Jodi’s Running Blog

While I may not be running the race, I am still feeling pretty psyched about the Boston Marathon today. I’m psyched about running in general. I have a 24-week cross-training schedule in place to prepare for the Portland Marathon, and while I still have not committed to participating in the race, today would be the day to start training. So I’ve decided to go for it - and if my work schedule for next year indicates that I cannot run the race, I will continue on a modified schedule for a different race. Either way I think a marathon may be in my future in the next six months.

So I began the day with my first official training run - a 40 minute foundation run with 4×30second strides built in. There is something about breaking into a sprint halfway through a distance run that is quite invigorating! As I have mentioned before, Evan and I live in a condo on a hill, so it makes for interesting and challenging running in that the entire way BACK from the run is uphill. Good training, though.

Now I am back at home, tracking the progress of various online running compadres who are running the Boston Marathon today. Maybe I can join them next year - it’s a far-fetched goal, but not impossible. I’ll use it to motivate me on days when it’s cold and rainy, or when I am tired post-call.

Here is my gripe for today, though - Evan and I have cable, which provides us with about 70 channels. Not ONE of them is covering the Boston Marathon. We have ESPN and ESPN2, and yet - rather than covering the most popular distance race in the nation, they are playing reruns from major league baseball games already played. I think, for a Monday during-the-day, their ratings would be higher with a few hours of marathon coverage, only because it is such a coveted event by hundreds of thousands of runners across the country. I’ve misjudged society before, though, and perhaps I am doing the same now.

In any case, the Boston Marathon website is providing up-to-the-minute text-based coverage of the race, so that will do for now. Enjoy the week, and happy running!