This dismally barren blog finally has a singular decoration - ok maybe two if you count the first post, but now it's got something new - YAY! Today I just ran 12 miles. That was in the face of 90% chance of rain, and, according to weather.com, a solid row of green and yellow precip headed just my way. But I braved it through, and boy am I happy! While last Saturday's 11 mile run takes the cake for the monumental longest run in 3 years since I left Japan, today I nearly finished what I meant to tackle in Kyoto - a 12.3 mile run, aka, the Half Marathon. My apologies for leaving everyone in the dark as I chipped away at this - if I'm correct the last time I updated my blog I was proud to be at a 4-mile capacity, and nigh the beginning of my training with Team in Training. A quick aside: THANK YOU to everyone who has financially, and of course morally, supported me through the past month and a half. Check it out for yourself, but I'm already at an encouraging $1500 of my $4500 goal for fundraising:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/pfchangs09/ejacobsenBack on the subject of training though, I've basically gone through a month and a half of daily 4-6 mile runs and shorter swims, and then faced the invigorating albeit daunting task of raising my long run mileage by a full mile or two every Saturday. So the last few weeks went from 9, 10, to 11, and finally to 12 miles today. Mild shin pain, the obligatory (I feel) knee aches, some spankin' new shoes, and a trip to sears for thrift-store priced running garb also punctuated those weeks. Check out this picture of me running in some of the gear! I'm also proudly showing off my running path today - a loop from beyond Harvard Square to the Museum of Science and back.
Running on the Charles has been a privilege and great fun - I'm so glad I can enjoy the sight of water and boaters every week instead of running on some dreary, identical country road through abandoned forests with deer and other pests. My heart goes out to you who endure that. (I'm sure I'd learn to see the beauty in it also if I were in that position).
(Above: oppressively endless forest road example)
Anyways, can't keep the cold bath waiting - even though I'd like to - so I'm signing off. But I hope this post has saved some of my once substantial readership* in the nick of time from giving up on my promised updates. (*are both of you still there?) Please check back as I'm sure to get more and more excited about the training with proximity to the actual marathon, and updates do follow.
Thanks for the encouragement all!
At the start, My friends Scott and Jamie on left, and James on the right. Look at all those nice clothes we had to throw away at the starting line. Sporting jerseys, too, wouldn't you say?
The start of the full-marathon... maybe somewhere in the 10,000 participants you can see me... towards the back. Also, the guy I sat next to in the airport at the end of the weekend (5th place male finisher from Kenya) is probably somewhere in the front lines.
Probably about half-way through, and definitely putting my all into every step!
Half-way - see me in the middle?
For anyone who's wondering what kind of thoughts go through your head over the course of a marathon, this hilarious card from my sister pretty much sums it up (she knows, she did one too).
Finish-line security camera catches me pumping my fists in glee, behind the two people in the foreground.
Another finish-line photo. Between the thrill and exhaustion, I was pretty emotional, and so happy.
Showing off my finisher's medal. Final time: 4h 57m
At the Team in Training celebration later that night.
The MA chapter of Team in Training, partners in running.
