And so it begins...

This morning was the first day of the marathon training cycle for the Milan full in April 2011. Up at 0530 was the easy part. I don't mind getting up that early at all really. Plus, I've always felt that running in the morning is better for me. It jumps starts my metabolism for the day and plus, the workout is over before your body really wakes up :) But DAMN was I not feeling it once I hit the road! You know, once you've run a couple races and feel like you've got the vibe of the sport you tend to start thinking of yourself as this guy - the Champion:

Unfortunately what I looked like this morning at 0530, on a dark country road in rural Italy slogging my way through the run was this guy - the Homer:

I have to admit, it was a bit of a kick in the crotch for me. Or, more appropriately it was a "what the hell happened to me" moment. There was a time when I could get out and log 7 miles without batting an eye. Apparently to do that you have to continue your training...who'd have thought!?! However, my knee's, ankle and foot all felt great during and after. I'm trying a new running form that has helped my recovery and injury prevention in my pre-race cycle runs. Its basically the bare foot running gate without being bare foot. I've read several articles on it, watched others train with it, and then got the debrief from them before I started training with it. So far I love it. It has shredded my calves several times, but I was warned about that.

So, now I get to hit jits tonight. Its been a week since I've been on the mat. The challenge this week for me will be getting my runs in while the family and I are on vacation in Germany. DOHP!!!