With the holiday madness finally behind and my 4th marathon staring me in the face, I told myself this weekend…No more Excuses ! Bad weather or not, Bad lungs or not..Achy joints or not.. …You committed to do this marathon, so now you need to get out there and start your long distance training walks, so that’s what I did.

I started off the new year with 14 mile walk on New Years day. It was beautiful out there along the San Francisco waterfront, but I over did it and walked way to fast for an LSD ( 14 miles in 3: 18) Now I’m sore as hell and I’m wheezing big time—(I almost forgot how fun it was to train for a marathon.)
There’s only 10 weeks left until Rome , so basically, I have 6 weeks to get the rest of my LSDs in. That’s the least amount of time I will have ever spent on training for a race….full or half!

Two years ago when I began training for my very first full marathon, I was so obsessed with racking up enough weekly mileage, that I didn’t give my legs (or my lungs) enough time to rest. As a result, my calves were aching all the time and I probably had more asthma exacerbations then I should of. I think a lot of that “over training” actually led to to my constant leg cramping during races( remember when I blogged about those?)
Well, the training schedule I threw together this time is short, sweet and a hopefully, a little easier on the body. … Whether or not it will get me to the finish line is another story.
I’m still gonna do the usual 16-18-20 milers, but I’m eliminating a lot of the shorter walks and almost all of the hill work ( Rome is pretty flat anyway ).

OK, having said all that, this will probably be my last full marathon. My lungs just can’t handle the constant training required to finish strong in a marathon.
If you think about it, when you train for a marathon, you’re actually doing multiple mini marathons in the process , and it’s during that time of intense training that my lungs seems to take the biggest hit. In addition , I’m on steroids all the time now , which is having a negative effect on my bones and joints.

After Rome, I’m going to take some serious time off from walking.

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3 thoughts on “First 14 of ’08

  1. Ms. Lizzy says:

    Hey Steve –

    Sounds like you’re off to a logical start! Finishing Strong is entirely personal. I KNOW you’ll finish strong by sheer determination and strength of character!

    However, I’ll believe you taking time off from walking when I read it …

    Good luck with the steroids. I remember you saying you have a hate/hate relationship with them.

    Keep on Keeping On …

  2. Amy says:

    You are an inspiration as always, Stephen.

    I’m sorry you’re having to take time off for a short while, but kudos to you for taking the steps needed to protect your health.

    Here’s hoping you have a fabulous final spin in Rome.

  3. Bob Gentile says:

    Good Job Steve to get back out and focus on ur race… December Holiday trip up North set me back in my trainings, next week is the Walt Disney Marathon and IT WILL BE a SLOW one…I will take Lots of pics and just have fun and hopefully no injuries.

    You have plenty of time even though it may not seem like it…just stay consistent now & watch ur diet.

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