26.2 Miles Scare Me

I'm back.
I know I've said this before. I'm going to post more, etc.
But this time I mean it.
I had a huge lay-off because I was producing theatre in NYC.

I've been producing back to back to back projects. The first was a radio adaptation I did with my pal Chris of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET.

I took the radio version, cut heavily and then wrote a play to go in and around it. I set it at a radio station in 1963 since that was the year more televisions were sold than radios.
Due to studio cut backs with the advent of television this is the last opportunity they have to put on the production.

I like radio plays. There is something magical about them. I think I'm going to adapt SLEEPY HALLOW for my next radio play. Set it at this mythical radio station again.

As soon as we put that up for the holidays I had to get to work on not one, but two scripts that would be going up off-off Broadway. I was also in both of them and acting as a producer and directing a bit.

Holy crap.

It was too many hats to wear. I look forward to having a play done where I get to just be the writer. Heck I'll even write and act, since that's fun. But this last time I was doing too much.

But that's a Dark Luna structural problem and not something I will bother you with here.

I don't mean to change gears . . . but I must.

My first road race of the season is next week.
As many of you know I qualified for the ING NY Marathon by running in 9 New York Road Runner Races and volunteering at one event. So this racing/running season for me is all about the prep work for the marathon.

26.2 miles scares me. 13.1 is nothing. It's no big deal, but 26.2 is a whole different taco all together.

My training schedule right now is insane. It leaves me most nights crawling into bed at 10 PM to pop up awake at 6:30 AM. Right now I'm at one speed work day, one hill day, two easier runs and a long run. On top of that I'm still training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu twice a week and I'm getting in two lifting days.

Did I mention I work a job and still find time to audition and write?

At least my girlfriend is super supportive. It would be hard to put this much time into things without her being supportive.

The trick right now is getting my body to adapt to the work load. I just came off the shows and I was scaling the work load in the gym back a lot. I was still in the gym 5 days a week, but the effort was different.
Now I kill myself every day and "leave my heart out on the mat" if I may use an old wrestling expression. Every work out I make sure at the end I can ask myself the hard question, Did I do my best?
My answer is always, Yes.

I am faster than I've ever been before. Much faster than last year. I'm also stronger. Now the trick is going to be if I can increase my mileage to where it needs to be and still keep that strength and speed while staying injury free.

I'm also trying to get my weight down. Well more down that it has gotten. I'm hoping it will be a by-product of all the work I'm doing.

I'm must worried about this many miles on my frame. So let's hope as my long runs get longer, more pounds fall off.

My goal is another 20 pounds at least by the Marathon in November. I think I will get there. I just have to recover smart, know my limits and sleep. Sleep and rest I know have been the biggest things holding me back. I've writing down how many hours I sleep a night in my training log. I hope the accountability will help.

Ok, time to do my Sunday long run.

Until next time true believers . . .