I think I am ready now for Whistle stop in just under two weeks. I did my first 20 mile run today, a week later than I had planned, but I am glad to have gotten through it. It went really good over-all, with just the ball of my right foot getting sore during the last five miles. I was on the Mesabi trail, so I stayed off the paved path and on the grass as much as I could, and that helped a lot. It started raing the last few miles, nothing too bad, but a little cold. I guess its that time of year again in Minnesota better get the winter gear ready! I have done several 12 to 15 mile runs through the summer, but I wanted to do a 20 before The Whistle Stop, being its my first marathon. I am feeling good now, its been about 5 hours sunce I finished, my legs were pretty stiff for a while, but after a hot bath and walking around they are feeling much better. I am getting excited for The Whistle Stop, and I have seen a lot of saying they are going to be running it also, so I think it is going to be a really fun time. I am looking forward to meeting fellow runners, and other bloggers from Northland Runner.

It has been a while since I have blogged, but I just want to reassure everyone that I am still here. I am sure I have hundreds if not thousands of blog fans that have been waiting patiently for my next blog. Well here it is. I am still running, and I still have my main goal this year of running my first marathon, The Whistlestop! I have been working a lot and different hours, so it has been a challenge to get to my running, but I have been doing 4-5 days a week, mostly at night as the sun is setting. This week I finished a 33 mile week with my long run today of 15 miles, that is the furthest I have gone so far... ever! I ran a pace of 8.5 minute miles which is about what I expected, and the run felt really good, no major aches or pains, just a little tightness the last mile and a half or so! I would like the pace to be a bit faster, but my first marathon goal is to finish, I am not aiming for any particular time goal on this one. Well maybe under 4 hours I think actually would be nice on top of finishing! I am hoping my training keeps going well, and that I get a 20 mile run in about 3 weeks before the Whistlestop! Then I think I will be ready with some less intense training the few weeks before. I hope to have a few more blogs of the progress before the big day! Thank you for reading my blog, and sorry to have kept you waiting so long. I am sure many people will now sleep better tonight, now that I have blogged!

Well this morning I ran my first 10k race, and it just had to rain. It was awesome though, a bit chilly at first but warmed up after a couple miles. It was mostly on a dirt road, so there was a little sinking and sliding in the mud, but most of the race it was pretty firm. I really enjoyed the 10k, and look forward to others. In training I don't push my self, so being out with other runners I was able to push my self to a 43:45 finish, which is about 4 minutes faster than when I do it on my own. The coordinators for this race also were very friendly, and easy to get along with. I got a chance to talk with some familiar faces, like David Hyopponen, who is always a great guy to talk to, and an awesome runner. I also met many other runners, who I will look forward to seeing at other races. That is a great part about small town races, meeting other runners in the less chaotic atmosphere. Can't wait for the next race!

I have been working to get my weekly mileage up, and this week I hit 31 miles. That is the most I have ever done, so it felt really good. I did a 3 mile, 6 mile, and a 9 mile early on, and hten I ran 1 mile with my brother since he is just getting into running, and it worked for an easy day after the 9 miles. Sunday I went 12 miles, and that is my farthest I have gone at once so far!

 

The run felt great except around mile 5 my left calf felt tight, and it felt that way the rest of the run. It was not painful, just a little discomfort. Other than that the rest of my body and breathing felt great, I was very happy with the results of the run. I am pretty set on doing the full whistle stop marathon, instead of the half. I figure I have plenty of time to get comfortable running further distances. Things are going really good, and it is keeping me motivated.

 

This week I plan on doing about the same, except I am planning to end the week with the Sam I am 10K. This should be a fun race, and it will be my first 10k, but I feel I could have been doing 10k's already. I just have been lazy doing the 5k's when the choice was there, I guess its time to step it up! Looking forward to a great summer of running.

I think I am going to aim for the whistestop marathon to be my first jump into a marathon. I was wondering if any out there has done this run, and what they think about it? It claims to be good marathon for first timers, and I would like to check it out. So if any one who knows about it and can give my some thoughts on the run. I would like to try the half or full run, but would like see what advice any one out the has for me on the race. Being my first Marathon I would like to do I was wondering if I should do the half or go all out and attemp the full run? Any help or advice would be appreceated. Thanks Harry