I am alive again

It has been two weeks since my last blog post. What happened to the time? I guess I have been really busy. You see, I am in our local community theater’s production of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” which is opening next Friday. So, I have been at rehearsals two nights a week plus Sunday. Not only that, I have been helping with the sets.

Now, I am not complaining. It has been a great experience. What is surprising to me is why I didn’t seek something like this out a long time ago. The last time I was on stage was at TCU in 1980. Here it is almost 30 years later and I am back at it again. I only regret that I didn’t find a community theater much sooner.

You see, I have a boundless amount of energy that needs to be channeled somewhere. Running is obviously one of the outlets. It has kept me sane and healthy over the years. But, there is an artistic side to my being that was not being fully utilized. It was somewhat dormant even though I would occasionally design a t-shirt for our Scout Troop.

After watching Mara have so much fun with the High School Theater group, I realized that I missed that outlet. The feeling of nervousness as the orchestra starts playing the overture knowing you are about to go out there in front of complete strangers and try to entertain them for a couple of hours. Then hopefully you will get the satisfaction knowing they enjoyed it when you make that curtain call and they applaud your efforts.

Running is a solitary sport. It is the place I go to be introspective and think about things. It gives me time to sort out issues I am dealing with at work or home. Those minutes or hours out on the road give me time to feel my heart and lungs working and help me feel alive. It is definitely satisfying and something I need to do. But, there is no one waiting for me in the driveway when I come home from a run applauding my efforts. I get pleasure from seeing how I did with my pacing and heart rate level.

Being back in a production is giving me that other outlet I have needed. I am using both my painting/design skills and my singing voice again. I am going to be able to share those with someone other than myself and my immediate family. I have to say that I am very nervous about how I will do after such a long hiatus. The butterflies are definitely there and that is the exhilarating part of it. I am going out there on a limb and am going to get the chance to see if I fall or hang on. I feel alive!

Here are my training totals for the last two weeks. :

May 3 – 10.20 miles (1:21:49, 8:01 pace)
May 4 – 6.10 miles (51:10, 8:23 pace)
May 5 – 3.10 miles (23:08, 7:28 pace) – Speedwork
May 7 – 6.10 miles (49:01, 8:02 pace)
May 8 – 7.10 miles (55:33, 7:49 pace)
May 9 – 6.20 miles (48:18, 7:47 pace)
May 10 – 10.00 miles (1:21:56, 8:11 pace)
May 11 – 6.00 miles (48:03, 8:00 pace)
May 12 – 3.10 miles (23:24, 7:33 pace) – Speedwork
May 14 – 6.20 miles (48:34, 7:49 pace)
May 15 – 7.10 miles (57:18, 8:04 pace)
May 16 – 6.20 miles (49:54, 8:03 pace)

Total Miles: 77.40 mile

2009 YTD Miles: 878.50 miles

What's Next?

It has been two weeks since finishing the Boston Marathon. I am trying to figure out what I really want to train for right now. The problem is that I have the Reach the Beach Relay in September. I don’t really need to do any type of special training for that race. I feel a little bit lost.

I have been thinking about running another marathon in the fall. You may ask why you would do that. The last time I ran two marathons in one year, my time got progressively worse. I also ended up with a bad case of plantar fasciitis. Those reasons alone should make me think twice about trying another marathon so soon. I just can’t seem to get the thought out of my head.

You see, I ran Boston in under four hours. Now I have the nagging desire to see how I would do in an easier or flatter marathon course. Plus, as those who read my race report know, I stopped several times in the race to take pictures. I don’t regret that at all. I just know that it added time to my run. How much time is hard to determine. So, the question is out there…can I run even faster. Could I possibly get close to a Boston Qualifying (BQ) time?

You may wonder what the BQ time is for a 47 year old male runner. It is currently 3:30:00. In addition to that requirement, you have to run the BQ in a certified qualifying marathon. Some of the most frequently used are Philadelphia, Chicago, Rock ‘N’ Roll in Phoenix and San Diego, New York and many others. The BAA website states that “An additional 59 seconds will be accepted for each age group time standard. For example, a net time of 3:50:59 will be accepted for a 42-year-old woman.” My only complaint is that women’s times are a full 30 minutes slower than the men. Also, their times increase in increments of 10 minutes versus the 5 minute increments for men. Oh well, it is a goal that I can try and work towards.

Here are my training totals for this week. :

Apr. 26 – 6.20 miles (51:48, 8:21 pace)
Apr. 27 – 6.10 miles (50:32, 8:16 pace)
Apr. 28 – 3.10 miles (23:37, 7:37 pace) – Speedwork
Apr. 30 – 6.10 miles (49:23, 8:06 pace)
May 1 – 7.00 miles (56:05, 8:00 pace)
May 2 – 6.20 miles (49:36, 8:00 pace)

Total Miles: 34.70 miles

2009 YTD Miles: 801.10 miles