Feeling better, but ...

I rested completely on Saturday. My toughest task was walking up the driveway to get the mail, and my wife said I looked terrible doing that. There's no way I could have run the 30K in any sort of respectable time, if at all. So, I watched some football on Saturday afternoon and then we had dinner at the home of some co-workers. They had just gotten over whatever illness is bothering my son and me, so they were very empathetic, and didn't mind having sick people over at their house.

We had a great time at dinner, discussing the state of health care in the US. Our hosts are both doctors - an anesthesiologist from Norway and a pain management specialist from Vietnam. Their experience in foreign health care systems gives them an interesting perspective into the US system. Our kids were glad to play with their kids and ignore the boring grown-up conversation.

Yesterday, I spent a few hours stacking wood, and by the time I was done with that (we moved over 3 cords), I was feeling almost human again, although my arms were sore from the work. I spent the rest of the day cooking and cleaning before having dinner with some friends from CA, who were touring New England on vacation. These were the people who roped me into the Reach the Beach relay, so I'd seen them last weekend, but my wife hadn't gotten a chance to see them.

By the end of the day, I was torn on whether or not to work out this morning, but I eventually opted out of it. I think I'll try an easy workout tomorrow and see how I feel.

I'm at a point now where I'm starting to worry about whether or not I'm going to really be ready for a shot at sub-3:30 in the marathon. I only have about 4 weeks left to really train, and my total mileage just hasn't been what it should be for a marathon. My longer runs have been struggles so far, although my races, speedwork, and relay running have all gone well.

My plan for the next four weekends includes a 22 miler this coming Saturday, a 7:30 pace half marathon the following Sunday, another 22 miler the next weekend, and then a 24 miler with the last 6 miles at race pace. By then, I should know if I'm ready for the marathon or not. The race entry was not too much money, but the trip will be somewhat expensive considering gas prices. So, if I'm not ready, I may not run. I hope to be ready, but I'm just not sure, and the entire goal of the race is to run a Boston qualifier.

My wife has suggested that I stop lifting between now and the marathon, to focus more on my running, and I'm thinking about that possibility.