Digging Out Of A Hole, Part II

Well, yes, it’s been another little while since I’ve provided an update for all you fine running folks. Unfortunately, it’s the same old song with the same old refrain from me. I’m physically getting better, recovering from my sickness. The cough is still there although much rarer now then it used to be. I am not really complaining even if my inopportune coughing spells at times make me look more like a homeless guy with a nicotine addiction than a marathoner in training. Either that or everyone in my apartment building thinks I have the swine flu because they all give me strange looks whenever I let out a slight cough in the elevators. So even though I look fine and feel fine, everyone else around me these days are acting like I’m a bigger menace to society than the Taliban! What gives?

As for my running, well, there is some good news and bad news. The good news is that I successfully completed my 4th 20+ mile run of the training cycle this past weekend on my way to a whopping 60.4 miles for the week (my highest total ever so far!) The bad news is that my speed game is still nowhere to be found. It’s been three weeks since I’ve experienced any semblance of quickness and efficiency on my runs. It’s so sad that I’m considering posting up an MIA sign for my speedy legs on my refrigerator door and refusing to take it down until I have documented evidence that the faster version of my lower extremities has returned to me. In the meantime, I’m practicing patience and diligence in putting in the miles day after day, slow, slower, or medium-fast as they might be, and having faith that the running gods will notice my steady work ethic soon and grant me back my old speed and form from a month ago. Well, that’s the game plan for now. However, if I fail my next big test (in the form of not making a certain time in a half-marathon this weekend in my own backyard essentially), I reserve the right to blow up this whole “run more miles, run slower miles” training plan that I am on now and revert back to a version of my old “quality over quantity” philosophy of training that I’ve used somewhat successfully in the past. For the record, I don’t like changing things in the middle of marathon training, but I feel if my legs aren’t responding to the heavier mileage plan, I need to be proactive and make changes to the plan in order to improve my chances of scoring a two-minute PR at the NYC marathon.

Truth be told, I’m seriously hoping it won’t come to that because I am starting to like the high mileage training. In other words, Lungs-please, no more coughing, and Legs-please do your thing at the Queens Half. Got it? Good! While we anxiously await the results of that battle, here’s my latest updated “grid” for your observations, comments, and review.

Seven weeks left to race day and counting! We’re getting close to crunch time!