I kind of had an interesting run today since I was off for Presidents Day, I decided to try and get my longer run in so I can cut back a little later in the week since its supposed to get a bit colder in the mornings as the week goes on. I got a few miles out and it appears my body is finally getting that ‘training feeling’ … some may know what I mean where everything starts to ache, including your guts and your shoulders and everything, as if you’ve done some sort of a full body workout, but you didn’t.

So the worst part of putting in 22+ miles in during the last two days, then another 7+ today, is that I was pretty tired by mile 4, but I pushed it and kept my pace up since I was feeling so good. I really do think this is the turning point in my training, or at least I hope so. Its been a rough ride up until now, and i’ve been pretty hard-core over the last 4 weeks, which if I look back on my training schedule over the past few years, its generally week 4-5 where I start to see a big difference in both my performance and my endurance, so I think i’m there.

There’s less then 6 weeks until the Ocean Drive 10-miler, which will be my first race since I bombed at the Marine Corps Marathon last October. I always think back about the struggle of running into that cold wind on the Jersey Shore, but I guess you can say i’ve been training in that cold wind for many weeks now, we should be well prepared I hope.

So I don’t intend to push more miles up this weekend, and look to stay at 14 miles on Saturday, then maybe increase my Sunday run a mile or two instead. I need to run the 14 miler a little better until I hit the 16 mile mark the following weekend. That will be a struggle!

On another marathon related note, I was going through the pictures on my cell phone, and I found 3 shots from the starting line of the Lehigh Valley Hospital Marathon for Via from last September. Apparently I took them as I was lounging prior to the start .. they’re not the greatest pictures, but it brings back the memories, and who would have known that this would be the last start on Hamilton Street in Allentown for this race.. this year the race will start at the Hospital on Cedar Crest Boulevard .. anyway, here are the pictures.

Facing the registration table (looking south down toward Hamilton)

Looking east down Hamilton

Looking across Hamilton

So i’m not a great photo guy, but i’m working on it I guess. I wanted to be able to look back at the thrill of the starting line, and if I recall, I PR’d at that race, so it does mean little more to me to have those pictures as a reminder. That was a good race, it was a beautiful day, good pace, you can’t ask for much more….

Ok, enough posterity for now, its time to think about the two upcoming non-marathons, and the Delaware marathon after that..