The Marathon 5

On my long run today I did something wretched to my right knee, which I am currently treating with a heavy dose of ibuprofen, ice, and denial. As such, I will not dwell on the leg that refuses to bend and will instead give a shout out to Ann(e), who was my companion on the run and even walked with me a few times (at this point, a lot of runners want to focus on their times and training, so someone willing to walk was indeed performing an act of kindness). Among other things, we were talking about what I will call the Marathon Five.

Last Spring, I got really sick on several occasions for different reasons and by July, I'd lost about 15 lbs. Despite my love for gluttony (I can't resist three things: pancakes, cookies, and cheese), my metabolism has gone wonky and I haven't gained the weight back. When I announced I'd be training for a marathon, several people expressed concern that I'd lose more weight. I had a small mental guffaw at this idea, and if you've ever run a marathon, you probably know where I'm going with this.

The funny thing is that you burn so many calories and build your muscles so well while training that you get kind of used to eating ravenously and permitting any quantity and type of food in your diet. I'm not just talking about my own personal experience. Nearly everyone I know who has trained for a marathon has reported gaining weight, during and after the training. Ann(e) and I mused over the nightly bowls of cereal (that's bowls, not bowl) after dinner that felt absolutely necessary or else we might waste away. The long and short of it is that weight gain, not weight loss, seems fairly typical for an amateur marathoner, so the likelihood of me dropping more weight on my diet of pizza, pancakes, and pasta is fairly slim.

Today's mileage: 15
Today's conditions: 25 degrees, sunny, windy
Today's quality: 0 for the pain, 5 for the company