An ordinary Saturday.... 15 days to go.......

Woke up. Got out of bed. Dragged a comb across my head....

-okay, I'm not trying to be The Beatles. I did not actually drag a comb, or even use one. Hell, I am running, and runners don't need to look well, we just need to do well. However, it felt like a usual training day for me.

I drove to Forest Park today and ran with the club. KJ, Peggy, Jack, Tom & Tom, Barbara, Bonnie, Carol, Sandra, and a host of others were out for today's run. My knee has been day to day, and I've made up my mind that I need to do as many workouts to keep my aerobic up. If my knee gets worse, and the Marathon is not meant to be, then it isn't meant to be.

KJ led the way, and I am happy that he is getting back to form after a long bout with illness. Max was also motoring, and at age 60, he is something of an amazing runner. Why, just a few weeks ago he did the Greta's Great Gallop, a Half-Marathon Race, and paced in at 7:55. Incredible! As I ran behind him, I realized that I need to lose weight. And while, as I write this, I am digesting a Wendy's Chicken Sandwich and Fries, I did not each lunch, and all I had for breakfast was a buttered salt bagel and a glass of chocolate milk. Prior to the Wendy's attack, I was weighing in at 163.4. That is down 5 pounds from last week. I still have at least another 5 pounds to go, but I will get there. I just need to keep my eyes closed when I pass by a Wendy's or a Pizza place, that's all....

I did 4 miles today, not the 6 that many others did. Saving myself for the blue line run tomorrow. Finished up in 34:27 and felt good. Knee does not hurt. It just feels like a bruise. While I have been very concerned over this, I should feel grateful that it isn't really hurting.

Andi, who runs in our group mentioned to me that I should focus on working my quadriceps more. Having stronger upper legs, she mentioned, will help alleviate some of the burden of work that my knee has to go through.

I came home and took a 2 hour nap. Spoke to my girlfriend for a little while, and shortly afterwards, decided to head back out. This time out to LA Fitness to work on my hammys, my gut, and my quads. I also did some light work on the elliptical, and scheduled some time with the gym instructor to meet me during lunch this Monday. Perhaps he can give some suggestions as to how to best work my quads without impacting my knee. Elliptical was helpful provided that I keep it to elevations between 1-10. 11-15 are okay as well, provided that I elevate the resistance. And 16-20 is tough on the knees though...Too much bouncing around.

I am getting more and more focused as show time draws nearer. Right now, my main concern will be getting to the city early enough. If I take the LIRR, the earliest train leaves at 4:15am. which would get me into Penn Station at 5:23. No good. I am supposed to at 4nd Street and 6th Av. at 5am. So at this point, it looks like I will need to drive into the city and park at a meter (Meters are disabled in NYC on Sundays - thank heavens for Mayor Bloomberg's decision to do so)

By the way, I am happy to report that the New York Road Runner's Club finally has their own blog! It can be located here -> http://ingnycmarathon.wordpress.com/

Spirit of the Marathon is out on DVD. Even if you are not into running but are into inspirational movies, then you owe it to yourself to check this out on their home page which is here ---> http://www.marathonmovie.com/ However, you can save about $10 bucks if you go to http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/ . Not only do they have it, but shipping is free!