It was a good week for running. I did not alter my schedule. Each run went smoothly. The weather cooperated. I felt very good. To top it off, I found gear for super cheap gear for training. Here’s hoping for another good week.
I ran for a total of total of 19 miles this week. Chicago has been blessed with unusually cool weather this summer. The weather helped me transition back into marathon training. It appears that week five will experience another good week of running weather. It’s not too hot nor is it too cold. I will be changing the time I start my training. Stopping at major intersections for minutes at a time is not consistent with what I’ll be doing during the marathon. I plan to wake up at 4:30a and avoid car traffic.
Each run chisels and molds my legs. I begin to see definition in my calves and quadriceps. My chubby legs look more impressive everyday. My upper body needs major work. Beyond looks, there are a few weaknesses that I want to address with my upper body. First, I want to strengthen my core. Strengthening the core muscles improves posture, stability, and technique. Much of our power resides within our core muscles. Second, I want to develop my arms and shoulder muscles for better technique. I feel out of synchronization while I run sometimes because I’m not engaging all of my muscles. I want to change that. To improve on these issues, I will start strength training this week. During each run, I plan to focus one one part of my movement.
My brothers and I went to Pleasant Prairie, WI to go outlet shopping. I usually take a pass but I wanted to find a nice semi-casual shirt and some socks for training. At the Nike Factory Outlet, I found super discounted 2008 Chicago Marathon Dri-Fit shirts on sale. I didn’t buy additional marathon shirts last year because I couldn’t justify the price and an official shirt (which was basically a big ugly billboard for Bank of America) came with the race packet. Nike Dri-Fit shirts for $5.00? I’ll take three. Logos commemorating my first marathon was a free bonus.
The one downer I encountered last week was the progress of my fundraising for Children’s Memorial Hospital. I had a lot of promises but no follow-through support. The donations will come. I will reach my $600.00 goal by August 2nd. I just need to be patient and persistent.
