Been a long time...

Since I blogged, and I apologize for that. Sitting in front of a computer to blog after a long and tiring day was the last thing I wanted to do. My mind was focussed on training and my blog obviously suffered. With just 2.5 weeks till the marathon, I'll do my best to catch-up with more blogs.

Now that I've gotten my apology out of the way, you all should know I'm alive and my legs are still kicking towards the finish line. I'll try to give you a quick recap of the last two months.

February

February was physical therapy month. My sessions were filled with cross-training and painful massages. In the beginning, my legs were so knotted and tight I often thought the therapist was ripping my calves off of my legs! Over many therapy sessions the massages have been a welcome relief from the constant aches and pains of running. Without the physical therapy and the wonderful therapists (Brian, Christina, Todd, and Marie) at Pro Sports I don't believe I would even be considering running this marathon. They have been great!

March

The month of March was extremely busy... logging 30+ miles and multiple physical therapy sessions a week. My daily schedule has pretty much been run, work, therapy, eat, sleep... repeat. I'll be honest, it's taken it's toll and no doubt this training has been one of the hardest things I've ever done. Getting back into running after taking most of February off due to my injury was a slow process. I began just running indoors on a treadmill. Three mile runs progressed to five milers and so on. Running on the treadmill was easier on my legs, but extremely boring. Try running 9, even 6 miles on a treadmill and you'll know what I mean. I'd rather run outside any day. Eventually my therapists allowed me to do smaller runs on the road, which then grew to longer runs on the road. Currently I'm running both on the treadmill and the road.

End of March

The end of March has been a turning point for me, and I'm filled with optimism and confidence. The last couple weeks of March have really done wonders for me mentally. A couple weeks ago I ran a 12 miler, and just this past Saturday I ran my longest to date, a 17 mile run. The 17 miler was really a great experience, because I ran from the starting line in Hopkinton to the base of Heartbreak Hill in Newton. With that run, I'm now familiar mentally and physically with the whole 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon. Just a few minor aches following the 17 miler and no pain in my achilles or calves which is another boost of confidence. I'm about as ready as I'll be, and I'm anxious for Marathon Monday.

Note: I will write more about the 17 miler and post some pictures from the run in my next blog... which I promise will be soon.

April

The last few weeks leading up to the Marathon are less intense and I'll be "tapering" down and logging less miles (30+ miles to around 20 miles a week), allowing my body to rest and heal.

Can't wait for the Marathon, I'm very excited!