This is a continuing account of my training towards the Chicago Marathon. This week was a tougher one–training-wise that is.
Almost everyone knows that when you go on a cruise, the number one activity there is eating. Well, this week I was on a 4-day cruise on the Carnival cruise ship Paradise. This was my first cruise, and this cruise took me and my family from the port of Long Beach, Catalina, Ensenada (Mexico), and back to Long Beach.
It was one fun cruise! Training-wise it was a little tougher.
On Tuesday (12 Jan 2010), I decided to give it a go by running on a treadmill for at least 3 miles. That’s the last time I run on a treadmill. I was able to maintain a 6.5 mph pace, but my middle toe nails took a beating and a bruising. I had this problem long ago, but I haven’t experienced it since I began my training over a month or so ago. I think it is because of the way my foot hits the treadmill surface at it moves past me. When my foot lands, the force of the treadmill mat moving and my shoe landing combine to push my toes into my shoes and against its tip. It was at this point I decided to take my running to the Sun deck of the Carnival cruise ship Paradise.
On Wednesday and Thursday, I ran on the Sun deck. The Sun deck track is pretty short. One lap it equivalent to about 0.1 mile. So I had to run at least 30 laps to do my 3 miles.
The Wednesday run was weired. It felt like I was short of breath. This is how I felt long ago and running at very high altitude (back in New Mexico, on one of my temporary duties in the USAF). Nevertheless, I completed my 3-mile run.
On Thursday, I took it easy. I was able to do 3 miles no problem. However, the ocean was rough and as I ran, the track under me would go up and down–sometimes giving me a feeling of running downhill, and sometimes giving me a feeling of running uphill; hence, the article title of “my second hill.”
On Friday, I took a rest since the debarkation process needed us to be ready by 7:30 am. As I write this, it is Saturday. I’m taking a rest as well today, for tomorrow, I’m doing an 8-mile long run.
Overall, the weekk was great! I had fun in a cruise and was still able to maintain a training program.