Back on the Clock: Day One

Today was the first official day of marathon training for me, according to my new fancy Hansons plan. The plan offered up a range of 0 to 4 miles.

Part of me kinda wanted to do zero.

So, do you know what I did? Can you guess? I did 4.24 miles. Take that, doubt and laziness! And I ran those miles at an average pace of 9.57! Dig that man.

Truth be told, today was the easy part. Tomorrow will be hard. Tuesdays (at least for the next couple of weeks) are designated as speedwork days. It looks complicated, but I think I can handle it. The other challenge will be, of course, the condition of the streets and sidewalks of Champaign. I was hopping on and off the sidewalks and roads today. I had to dodge two cars that came dangerously close to me. I had to slow down and skate across a stretch of sidewalk that has remained unshoveled for a rather long time. I had to put extra effort to get down a street that was still covered in snow and slush.

And then there's the shadow of injury that has been following me. I don't feel great about saying this, but I haven't felt 100% in a while. When I've ventured into long run territory (about 10 miles so far), I've felt twinges and aches where I hurt myself last year. It's a little scary, and frankly, it's a little hard to commit to a race when you think you might injure yourself again! I don't want to do that. I don't want to be laid-up for another year.

Well I suppose the only thing I can do is remain positive and keep focused on all of the great things that running has done for me. I think if I remain positive, I might be able to avoid injury. Maybe.