One Month To Go

So. If any reading this want to contribute to my fundraising, we are in the final 3 weeks of the campaign. Oct 7, 2014 is the deadline. This time next month, my race will be done, and I will be soaking sore muscles and eating rich foods! I am getting nervous and excited now. Things are coming together, and the reality of what I am doing has hit home. Not that I fear I can't do this- quite the opposite! I have done 12k runs so far, and this weekend will be my first 15k run. I have done interval training. I have done a split pace 10k. There have been more opportunities for learning, and each has helped prepare me.

Belleisle Marsh Trail (near the start)

Over the Labour Day weekend, I took a trip home to NS to visit my parents. I had to do a long run and an interval training day while there. Not wanting to run on the roads (was not sure about traffic and condition of the shoulders) I instead ran on some trails. This was actually quite enjoyable. However trail running is not the same as running on pavement. The first trail was my 10K run, and it was pretty, but not super maintained. The trail was essentially a tractor path through a nice wetlands area, so while there was some gravel and dirt bits, there were also narrow ruts, rocks, and a lot of overgrown grass that liked to catch my shoes. Never once did my foot land in a nice even position, and it was a lot of work on my legs. However, I can't see that as a bad thing!  The interval day trail was shorter, again around a wetland pond, and I had to do laps of it. It was better maintained, and more gravel covered. It was a very good session. That was the good learning.

French Basin Trail

French Basin Trail

On arriving home I discovered a had a few blisters on my feet. The ones I found were on my heel and top of one of my toes, and I thought not much of them, thinking it was the still newish non-running shoes I had worn during my trip. I tried to go for my Thursday run the next day and had to abort. The balls of my feet were so sore!  Of course, I get back home and find blisters there too. So I cleaned them and bandaged them up, and did not run that day or the next day. They felt and looked better on Sunday, so I went out for my long run of 12k. By about 7k  I noticed them again. By 9k I was walking. They felt like bruises on the bottom of my feet and every foot strike was getting rather painful. So I walked for about a km, sort of on the sides of my feet. When the pain felt less, I finished the run running. I got home and fixed them up even better. I was able to run fine by Thursday, and no more issue since then. I now believe they may have started with the trail running, with its rocks and uneven surfaces, and the newish shoes just were the straw that broke the blisters back.

3/4 of Team Kerry

One of Kerry's co-workers formed a team in his memory for the 2014 Terry Fox Run, which was last Sunday. Of course, I had to participate once I learned of it.  My two running buddies registered too. It was a cool day-- 9 degrees C-- but perfect otherwise, and once I started running, even the coolness was welcome. The run fell on my split pace long run day, so that's what I did.  I managed 9min/km pace for first 5k and 8min/km for second. New PBs for 1 mi (12:18), 5k (39:59) and 10k (1:28:50)- the last two being each 2 minutes faster than previous times !!!! There was also some walking in both segments (once while waiting for buddy to use facilities and once when passing the finish area because the marked course was NOT 10km and I had to keep going but was throngs of folks and cars to get around). All in all a good day.
  
I have missed a few more days of running with the blisters and a few late days at work and the need to catch the lawn mowing between the rains. However, I think training is still on track and I am feeling good about being able to do the 21.1k on Oct 19. Starting to think about what I will be wearing, planning for a few different weather contingencies. I want to try to run with that gear for my next few long runs, so that I know it will be okay come race day. My race day shirt should be here in the next few days, so I can wash it a few times and decorate it, and basically break it in a bit.

Now for the stats, because you can't really see my progress in person, can you? Well, I have been holding steady still on the weight, despite hoping a few more pounds would drop off at some point. However, that's okay as I don't want to set myself up for failure at the race. I have put in some good training so far!

     Count:                82 Activities
     Distance:           410.12 km
     Calories:            31,073 C
     Time:                67:24:21 h:m:s
     Avg Distance:    5.00 km
     Avg Speed:        6.1 km/h
     Max Avg Spd:    7.1m/h
     Avg HR:            135 bpm
     Steps:              467,618 s

My concentration issues are getting better, although I am still too easily distracted for my liking. However, I have been able to focus much better in last month, both at work and in leisure. I have read a few more books now, and I have had some longer gaming session on the consoles/computer too. I am not there yet, but am feeling more like myself than I have in half a year. This is both a good thing, and something that bothers me. Part of me wonders, if I am getting better, does that mean I will forget? Rationally I know I won't, but such is the grief thought process.

Over half a year. Yes, its now been 7 months since Kerry passed away. As I write that, I am shaking my head in disbelief. It still seems so surreal at times. Time really has gotten messed up since his death. Sometimes it crawls along, barely moving. Then, at times like this, realizing that its been 7 months, it seems like it has passed at warp speed. I am coping, and I even can enjoy myself. I have gotten to a point where I can be me now without that seeming like a prison sentence. That does not mean the pain is not still there though. It just means I have gotten more used to it, and am more adept at functioning with it.  As others have said, you don't get over the loss of your lover and partner; you simply learn to live despite it.