Premarathon run

A1A Marathon at 6 am tomorrow. No predictions -  I just want to keep it together and run smart. Until then...
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Run - 30:52 - 4.2 miles - 7:20 Pace - 143 avg hr
with 7 x 30" tempo bursts

honest, real, compelling

My friend, Steve Cruz, shared this with me on Facebook today. A very moving two and a half minutes.

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No run on the schedule today; a needed rest day. I'll probably do a 20-30 minute jog with a few tempo pick-us tomorrow. The marathon is Sunday at 6 am. 

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#healthcare #transplants #intolerance #racism #love #faith #hope #kindness

Florida is for LOVING

I have been a resident of Florida for nearly 3 years and that makes me an almost-native. I like how weird this state is and how peoples interpretation nearly always wrong. The swamp sucks its people in from all over the world. Yep, I certainly got sucked in... and I like it. Florida likes really hard too, so come on down and visit us. We only feed the haters to the sharks.

Run - 39:47 - 5.15 miles - 7:43 Pace - 129 avg hr
Taper run to keep the legs loose.

A1A Marathon - Nervous - Am I Weird?

Well, Sunday is closing in FAST. I am really more unsettled about this marathon than any that I can remember. In the old days I toed the starting line, well trained and confident. It didn't matter if I reached my goals or not - I was happy and I vigorously attacked each race.

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Since my accident my mental state has changed. I do not have the abilities that I once had and even though I train passionately (more than ever), I just haven't regained my old fitness. I know that I should just relax, but one thing hasn't changed about me: I fight - and even though I am only competing with myself, I still fight to win. Ha! I must like beating myself up.

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I don't get it. I really don't know why my running hasn't returned to levels comparable to before my traumatic brain injury. I run more miles than I ever did before - I work hard! In the big picture, it should be a small aspect of my life. Unfortunately it is not. For some unidentified reason, I have not stopped searching for Dick Dime. The person I remember and the version of me that I liked best.

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Since recovery began, I have run 4 marathons. My fastest was last year at A1A. I made big improvements over my previous post injury marathons and even though I was still 30 minutes slower than before my accident, I was happy and charged up to continue my forward progress. Since then, I haven't let up and my training has improved. However, my confidence has not returned and I swim in a swamp of doubt. I really struggle with this.

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Is this a common mental dilemma for brain injury survivors? Is it normal - I do not want to be weird? If somebody out there who has suffered a TBI or know someone who has, and happens upon this rant, please comment and give me your opinion. I don't know what is normal. Did I say, I don't want to be weird?

Run - 1:01:07 - 7.31 miles - 8:21 Pace - 126 avg hr
Got out fairly early today. Unfortunately the wind was howling and I worked harder than I wanted to because I ran into the wind for the first 4 miles. Luckily the cruise home was nice and easy.

Strong run with some tempo

Today I ran with some tempo; probably my last hard effort before the A1A Marathon on Sunday. I felt good with miles 6, 7 and 8 my strongest (low 7's). I am making progress and I don't have any false expectations for this marathon but as I build the year up I believe some faster running is in my future.
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Run - 1:00:20 - 8:22 miles - 7:20 Pace - 142 avg hr
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Run - 40:00 - 5.0 miles 8:00 Pace
World of Beer fun run 

Trash Heap - 1 week to go

Ran the Trash Heap trail today at an easy pace; including 730' of elevation gain. Just one week to go before the A1A marathon.
Run - 1:39 - 10.28 miles - 9:37 Pace - 111 avg hr
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Randy is almost too big and Mimi too small for this type of activity - I suppose a photograph is necessary evidence. Randy and I are most definitely two lucky dogs. — with Mimi Reeves.

A Chilly Day

Yesterday was a rest day (not really a scheduled one - but I improvised). I have been told to "listen to your body" but I do not speak that language. The truth is, I just didn't feel like running. Perhaps that was my body speaking to me... I do not know.  Instead of running I decided to cruise out to the beach and walk around. It was a seasonal winter day in SoFla and the beach was empty. It was nice.

Run - 1:39 - 12.1 miles - 8:10 Pace - 123 avg hr
Decent run; really windy again - I should stop complaining about the wind - at least it isn't 90/90 (90 degrees with 90 percent humidity); embrace the winter. Floridians like to say, "that is why we live here"