"You BLEEPIN' Got This, Pete!!!"

I know it's been a few weeks since my last post, but with marathon training, tying up loose ends at work, marathon training, Christmas, marathon training, New Year's, and marathon training, things have been a little hectic...have I mentioned that I'm training for a marathon?

A few weeks ago, I wouldn't have been as jovial. On an 18-mile long run, I hit a mini wall (not THE wall...just A wall) around mile 14. The outside of my right knee was hurting pretty badly (IT Band), and the will to run was overruled by the will to walk (well walk/run). I was able to get through the run (which was a run/walk for about three miles), and I even mustered the strength and fortitude to run the last three quarters of a mile...but overall, I was pretty pissed off at this "bad" run.

Well, the anger went away, and I knew I had some work to do. After rolling my quad and the IT Band with Trigger Point for a couple of days (and I'm still doing it daily), I got back out on the road and made a conscious effort to speed up the cadence of my steps because I had read that the IT Band "likes" a speedier cadence. Well, the knee felt good and strong as I sped up my cadence and, on the first run, my pace.

And that brings me to an important distinction...cadence is not pace. While I ran my first run at a quicker pace (9:15 for five miles) and cadence, the next couple of runs, I focused on keeping the cadence constant while slowing my pace with shorter strides. So far so good...

But it wasn't until a week after the "bad" 18-miler that I had the opportunity to put the cadence theory to the test with a 14-mile long run. I focused on keeping the strides short and quick for the entire fourteen miles, and the next thing I knew, I was finishing up at an 11:28 pace without any IT Band pain...whew! Crisis averted.

And just the other day - Sunday, December 29 - I had the chance to stretch out the distance even farther with a 20 miler, my last long run before the upcoming marathon. So I started off early in the morning for what would be my four-hour tour.

Somewhere around mile 17 or 18, I had a few revelations: (1) I was tired; (2) I was sore...but not injured...and my knee wasn't hurting at all; (3) I knew I was going to make it to 20; and (4) I had something very important to shout to myself (and anybody else within earshot)...


"You BLEEPIN' Got This, Pete!!! You're as BLEEPIN' ready as you're going to be for your first BLEEPIN' marathon!!! Now finish this BLEEPIN' run and start your BLEEPIN' taper!!!"


Fortunately, the local rec fields by which I was running at the time were devoid of kids and parents, so unless someone was running behind me, I don't think anyone else got to hear my moment of elation.

On January 12 (less than two weeks!), as I attempt the Walt Disney World Full Marathon, I'll finally have the opportunity to put the last six months of training to the test.

Let's just hope I can control my language.

Until next time, enjoy your journey...