Okay, it’s definitely a doozy.  So remember several weeks ago I wrote a post about Dean Karnazes and his 50 marathons?  Well, last week after I got through all the laundry (and I do mean all–we figured out that the new washer will even do our king-sized comforter, so I went on a real washing binge), I settled down to reread his book, Ultramarathon Man.  It’s a great read, and worth a revisit here at the beginning of my own ultra quest.

So I was planning to go to Greensboro on Halloween to run with him; I figured I’d do 5 miles or so, since I haven’t been running lately AT ALL.  I just really wanted the opportunity to meet him and maybe even chat a bit in those first few miles.  But reading the book again was a mistake.  This is a man who quit running for many years, and when he went back to it in mid-life, his first time out was 30 miles in the middle of the night.  My kind of guy.  So I decided–why not give it the old college try?

I have no illusions that I’ll actually make it all 26.2 miles, but I’m crash training to see how far I can go.  I ran 8 miles on Saturday, 10 on Monday, and 12 today.  I’ve felt pretty good until today; it was nasty humid and hot this morning, and bits and pieces of me were beginning to hurt.  My calves, in particular, are not happy.  So I’m stretching like crazy and drinking lots of water this afternoon.  And trying to keep my children from killing each other.  My daughter has Tae Kwon Do testing this evening, and her brother is trying to “help.”  It sounds, from here, more like a wrestling match. 

The marathon is actually a good idea–really, I’m not just saying that.  It turns out I’ve got a bumper crop of–ahem–saddle issues, so hopefully a couple of weeks off the bike (mostly–I’m planning to do le Tour de Femme on Saturday) will help.

Not sure why the saddle problems; must get to the bottom of that  (tee hee . . .)