Gunther Marathon Training Part 16

Nothing out of the ordinary this week, with the exception of a small stomach bug that crawled into our apartment near the end of last week.

Also, sometimes I tell myself that I am the energizer bunny and that I can just keep going, and going and going and going and well, you get the idea.

Gunther Marathon Training Part 15

I sit here at my work desk disappointed in myself. Why? Because I didn't get up and do my workout this morning. Luckily this does not happen too often, but sometimes I just don't have it in me. I know that the whole process is well worth it's while and so I've been keeping my eyes and ears open for motivation. One of the things I found this week was the Marathon Training Academy. They provide free podcasts about all things related to running including one on proper hydration and sweating (who knew there was a right way to sweat?). I've only listened to one of the podcasts, but already I'm excited to listen to more. If you have any interest in running a marathon and are not quite sure "how to" do it follow the link here. It's a husband and wife team where the wife is an experienced marathon runner and the husband is a novice and just learning. I have found that I appreciate (and need) both perspectives.

Thanks again for everyone "letting" me blog about my marathon training. It does help to feel like I have to "report" to someone each week (even if it hasn't been a great week).

A Place for Everyone

One of the things that I appreciate about my faith is that there is a place for everyone. Everyone can feel welcome and feel at "home." We can belong. It's a very nice feeling.

Gunther Marathon Training Part 14

Another week of marathon training has come and gone. During the week my runs are now around 40-45 minutes and then my long runs on Saturdays are based on mileage. I surprised myself yesterday on my 6.5 mile run. Our apartment complex is right next to the freeway and so the streets surrounding our apartment are pretty busy. As a result, I end up jogging in place until I can safely cross the intersections with the pedestrian signal. Yesterday I ended up having to stop at every single light. The surprise was not that I had to stop at every light, but that as a result I ran/jogged for over an hour and a half without stopping. I still can't even believe it myself.

Gunther Marathon Training Part 13

To no one's surprise, it is just HOT here in Arizona. We've been above 110 degrees for most the week. For the next two or three months the motivation to run outside will be a little bit lower than usual. Right now I think I would rather face the cold than the heat...

Got this photo from a FWD email, sorry I can't name the source!

Anyways, I'm starting to get to the point where I'm running for about 45 minutes at a time. I've been pretty strict with how I choose to do my runs. I don't use an i-pod, and when I rarely run inside I don't let myself watch tv. I've tried to have different songs run through my head, but I usually get stuck on one song which then plays over and over again in my mind. Thinking about primary, work, or family usually can take up a bit of my time, but somehow my mind goes blank about halfway through and all I can think about is "how far it is to the next street?" Any other suggestions of what I can do with my mind during my runs? At this point, I think I might go crazy in mind when I run the full marathon! :)