TITLE: Two Months to the Starting Line
AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford
DATE: March 02, 2009  3:13 PM
DESC: 
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BODY:
<IMG SRC="http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/blog-images/running/running-in-brazil.jpg"
     ALT="running the compound at SugarLoafPLoP 2004"
     ALIGN="right"
     WIDTH="200">

Two months from today is the
<A HREF="http://www.500festival.com/marathon/">
   Indy 500 Mini Marathon</A>.
That means I have nine weeks two work myself back up
to 13 miles -- not racing shape, such as that is for
me, just good enough shape to cover the distance
without risking life or limb.

Given that my most recent news of
<A HREF="http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/blog/archives/monthly/2009-02.html#e2009-02-12T20_15_02.htm">
   two</A>
was managing two runs in a single week, even the
lesser goal is a bit daunting.  The good news is
that I ran three times the week before last and
four times last week.  Those four runs totaled
just a bit less than a half-marathon: 13 miles
even.  Yet I ran four times in a week for the
first time since October.  Hurray!

I'll set as aggressive an ascent as I can manage
over the next couple of months, raising my long
run by a mile or two each week.  This is what I
have in mind: 5, 6, 8, 5, 8, 10, 12, 10, and then
the half.  Dropping back to 5 one week helps the
body incorporate the mileage and recover a bit.
I can probably get with nothing more than a
10-mile long run, if that is necessary.  But if
I can manage a 12-miler, I'd like to, for my
confidence and sanity before the race.

The overriding consideration will be health,
trying to build back up without a recurrence of
the symptoms that have gotten in the way since,
oh, <STRONG>last</STRONG> May 2.  What an
anniversary race that will be.  The last two
weeks have left me hopeful but wary.  I don't
yet feel quite right, but I feel better than I
have in a while.

At least the weather is beginning to turn a bit.
Spring is in the offing.  Though we had some
cold weather over the weekend, the sun has
moved higher in the sky and is lasting longer.
Today, the outside looks almost as nice as the
sun day in the photo above, taken by one of my
workshop colleagues at
<A HREF="http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/blog/archives/monthly/2004-08.html#e2004-08-06T08_44_14.htm">
   SugarLoafPLoP 2004</A>.
4 degrees of latitude below the equator creates
a different set of conditions for running than
most days in Iowa, yet in the end it is all the
same: accept the challenge offered by today, and
see where you can go.  In Fortaleza that day,
the challenge was a hot sun and a powerful
humidity.  The run was wonderful.  I can only
hope for runs as nice over the next two months.
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