The Blog Hole

Wow! Suffering from OCD as do most multiple marathon aficianados, I began to wonder what other forms of intelligent life might exist out there in the Blog Universe. A couple of clicks on Google and I found a world I didn't know existed. I have been going to running sites on the internet faithfully for years, but hadn't delved into the specialized world of Blog Holes. What started as a seemingly innocuous inquiry has turned into something like the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.

There are some amazing Blogs being put out by runners. If you want to take a dip in the Running Blog pond, a great place to get your feet wet, is the Running Blog Family - http://completerunning.com/running-blogs/index.php

There are nearly two hundred different Blogs to choose from and after reading them for about a month (I looked at about half of them) I decided to join myself. As of this moment, I am number 29 on the Hit Parade. There are a half dozen that I have checked every week. It is very interesting exercise to watch someone document their progress in training, but the really fascinating part, and the one that makes me feel a bit like a voyeur, is charting the emotional ups and downs that people go through in training. It is comforting to realize that most, if not all runners, go through the same self-doubts and fears that you do.

The Blogs run the gamut, from first timers hoping to do their first marathon, to old pros who have done many marathons to a few people who make their living in the running industry, coaches, and writers. Some of the writing is of magazine and book quality and all of it seems very heartfelt.

After doing 20K (12.5 miles) on Friday and 35K (22 miles) on Sunday, I feel great. Had a good, if kind of twitchy rest day on Monday and now I'm raring to feel some speed tonight. Had another great salmon feast last night thanks to Seymour. I am down to my last salmon steak in the freezer, so I'm going to have to start pestering him pretty soon. Of course, I could always invite myself over for dinner...

And I will have to figure out what to do with a couple of "problem children" in my pace group. One of them actually confessed about going to the gym on Monday! And cycling! So my preaching about the importance of the "Rs", rest, recovery, and recuperation, seems to have gone totally unheeded. Of course there was a time when I was exactly the same way. Oh to be in my twenties again and feel immortal. Will have to impress upon the first-timers that overtraining will not make them any faster, and that "more" is not necessarily "better". And we haven't even gotten into the big mileage weeks yet!