I was curious how many miles have I run since I started keeping track via my Garmin on June 6th.
Any guesses????
Well I gave it away in the title -- 230. I can't believe it!
I don't want to calculate how many more mile I will run during the next 41 days of my training. Running 230 miles is the equivalent of running from my home to St Louis!
Plus 170 miles of biking since I started cross training!
I decided with 41 days left, I should probably start reading up on "marathon" advice. I found some interesting and slightly intimidating facts.
- During a 4 hour marathon a runner can lose 4 quarts of water--that is one gallon! and 4 ounces of salt. I think I lost that much on my last 16 mile run...I might lose 2 gallons during the marathon :)
- It takes 30,000-50,000 steps to run a marathon (I will definitely run closer to 50,000)
- Toenails might fall off--Yikes I already heard that--at least sandal season will be almost over by October 7th :)
- The brain is continually deciding, "Should I continue to do this painful thing?" And can decide to shut the legs down if it perceives the risk of injury is too high. (Fascinating--who knew :))
- Most sudden deaths are due to undiagnosed underlying conditions. My mother has the genetic heart condition that causes most sudden death at Marathons and in many young athletes. Due to many tests recently--I know I have a clean bill of heart health. But Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is a serious issue and anyone who is considering starting intense training should consult a doctor.
Some interesting facts about the necessity of the "Long Run" in a training regime:
- A long run provides improved psychological ability to handle the race distance. With each weekly long run, there is an improvement in the runner's ability to mentally tolerate exercising for long periods of time.
- Improved ability to absorb and tolerate the "pounding" the legs will take during the race. Feet, joints, tendons and muscles are all gradually strengthened over time from the overloading they receive from the weekly long run. Many runners who fail to finish a marathon do so because of leg pain and discomfort, resulting from the weight-bearing pounding over 26 miles.
Last but not least...did you know Ziggy Marley and Flea are a runners??? I had no idea!
If you are interested in their inspirational videos, check out the Runner's World website (many celebrity runners are featured)
I NEVER thought I could run a marathon! But I will. :) So my message for today is ... strive for the unimaginable and seemingly impossible!
Your friend Newbie,
Please donate…it only takes a few minutes (I PROMISE) and the children of RMHC need your help. Current total is $5,048 with a $10,000 goal...only 42!!! more days until the Marathon and blog farewell
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