Wait For It...

Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Marathon Training Schedule:  Week 1, Day 1   
Days to Chevron Houston Marathon: 124
Planned activity:  Rest

That's right.  I'm supposed to rest.  It's a good thing.  I ran 7 miles yesterday and I'm also nursing a little tenderness in my right heel.  Rest is good.  The thing is, the weather is stunningly beautiful and cool and calling to me with a siren's seductiveness.

I'll be patient and I'll rest.

I'm also going to the grocery store.  I have a copy of the October issue of Runner's World that has some excellent suggestions for my shopping list.  I'm at the end of my planned weight loss foods, having dropped almost 40 pounds and arrived at a BMI of 25.8 which makes me pretty freaking happy.  My clothes fit great.  (At least the ones that aren't falling off of me fit great.)  I know that I'll drop more weight as my mileage picks up even further. 

More good news:  My doctor added another blood pressure medication and it's working.  Even with significant weight loss, I was hovering around 145/90 and that's just not going to work for me.  She was very thoughtful in her choice of a second medication, taking care not to add a beta blocker or a diuretic because she knows that as a runner she could cause me some real grief.  I appreciate her.

I got an email from the Marathon Committee.  They asked me to set a goal time.  I chose 5:20:00.  I have to finish in 6 hours.  That's when they close the course.  I'm running an 11:15 minute mile most of the time now.  That's a very conservative time I sent them.  I kind of feel like I wimped out on it but it's my first marathon so I'm allowing myself to do this.  This one time.  Hell, I was patting myself on the back just for signing up.  It's suddenly real and yet - I know it's going to get even more real each and every step along the way.  More to come.  Wait for it.


©Michelle Scofield, September 10, 2012 All Rights Reserved