04/25/2005 (Mon) - The Aftermath

I'm fully recovered. Here are my post-race recovery stats. Number of hours before I was lucid: 2. Number of days before I was walking normally: 2. Number of days before I could descend stairs: 4. Number of days before I ran again: 6. It'll probably take longer for me to shed the extra 5-7 pounds I gained from training. While half of that was probably muscle gain, the other half came from my body's need to store what I ate for use during long runs.

Anyway, I hope to write down much of the great advice I received regarding training for and running the marathon, as a resource for other first-timers. Look for it here on this website soon.

04/18/2005 (Mon) - Alive and Well!

I did it! I finished the Boston Marathon without a single horror story! My toenails are all there. I have no scars from falls or chafing. I didn't hit "the wall". No vomiting (or worse!). I didn't even have to go to the bathroom, despite the 24 water stops along the way. When I sprinted that last block to the finish, the clock overhead was seconds away from reaching 5 hours, which gave me the motivation to expend that last bit of energy and cross the finish as the clock read 4:59:48. Even better, I didn't cross the starting line until the clock read 0:21:01, so my actual marathon time came in at 4:38:47! A full 21 minutes faster than I had hoped for.

The whole experience was amazing. There were crowds along the sides of the road for the entire course. Children held out their hands for high fives, others held out things we might need: bottled water, tissues, popsicles, orange slices, jelly beans. College kids held out things we probably didn't need: beer, burritos. Bands played. Elvis impersonators sang. And male runners peed in plain view along the sides. I had my name written on both arms, so there was an endless stream of cheers, "Go Kim!", "Great job Kim!", ... The closer I ran to the edges of the road, the more people who cheered me on, so I headed to the sides when I needed some encouragement. One well-timed poster read, "Stop here if you need a hug!" so I did!

I ran the first half of the race with a teammate named Ale. She had run several other marathons in under five hours so I figured she was a good person to synch up with. We both had GPSes so we obsessed about our pace, but otherwise tried to have fun and chat the whole time. We also stuck to our plan religiously: (1) We made sure to start out slow (slowing down whenever our GPS beeped for going faster than a 10 minute/mile), (2) we ran at all times, but always walked through the water stops (we mixed a cup of Gatorade with a cup of water, but spit most of it out) (3) we ate Gu every six miles. By mile 8 or so, we were catching up to a lot of the people who had darted out from the start, and many of them did not look good! In general we had a blast. Ale is from Mexico, and she had the Mexican flag on her shorts. Several people along the side yelled something in Spanish and she died laughing. They had yelled, "Immigration! Run! Run!" in Spanish. When we entered "the scream tunnel" (the loud roar of all of the girls of Wellesley College) we were completely invigorated!

Shortly after the half marathon checkpoint, Ale took a break to change her socks and use the restroom, so I went ahead on my own. After a mile, I started to miss having someone else nearby, so I looked for other Dana-Farber runners. Ahead I saw Beth running alone, so I caught up with her, but she said she wasn't feeling well so I continued on. I passed a few more familiar faces, then decided I should run my own race for the last 10 miles. The more I smiled, the more encouragement I got from the crowds, and the better I felt. In some of the pictures, I look a little silly with my giant grin! When I headed into the Newton Hills (mile 17) I still felt great. I focused on finding some people who had said they would be watching from the area. The only thing I remember about the hills was that I was the only one running up them. I constantly had to weave through the walkers. But uphill was a welcome break from all that quad-pounding downill I had endured! At the top of Heartbreak Hill I saw a giant sign that read, "Only 5.5 miles to go!" The rest of the race seemed to take days. I wasn't in major pain, but I was definitely not enjoying running anymore. Walking didn't sound any better, so I stuck with running and continuously recalculted the number of minutes remaining. Around mile 24, for some reason, it hit me like a ton of bricks that I was actually going to finish this thing. Tears poured down my face as I tried to smile. Just after mile 25, I saw Matt on the sidelines. I high-fived him but didn't slow down. I was almost there, but I still had 10 minutes to go. Out of nowhere came the final two turns and then, a glorious sight. A giant arch. Deafening crowds. Cameras. Tall buildings. My long awaited target. I maintained my pace until I could see the clock, which read 4:59:??. Somehow I managed to sprint and then I threw up my arms in celebration. (My GPS Reading)

Because it is so dangerous to stop suddenly after a marathon, they made us walk about five blocks to get to our bags. So much was going on during that walk that I found myself utterly confused. Someone stopped me, handed me a medal, and signaled for me to lift my foot so they could remove my tracking chip. I shook my head. There was no way I was lifting my foot! So he bent down and did it himself. One person handed me a mylar blanket. Someone else wrapped it around me. Someone else put a sticker on it to hold it in place. Then they started handing me food. Every five steps and I was handed something else. I soon realized I had three drinks, a banana, a fig newton, and a granola bar. I didn't have any free hands to eat any of it - I suddenly wanted it all away from me. "Can someone take this stuff?" I pleaded, but no one heard me. People were making announcements over loadspeakers, but I couldn't comprehend sentences. I looked for my bus to get my bag, but I knew I didn't want to carry it. I had to find a bus that matched my number, but I couldn't match numbers. I compared the number on my shirt, digit by digit, to each bus, then moved on. At some point, someone said, "Kim over here!" I thanked them, but I couldn't recognize who it was. After an unknown amount of time, I found myself following a Dana-Farber volunteer back to the Marriott. She was carrying our bags and asking us questions. I don't think I answered her - it took me too long to understand what she said. Finally we were there. I got cleaned up, got a massage, tried to eat, then headed home on the subway with Matt (who carried me down the stairs at every station.)

04/17/2005 (Sun) - Marathon Weekend Activies (part 2)

This afternoon we had our Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge pasta party. I stayed away from greens and dairy, and loaded up on carbs and protein. It's like my body knows what's going to happen tomorrow - I was somehow able to fit two plates of pasta in me! After some (much needed) words of encouragement and reminders of why we're doing this, we all headed home. It's now 8:00 PM. In one hour, I'll be going to bed. In 12 hours, I'll be in Hopkinton. In well under 24 hours, it'll all be over!

04/16/2005 (Sat) - Marathon Weekend Activies (part 1)

I headed to the Hynes Convention Center this afternoon to pick up my race number and ChampionChip(TM). Boston is in marathon mode! All of the subway ads were bought by Adidas and focus on the marathon. Half of the people on the train were sporting their marathon jackets from previous years. Others had their official marathon bag (which indicates that they will be running on Monday). I looked around and tried to guess who else was running on Monday. Were others doing the same? Did they think I looked like I would be? Probably not! The convention center was so exciting. There were hundreds of vendor stations set up. Massages over here, dynamic gait analysis over there, running gear everywhere! I bought a bunch of Gu and two running shirts. Next, I headed over to the Westin hotel to check in with Dana-Farber. They gave me my race-morning admission bracelet (for hanging out in our private area before the marathon) and a Dana-Farber poncho to wear after the race (so they can find me and bring me to our private recovery zone). On the subway ride home, I read through the official marathon program. In one of the articles, the runner mentioned last year's Adidas ad, "Sweat, pain and exhaustion are all temporary. Finishing Boston is forever." I'm completely psyched for Monday!

04/16/2005 (Sat) - Confidence Restored!

You have no idea what I've been going through since Thursday! That bad run completely shattered my confidence. I was almost in tears with disappointment that all this hard work would be wasted due to an 11th hour injury. I was walking differently, my calves, knees, and quads ached, and my heart raced with terror and disappointment at any thought of Monday. I couldn't concentrate at work and I cringed every time someone mentioned the marathon. It was pure torture!

I had mixed feelings about going out for a run today. Another bad run would just kill me and could make the injury worse. But I felt I should run because a good run would restore my confidence and allow me to test out the shorts and hat I plan to wear on Monday. Plus, it would allow me to test the theory that the whole problem is the new shoes I bought three weeks ago. I talked to Matt about it and he said that I should run. My confidence was so low that it could only help. I realized he was right, so I ventured out for an easy 3-mile jog. Just after starting, I waited for the standard knee tingling. It wasn't there! In fact, none of the problems were there! No muscle cramps, no knee soreness, nothing. It had to have been the shoes!

04/14/2005 (Thu) - A Crucial Mistake?

I've been noticing some strange tingling in my knees this week. It was really freaking me out, but I figured the best thing to do is ignore it. Maybe it's all in my head - I'm just nervous about Monday. Yesterday, I felt a bit of knee pain on the elliptical machine. Not too bad, something like a 3 on the 1-10 pain scale. But today, I had a horrible run. I went out around noon and I immediately felt the knee pain (still only like a 3-4). I kept going. Around a mile into the run, my calves really locked up. I stopped and tried to touch my toes, and my calves screamed. Eventually, I was able to touch my toes and I continued on with my run. It was not fun. At one point, I had to walk for about 100 yards. I finished up the 4 mile run and went home, feeling completely frazzled. This is not good!

All day my legs have been sore. I feel like I just ran 20 miles. And just walking around brings on the strange knee sensation. What is going on?! Our coach told us to look at our logs anytime we have aches or pains. I figured it was the 22 miler I did, but that was over two weeks ago. I've been tapering since then! Then it hit me. The last time I had knee troubles was November. The last time I bought new shoes was also November! Well, a few weeks ago I bought a new pair of shoes. It gets worse. I knew we shouldn't wear new shoes on marathon day, so I have been trying to break in this new pair. This has to be what's going on, and I just can't believe I've made such a silly mistake this late in the game. Please, please let the problems disappear on Monday! (Needless to say, I should wear my Asics on Monday, and not the new Adidas...)

03/26/2005 (Sat) - My Last Long Run!

It's all within reach! Today's group run marked the end of the ramp-up period. After this, I begin the tapering schedule to save myself for marathon day. Our 22-mile run today started in Wellesley, continued along the marathon course through the Newton Hills, into Boston, and returned along the same path to Wellesley. We met extra early this morning. I got up at 6:15 AM, picked up four others from the Alewife T station at 7:00, then drove out to Wellesley for an 8:00 departure with the team. It looked like there were well over 100 Dana-Farber runners this morning. Several other charities were running along the same course, so we had been warned that there were well over 500 out there.

I quickly synched up with Heather from the last Newton Hills run. We agreed to stick together because we are both 10 minute milers. She originally planned to run 20 miles, but I convinced her that we should go for the full 22, even if we had to walk the last two. Since we both felt great until the 11 mile turnaround, it seemed like the way to go. At that 11-mile water station, we both ate several pretzels because we had been warned to increase our salt intake. Unfortunately, Heather learned a little too late that her stomach wasn't a fan of the pretzels around mile 15. For the rest of the course, we ran together for a mile or so, then she would stay back while I went ahead, then we'd meet up again at the next water station. The interesting thing is that there really wasn't a dramatic difference between her run-walk pace and my run-only pace. Lesson: don't be afraid to walk to regain your composure, particularly when fatigue starts slowing you down.

After the last water station at 19 miles, Heather and I agreed to run the last portion alone and to meet up at the end. Neither of us had the energy to do much more talking anyway. The last mile was a major mental challenge. I would look at my GPS and it would say 21.2 miles ... I'd run for a while then look again ... 21.4 miles. Every 10th of a mile felt like it took hours, and the finish didn't seem to get any closer. By the very end, I was delirious. I arrived back at the gym and though I knew I should eat something, my coordination was completely shot. I couldn't manage to get peanut butter onto a bagel. Finally, after about 20 minutes I got my senses back and felt back to normal mentally (but tight and tired physically).

03/20/2005 (Sun) - Long Day!

I had a bit of a weather scare last night. Matt and I went to his work party and I asked him to check the weather for today's run online before bed. The forecast said rain and snow tomorrow. Fortuantely, it was after midnight, so the "tomorrow" they were describing actually meant Monday. This morning, I woke up to find that the weather was incredible. Today's group run was advertised as 15-18 miles with water stops at 3.5, 5.5, 7.5 and 9.0 miles. I decided to definitely do the 18 miles, then to see how I felt after that, ideally tacking on 2 more miles. Despite the great weather, I didn't see any of my normal running buddies, so I spent the majority of the run alone, which wasn't nearly as boring as I would've expected. I felt really great for most of the run. I had made my first purchase of Gu yesterday and I was eager to try out the two flavors. Before leaving the house this morning, I ate one pack of chocolate Gu. It tasted like a mild form of cake icing. Not bad at all! At the 9 mile water station, I ate another pack of the Tri-Berry flavor. Also quite tasty. I found that my performance improved quite a bit now that I was never hungry during the run. I ran the full 20 miles with one of my best paces for a long run, a 9:41 mile.

When I got back to the gym, I learned that they had hired a masseuse for the team. People were on a waiting list for massages. That sounded like a great prospect. Unfortunately, it was 12:30pm, which meant that I had an hour and 45 minutes to drive home, shower, pack for California, and leave for the airport! So, no massage for me, but I've decided to treat myself to a massage this week. Of course, the flight was completely full and I was trapped by the window for the 6 hour flight to San Francisco. All in all, not bad for a Sunday: I ran 20 miles and took a 6 hour flight, all in time for dinner.

03/12/2005 (Sat) - Running Through a Snowstorm

The joys of New England. While this hasn't been the coldest winter, we've had a ridiculous amount of snow (over 100 inches!) Every time I went to run this week, it was snowing. I can run through certain types of snow (the light fluffy kind) but I think twice about slush because my socks get wet and I get blisters. On the weekends, I always do a long run on either Saturday or Sunday (whichever has better weather). Unfortunately, I have a flight tomorrow at noon, so I won't have time to run. I decided it was today or never. The forecast called for significant precipitation all day. First heavy rain, then heavy snow starting at noon. I chose option B - snow. I drove out to Waltham and hit the roads. They were a mess! About two miles into my run, I was completely soaked. It was right about 32 degrees so as soon as the snow hit me, it turned to water. I felt like such a weirdo out there on the streets. The snow plow drivers seemed to shake their heads when they passed me. I ended up turning back after only 5 miles. I'm torn between feeling disappointed that I only ran 10 miles, and proud that a snowstorm didn't stop me from pounding the pavement. My feet sure are mad. The wet socks caused four blisters.

03/05/2005 (Sat) - More Heartbreak

Heartbreak Hill, that is. I didn't sleep well last night, but I still felt great during today's 18-mile run from Watertown, through Newton, over I-95, approaching Wellesley, then back along the marathon course. The weather was really great, and that resulted in several hundred runners along the course. Everyone is getting serious. And they should! The marathon is only six weeks away!

Today's run was very reassuring. When the onramp for I-95 first came into view it was amazing. I couldn't believe I had run all the way to I-95! Then to continue on for almost two miles before turning around? Bonus! At the 9-mile water station, I turned back and was able to synch up with three girls: Laura, Heather, and Erin. I've seen Laura at all of the group runs. She was just voted the Saucony Athlete of the Year. Heather led the way and did a great job of motivating us ("The water station should be right over this hill!") and helping us celebrate each achievement ("Look! We're already at the fire station!") The smallest things make such a difference out there. It wasn't until mile 12 or so that I started to feel signs of fatigue. My feet are my weakest link. They get tired first. After that, I start to get hungry, so I forget about my feet and start thinking about the food waiting at the end of the run.

Speaking of food. I turn into a complete eating machine after every long run. I have to eat a meal every 2-3 hours. I talked to some people who said they can't stomach food all day after a run. Not me!

02/27/2005 (Sun) - The Importance of Rationing

There's only so much you can carry on you for a long run, so I've learned the importance of rationing my resources. When I'm not running with the group where we have water stations every few miles, I wear a fuel belt on my long runs. The fuel belt has four 12 oz. bottles and a small pouch for food. So I do some math to figure out when I should consume what. The equation is pretty straightforward. (TotalMilesPlanned / (NumberOfBottles+1)). I add the one because I generally have something waiting for me back at my car. I'm still experimenting with the pouch. Today I brought a bag of gummy bears and two packs of Smarties. Months ago, when I first started training, the thought of eating candy (or anything else) in the middle of a run sounded terrible. But I quickly got over that. My stomach agreed to be strong as long as I promised to consume something every half hour or so. And I have to tell you, candy has never tasted so good. It completely lifts my spirits when I start to lose my mind out there.

Today, I had planned to run 15 miles along the same rolling course through Lincoln I had run with the group last week. But I knew there were several decision points where I could cut the run short to 13 miles or go for a full 17 miles. Not too far into the run, I realized that I felt good and I psyched myself up for going 17. (Note: That 17 mile decision point is around mile 12, so then I was committed.) Anyway, I had to readjust my Gatorade intake plan to compensate for the extra two miles. That ended up not being too difficult, and it gave me something mathematical to think about for a mile or so. I wasn't so great about the candy rationing - it's hard to eat only three gummy bears at a time! Anyway, I survived. My legs were very wobbly afterward, making it awkward to use the clutch for the drive home, but I was glad to be off of my feet.

01/30/2005 (Sun) - Why I Love Cambridge

I think I'm finally coming to the end of this cold. I'm on day four of antibiotics. I decided that this warm day was too good to pass up (finally above freezing) and I'd heard that the Charles River was plowed. That turned out to be half true, and that half is the Cambridge side of the Charles. Unfortunately I realized that a bit too late. I started out on the Cambridge side, running the five miles from the Marsh Post to the Longfellow bridge. As I crossed the unplowed Longfellow, I stuck to the 6-inch wide path that had been formed by other pedestrians. That wasn't so bad. Then I continued on the Boston side for the return trip. It started out fine, they had cleared a walkway. I should've known something was up when all the other runners crossed back into Cambridge at the next bridge (Mass Ave. bridge) after only 1.5 miles. But I continued on ... and soon found myself in knee-deep snow. There's always the BU bridge in another mile and a half, I thought. But when I got there, I realized that there was no way to get to the BU bridge from the river without climbing over an 8-foot high wall of snow then crossing busy Storrow Drive. So I had to stick it out for yet another mile or so. Finally, I was able to get back into Cambridge via the River Street bridge. Whew.

It's funny, I've noticed that all plowing seems to stop at all Cambridge borders. I generally run from my house in North Cambridge through Arlington on the Minuteman Trail. But as soon as I pass the "Welcome to Arlington" sign, the immaculately plowed trail becomes a slushy mess. The same is true if I go the other way into Somerville. What's up with these towns?

01/22/2005 (Sat) - Eye-cicles

What are eye-cicles you ask? They are the ice formations that develop on the tips of your eyelashes and eyebrows during a brutally cold outdoor run. The entire DFMC team had eye-cicles (and beard-cicles, etc) this morning (photos coming soon). I had an especially bad case because my tear ducts get very active in the cold, and all of those tears froze in place. The weather forecast predicted a high of 19 and low of 12 today, however, the starting temperature of our run this morning was -2 degrees and the ending temperature was 9. Today's group run in Dedham was slotted to be a 12-15 mile run. Unfortunately, I had to make an executive decision to end my run at the 6.2 mile water station (or shall I say slush station). It wasn't the cold temperature, but my nagging cough that prompted me to stop. I've found that I can often just run through a chest cold (in fact, the running often helps) but today my lungs warned me that I was overdoing it, so I opted to take the ride-of-shame back with Jack Fultz. Granted, he made me earn it: I helped out loading the water stations and gathering the DFMC cones that marked the course. I'll have to do double-duty on my cross-training tomorrow, but my irritated and infected lungs are thanking me for being conservative today.

01/17/2005 (Mon) - First Toenail Casualty

I'm gonna spare you the details. I'd heard rumors about people losing toenails during marathons. This one was my fault. I really should've trimmed my toenails before yesterday's long run. Time to treat myself to a pedicure!

01/16/2005 (Sun) - Running Alone Can Be Boring

When I first thought about running a marathon, a friend of mine had one piece of advice. "Make sure you have someone to run with during your long runs ... it gets really boring." But I had always run alone, so I couldn't imagine it. Well, today I found out what she was talking about. We didn't have a group run this weekend, so I knew I'd be running alone. I considered getting creative with my running route, but ended up resorting to a standard Charles River route. This time, I ran from Arsenal Street in Watertown to the Longfellow Bridge and back. That was only 11.7 miles, so I tacked on another loop around the Eliot Street Bridge to bring the distance to 14.0 miles. At 10 miles, I crossed paths with Jessica from the DFMC team, so I stopped and chatted for a minute. She was just starting her 14 miles and moving in the opposite direction, so I pointed her toward the Longfellow bridge. That was the only excitement during the run.

During the last four miles I noticed two things. (1) The temperature really dropped off, and (2) I felt my first stomach growl during a run. I've heard that you need to train your body to dip into its fat reserves during exercise. It would much rather just burn sugar, so it gets angry when that is depleted. Unfortunately, it's not like you can stop for a burger mid-run. At least now I know I'll start to get hungry after running for about two hours, so I need to start trying out different types of Gu. I've been putting that off because I heard it's really gross.

01/08/2005 (Sat) - Half Marathon with Heartbreak Hill

The weather report for today's run listed heavy snow starting at 9:30 AM. I decided that if the run wasn't cancelled, I would go, because I definitely wouldn't be able to run later today. I was also curious about today's route because it somehow got us from one of my normal running routes in Cambridge over to Newton and the 18-mile mark of the marathon. Besides, who trusts the weather forecasters in Boston?

At 8:30 AM, about 30 of us started out from the Mount Auburn Club in Watertown. Within the first two miles, I noticed the gradual incline of the route (my regular routes are fairly flat). I also noticed the patches of snow and ice that hadn't been cleared from the sidewalks, which caused me to change my footing. But after we entered Newton, it became much more "suburban" and I was able to enjoy the scenery. Then we hit the hills. While they "don't seem so bad" now (four hours later), they were certainly rough at the time. We did a few miles of the marathon course in reverse, then turned around at the 18-mile mark and headed back along the course. While I wasn't certain which of the hills was the infamous "heartbreak hill", I assume it was the last. It wasn't terribly steep, but you got a clear view of the fact that it wouldn't level out soon at all. My running partner for the day (Beth) and I silently agreed that we wouldn't try to converse during the inclines.

We got back at 10:45 having only been sprinkled on (first snow, then rain.) After stretching and rehydrating, we headed back outside to realize that we were very lucky - painful ice pellets were now falling from the sky! Our total distance today (13.1 miles) was great because it's exactly 1/2 marathon. Here's a look at my speed/distance/altitude/etc [halfMarathon] reported by my GPS.

01/04/2005 (Tue) - Skiing and My Cold

We spent Christmas in Utah. I brought along my running shoes and GPS, and was looking forward to some altitude training. But we actually ended up skiing every day (including Christmas day), so I was left without any daylight running time. Furthermore, my entire family and I caught a terrible stomach flu (food poisoning perhaps?) so we were out of commision for a day or two.

We returned to Boston on the 30th (sorry, no New Years in Utah, thank you). Within 24 hours of my return, however, I got the familiar dry-throat sensation of an impending cold. I ended up spending all of New Years Eve and most of New Years Day in bed. While I'm still somewhat sick, I figured I'd do a very short run today because the weather was nice and it's supposed to snow for the rest of the week. The run actually cleared out my sinuses (it always does) so I'm glad I did it. I'm waiting to see if I'm healthy enough for this weekend's group run (12-15 miles).

12/19/2004 (Sat) - Wayland Group Run

I was able to trade in my new shoes for another pair of new shoes. I went with the Asics 2100 series, which is the updated version of a pair that worked well for me in the past. My two short runs this week went fine, so it appears that the new shoes and stretches are doing the trick.

This morning we had a team run out in Wayland. With my recent knee issues, I was a little worried about the 10-15 mile distance. I figured I'd stick to about 10 miles and bail out if I sensed any problems. I ended up running with about six others and the time passed quickly with all of our chattering. In fact, we were having such a good time that we completely missed one of our required turns (one that we later realized was clearly marked with about 10 orange cones.) When my GPS read 5.9 miles and we hadn't seen the 5.5 mile water station, half of us decided to turn back, while those who were shooting for 15 miles continued on. In the end, my group ended up running almost 12 miles, though none of us had planned on that distance. It has been about five hours since my run, and so far, I feel pretty well. There's just a bit of tightness in my knees and hips, and my feet are tired. I have a follow-up appointment with the physical therapist on Tuesday, so I can discuss any issues that arise between now and then.

12/13/2004 (Mon) - Physical Therapy

I had an appointment with a physical therapist this morning. It was great timing because I've definitely been walking differently since my weekend run, and I really wanted to know what was going on with my knee. At my appointment, I learned several interesting facts. (1) My left leg is 1/4 inch longer than the right. (2) My hips are too tight and weak for the distances I'm running. (3) My left foot pronates quite a bit, probably because of the combination of 1 and 2. (4) My new shoes are definitely the wrong shoes for me.

The PT gave me a long list of stretches and strengthening exercises that I am to do every day, even if I don't run. I have three more appointments with him over the next three weeks to check my progress. And he told me to return my new shoes.

12/11/2004 (Sat) - New Shoes and a GPS

Though I've completely confined myself to indoor training this week, my knee still feels weird. But I'd hoped that my new pair of running shoes would do the trick. These shoes provide less pronation control to relieve the strain on my knee (in theory, at least). I also have two new running toys. The first is a Garmin Forerunner GPS watch. It tracks my current pace, distance, average pace, running route, etc. The second is a fuel belt that has four water bottles and a pocket. I filled two bottles with water and two with diluted Gatorade.

I decided to do another Charles River run. My loop started near the Arsenal Street bridge in Watertown. I ran along the Cambridge side of the Charles until I reached the Mass Ave bridge. I crossed the bridge, then returned along the Boston side of the river. The total round-trip distance as measured by my cool new watch was 9.41 miles. My knee varied from a 4 to a 7 on the pain scale throughout the run, which definitely slowed me down. The fuel belt was fairly annoying (it kept riding up on my waist) but was absolutely essential. By the end of the run, I had consumed all four bottles.

12/04/2004 (Sat) - My Left Knee

Today we had our second DFMC group training run. We met at the Boston Athletic Club in South Boston at 8:30AM (yikes!) Not only was this to be my longest run (9 miles), but it was my first attempt at driving to South Boston. I made it, no thanks to the comically-inaccurate directions. Anyway, after meeting up with the other runners, I kicked myself for not bringing my Camelback. Everyone had either a water belt or a Camelback. But in our pre-run debriefing, we were told that there would be water at miles 4 and 6, so I felt very relieved. Shortly into the run, I synched up with a guy named Tom, who is running his 9th marathon for Dana-Farber. During the run, we compared notes on our training and fundraising thus far, and he gave me a lot of great advice. Our route brought us along the Boston shoreline and around Castle island.

At mile four, I was thrilled to see the water station. We stopped and had a cup or two of diluted gatorade. When I went to start running again, my left knee buckled, and I couldn't walk. My knee was not happy to stop and start again. Tom said that it was probably my ITB that is bothering me, and he showed me a great stretch that I hadn't been doing. After a couple minutes of stretching we continued on. It took about a mile for me to get back into my regular gait and pace. Eventually, we synched up with another runner, John, who ill be running his third marathon (I think). When we reached the water station again at mile 6, I decided to keep my legs moving as I rehydrated. That turned out to be a good plan, and the three of us finished off the final miles together. Upon arriving back, we all high-fived and headed inside for stretching, food, and showers.

Before leaving, I chatted with Jack Fultz to find out what I could do about my nagging knee issues. He recommended some stretches, Advil, and hip strengthening. He also said I should stick to the ArcTrainer and Elliptical machines this week instead of my regular runs.

11/20/2004 (Sat) - First Time Marathoners Meeting

I met many of the other first time marathoners today at the DFMC First-Timers Welcome and Group Run. We met at the Mount Auburn Club in Watertown at 8:30AM. Shortly after arriving, we headed off for a nice run around the Charles River, from the Club to the Western Ave bridge and back. We were given the option of running 4, 5, or 6 miles, whatever we felt we could accomplish by 9:30AM. I figured I'd keep an eye on my watch, but was pretty sure I could do all 6 miles in that time. On the way out to Western Ave, I found myself running alone, between the lead pack of about 5 runners who were several yards ahead of me, and the next pack, which was quite a ways back. After several attempts at catching up with the lead pack, I resigned to run alone -- my first run without my headphones. Fortunately, on the way back, several of the groups got bunched up as we tried to cross the traffic at the JFK bridge, so for the rest of the run, I ran with two girls from Brighton -- Laura and Jessica. They are roommates and recent college grads. About two blocks from our finish, Laura mentioned the huge array of cookies and snacks that were waiting for us at the club, and that motivated us to kick it into high gear for those last two blocks to wrap up the 6-mile run.

After stretching, refueling, and showering, we all returned for our first team meeting. We started off by splitting into groups and introducing ourselves. The common phrase that morning was "I'm not a runner..." meanwhile, we'd all committed to run 26.2 miles! I was also very surprised to learn how many of my teammates are cancer survivors themselves. Then we heard from our trainer, Jack Fultz, who won the Boston Marathon in 1976. I learned that I should have two pairs of running shoes, and that I should alternate between the two. I also learned that we should walk through the water stations on marathon day (and other interesting tips...)