In Laguna at the moment, and just back from a 1 1/2 hour run. I wore my old running shoes and it reminded me of the Death Valley Marathon I ran with these sneaks in 2004. Chad is getting pretty obsessive about running and I’m just tagging along. It’s ironic, because he trained with me to run the Death Valley Marathon in Feb 2004 (just before Sue’s wedding) and then got too sick to run with me.
Now he’s thinking about running a marathon next spring sometime. He doesn’t think he’s ready yet, even though in the marathon training schedule I’ve used twice, the longest run is 2 1/2 hours. Chad runs 1 1/2 hours on a regular basis these days and is looking forward to a his first two-hour run, so I think he’s pretty close. We’re thinking about the Catalina Marathon, which was recommended by a 50-er, that is somebody who has run a marathon in every state in the U.S. This guy (actually the runner’s wife) told us it was their favorite. Also considering the Los Angeles Marathon.
Of course his standards for being ready are higher than mine. I ran the Death Valley Marathon in 5 1/2 hours and came in ~16th from the end out of ~120 runners. He probably wants to do more of a three-hour run, which I guess means we won’t be running together… The funny part of that race (the other parts I was sad and wondering how I had forgotten all the pain involved in running for that long of a time.) was that because of flood damage, the running route had been changed from a loop to a 13.1 mile stretch out and back along the badwaters. What this meant was that as I was approaching the turn around point, I passed every single runner who was ahead of me, including the first place runner (who was SMILING btw.) I say funny, because all those runners ahead me of me were so supportive and cheerful. Probably at least half of those runners actually vocally cheered me on as they sprinted pass me. Especially Mr. First Place – He took the breath to shout, You go girl! (Later I saw that his license plate was XTRMRUNR.)
So I am slowpoke runner (I was an hour faster thirteen years ago when I ran the Washington D.C. Marine Corps Marathon on pavement with ~ 12,000 runners) But you would still think I would be getting more fit and losing weight, wouldn’t you?
I weighed myself at the chiropractor’s (I don’t have a scale) last week and I am pretty much exactly the weight I was two weeks previously. Since I have been exercising regularly, and mostly staying within my weight watcher’s points (20 per day), I can only hope that it’s really true what they say, Muscle weighs more than fat. My sister scoffs and says, You still believe that baloney theory? My boyfriend however, says that I am definitely skinnier (he saw me last two weeks ago.) Am I in denial? It’s impossible to tell by the way my clothes fit, because everything I own feels loose now.
(Don’t ask why we want to run a race named for the distance a Greek soldier ran from Marathon to Athens to proclaim that the war had been won before dropping dead…)