After a brief hiatus, I’m back at the blog!  After the Boston Marathon I had to take a little break from being an NF Mom to be just a regular mom, wife, and physician.  But my training for the Hartford Marathon starts in a few weeks, and soon Jane and I head back to Indiana University for her first check-up since starting a clinical trial there, so I wanted to bring you all up to speed!

For more background read my training blog for the 2013 Boston Marathon (top right column).

6/5/13  Perfect day for running today:  in the mid-60s, sunny, low humidity.  7.2 miles in 1:05:03.

Running update:  Ever since I started running again after the Boston Marathon I’ve been having trouble finishing my runs.  Not all of them, mind you, but enough to give me pause.  About once a week I’ll start off strong, feeling good, only to bonk on the last half mile and have to walk home.  The strange thing is that is doesn’t matter how long my run is:  I’ve stopped at 4.5 miles on my 5 mile route; I’ve stopped at 7 miles on my 7.5 mile route.  These are routes that only a few weeks ago I wouldn’t think twice about.  I’ve tried to come up with an explanation:

·         Did I not take enough recovery time after the marathon?  (Or too much time?)

·         Is it the weight I gained after the marathon from continuing to eat as if I was still training?

·         Is it the warmer weather?

·         Is my GPS watch psyching me out?

·         Is it because I’m between marathons, and not in a formal training regimen?

·         Is it because most of my running routes end with an uphill?

·         Am I too old for marathoning?

Probably it’s for one or more of the reasons above.  But today it occurred to me:  I was about a half mile from the finish of the Boston Marathon when it was stopped.  Could this be a mental block?  I was lucky enough not to be involved in any of the bloody scene, but maybe the bombing affected me more than I realized…

Well, if so, I’ve identified it, and can now rationally move past it.  Right?

Jane update:  hearing test today at Yale.  No changes since the last check 6 months ago.  Phew.