounded in prayer and inspirational readings to feed that warrior within me to stay hungry for even better things. These things will keep me focused and so that in just 3 months from today, I will run not just a good race, but a GREAT race.

Worth the Time

Last year, before the London Marathon I had a gait anaylise of my running at one of the manufactures booths. The camera showed that my gait had altered a bit from the previous testing months before. I purchased a new pair of shoes that fit my now altered running style. I know...You should NEVER EVER use a pair of new shoes for a marathon.
My thought was, do I wear the well broken in ones that were wrong for my gait, or try breaking in these new ones as best I could before the Marathon and wear them for the marathon two days hence. Yep, you guessed right! I took those shoes and wore them all over the place on Friday, did a short run in them on Saturday and walked the entire day in them. On Marathon morning, they were the wings that carried me to the finish.
So now that I am looking at London again, it was time to get the gait looked at again. A near by running store has a camera set for analysis and time to get over there. I wanted to have the right shoes for the miles my legs will be feeling in the coming weeks. (This is week 14 of my training program)

The results showed that the shoes I am currently running in are not doing my slight overpronation any good. With them I am STILL rolling inward on both my feet, slightly. That might be enough to be causing my ITB to be acting up as well as that great periformus condition in my R glut!(The piriformis is a flat muscle, pyramidal in shape, lying almost parallel with the posterior margin of the gluteus medius). Stretching was helping some but I have still been having some problems.
I now have a new pair of Muzimo Wave Inspire. A shoe I haven't worn before but feel great on my feet and in playback of my analysis show no rolling in. I'm not one that has to have a certain make and type of shoe, so these are worth trying.

I'm glad that I followed my husband's urging to get my gait analysed again to make sure I was running in the proper shoe for me. I have goals for London 2008 and having the right shoe to carry me to them is very important.

A new Year, A New opportunity

Another year's door has opened and I'm now amongst the trappings of 2008. As I look around this empty room I bring with me the decorations I wish to place around it's walls and fill it's space with.

My running goals are only starting to form. The best news I got towards the end of 2007 was that my club had given me another opportunity to run the Flora London Marathon on 13 April 2008! I can't put into words how excited I am! Another Golden Ticket!!

To get to the finish line in London I have had a close look at my training program from last year. I am making some changes so that I have a stronger finish and succeed in breaking through the 6 hour mark. More on that in my next installment.

As the days progress I will be adding more to this 2008 room and filling it with my hopes, dreams, accomplishments, and challenges. Here's to the New Year!