TOM'S MARATHON PRE-TRAINING - WEEK 2, DAY 1

WEEK ONE

Requirements for Week One: 3 days, 30 min. at 17-20 min. per mile

April 5

Training walk: 4.5 miles, 1 hr. 15 min.

April 6
Mary & I did a "maintenance walk;" 25 min. out and 25 min. back.

I went to Haase Shoes in Ripon for my shoes at Mary's suggestion - she said the owner is a runner. I don't know if I talked to the owner, but Nancy who fitted me is a runner. She does 6-10 miles a day. She runs marathons, including the Boston Marathon and she said "It was my best time, and you know what - I ran and I walked and ran and walked...." In between other customers, she spent about 2 hours with me, making sure I selected the right shoe, one that felt comfortable but also provided the support I need. I need a shoe with a lot of structure (cuz I walk on the outsides of my feet) and I ended up getting cork shims to put under the insoles at the heels, to help me stay off the outsides of my feet. Nancy could tell right away as I walked in that I wear down the outside of my heels. "Here, let me show you," she said.

I said, "No, these are rather new shoes, they shouldn't be worn there yet."

She said, "Here, let me show you." And she was right.

I got the Brooks Men's Runner's Shoe, Support 530, SIZE TEN. I've worn size nine or nine and a half all my life. She said, "No, you're definitely a ten. A nine and a half cramps your toes."

So I'll give 'em a try tomorrow morning.

April 7
Training walk. 4 miles, 1 hr. 4 min.

First day for new shoes. Excellent fit. Some tenderness on right heel where shim is in place to keep me from walking on the outside of my foot.

April 8
Maintenance walk. 4 miles.

April 9
Training walk. 4 miles, 1 hr. 2 min.

What I learned: When it burns, lay into the fire; the fire will lift you.

WEEK TWO
Requirements for Week Two: 4 days, 30 min. at 17-20 min. per mile.

April 10

Maintenance walk. 4 miles.

April 11

Training walk. 4 miles. 1 hr. 5 min.

My daughter said she will send some training notes of her own on occasion, which I will share as part of this progress report. You'll get a bit of binocular vision. That, and you'll get to enjoy my daughter as I do. In a note she sent last week she said one of her runs had been slower than she expected. She had her big dog, "Bear," running with her. "Bear slowed me down. That's my story and I'm sticking to it."

Weight: +1.

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Update 7:00 p.m.: My daughter just added a comment to this post about the status of her training. I thought she was going to be out of contact because she's in Alaska this week for a conference. But she checked in, saying: "I did get a run in yesterday -- 5 miles or so. It's tough to know for sure, having gotten a little 'lost' in some neighborhoods in the wilds of Anchorage. Not to worry, I followed the moose poop back to where I belonged." That's a luxury I don't have in Wisconsin. If Tom gets lost, well, Tom's lost....

Comments

[jess]

I did get a run in yesterday -- 5 miles or so. It's tough to know for sure, having gotten a little "lost" in some neighborhoods in the wilds of Anchorage. Not to worry, I followed the moose poop back to where I belonged.

[Tom Montag]

Jess, hello--It's good to know you're getting safely lost in Anchorage. Thanks for checking in. I posted your comment as an "update" appended to today's report.