Ashleigh and I first met at the Koffee Kat in downtown Plattsburgh to discuss the fundraiser, where I shared information about my training, the fundraising efforts, and some information about ALS. I told her how excited I was to combine two of my passions, running and helping others, by running a marathon to raise money and awareness for ALS. When asked how I became involved in the fundraiser, I told Ashleigh about my good friend Alison Rosenbaum and her parents Roger and Darlene who had founded an organization (ALS Raising Hope) to support ALS research. We soon found ourselves at Roger and Darlene's house where the story took on a new depth. Ashleigh did a wonderful job with the story, capturing the sentiment that we were trying to express. You can read the story online at:
http://pressrepublican.com/0100_news/x991869215/Marathon-effort
My training has been going well. Since the early trouble with my hip I have increased my time working on core strength and have been stretching religiously before and after every run. Although my hip has not completely healed, it has become nothing more than an annoyance. Last weekend I did 75 minute long run at 8 minute per mile pace followed by a 40 minute swim in the pool for a total of 1 hour and 55 minutes of cardio. My resting heart rate has dropped to 42 beats per minute and I find it difficult during runs to elevate my heart rate above 140 beats per minute unless I increase my pace to 7 minute pace. All these signs point to a substantial improvement in my cardiovascular fitness. I am going to continue with my base training and begin to include some race pace tempo runs over the next month to prepare for the race.
