Mood:
energeticI think not running the full marathon last October was a good decision. I think I could have done it, and probably finished somewhere around 5 hours. I really want my first marathon to be strong and I want to be fully prepared. I'm hopingo to make a realistsic shot at 4 hours. In my mind that is the milestone for running a marathon and just finishing one.
Two things really set me back, pun intended. My doctor took me off the drug Meloxicam, which really helped the arthritis in my back and helped me get the feeling back in my left foot. At around the same time my nuerologist decided to take me off of the seizure medicine Dilantin, which I had taken for 10 years in favor of Lyrica. Lyrica is a drug to help nerve pain, but its a new drug for treating seizures. While that was successful, my nuerologist increased the dosage to help with my sciatic pain.
One of the side effects of Lyrica can be weight gain, and after losing 78 pounds in 2009, I put 20 back on in 2010. Now, after getting back on the Meloxicam, I think I can cut back on they Lyrica and hopefully get back to my ideal running weight again by say May 1st.
I hope to run (3) 1/2 Marathons this year before the full in Columbus this October. The first was going to be Cap City, but that is the week of our 30th anniversary, so we will be on a cruise. I'm in winter maintenance mode, not running as much as I did in the fall, but trying to stay in some kind of shape. Technically, I'm a sponsored athlete now as an official pace leader for the running group CBUS Pacers. I'm the official 9 min/mile pacer for the group. While I can run faster, a 9 minute mile is my natural pace for long runs.
My next goal race is the CBUS 10 miler in Gahanna next April. I may do a couple of 5k's befor then, but this is my next big race. As long as I'm able to finish it in less than 90 minutes I'll be happy.
