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I really felt good today. It had been another long day at work but yet when I got home, I got this itch to go out for a run. This is despite that I ran yesterday and it was freezing tonight — 1 Celsius.

The cold had never bothered me when I run because I wear warmly and does heat up quite fast. I used to cycle over 40 km to and from work in winter in colder temperature but it was OK even though the wind could get very cold.

It’s not that I ran very far as far as other runners go, but for me 2.15 miles around the neighborhood was pretty far for me. It took me 30 mins 42 secs which was pretty good. The fastest I had done on this route was 27+ mins. I just need another run or two to get down to that time.

But … my right knee does feel the strain. It was quite OK when I ran but when I stopped, I can feel that wobbliness on the knees. First thing I did when I got home was to quickly apply an ice pack. It felt OK now but I’ll see how it’ll feel tomorrow.

No run tomorrow for me. Suanne and I have a dinner date. We reserved a table on Grouse Mountain’s Observatory.

Maybe I should follow my physiotherapist’s advice … I think I’ll just do what was prescribed on Friday: Run 5 mins, walk 1 min x 30 minutes.

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I actually started taking up running about 2 months ago. Back then, I know very little about running and running injuries. It was just running as long as I felt like and pushing to go the extra kilometer. I ignored the pain, thinking it will go away after a while.

It was 2 weeks after I started running when I felt a growing pain after each time I ran. It did not go away. So, I went to my family doctor who advised me to see a physio therapist. Oh, he also told me to stay off running and he seem very determined that I stop doing what I was doing. After all, he said, I am reaching my mid-40s very soon. He he he … I kept quiet and did not tell him of my desire to do the marathon.

I had never been to a physiotherapist before and was a bit skeptical what they could do. But after 4 weeks of therapies and lots of prescribed exercises at home, amazingly the pain went away. I used to hear cracks and felt a sharp pain on my knee cap each time I straighten my legs from a bent position. I also can feel grind under the knee cap too. That had almost all gone away. My last therapy was Thursday last week where I could do easily a 4 sets 3-min run plus 1-min walk on the treadmill.

The Physiotherapist put me on a 5-week run/walk program which I felt was too easy. She also told me NOT to think about doing something like a marathon and was even saying that the 10K Sun Run is a bit too much for a person like me.

Well, guess what … I am stubborn. I am going to prove my family doctor AND my physiotherapist wrong. I am still going to try to do it but I had learned one very important thing about running … and that is … the most important thing for me is to NOT get myself injured. In other words, it is more important for me to get to the STARTING line first than to think about the FINISHING line.

I felt great. As a matter of fact, today I did 7 sets of slow 3-min run 1-min walk. I felt my fitness level is a lot better these days compared to when I first started.

Tell me … am I foolish to aim for the marathon with a problem knee like that?

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Well, I just signed up for the Vancouver Sun Run today. It is going to be held on Sunday, April 20th and that makes it … hmmm … 93 days from today. A little over 13 weeks to go.

My aim is very simple. I am going to attempt to finish the 10K run in 60 minutes. It would not be easy, especially so for someone who had never ever ran competitively. The great news is that my boys, Arkensen (13) and Nanzaro (12) is going to run too!!

Nanzaro had wanted to complete the 10K run in 1 hr 10 minutes. He does not know why that time. For Arkensen, he is aiming to run in 1 hr. He too does not know why 1 hr but he did say “it seems easy”!

For me, the Sun Run is part of the plan to complete the Marathon. Theorectically speaking, if I can finish 10K in 1 hr, I should be able to aim to complete the Marathon in 5 times the time … 5 hrs. It’s good to know but for now, my aim for the Marathon is to complete it in 6hrs. I try to not set too high a goal, lest I end up not achieving anything at all.

I am going to scour the net and put up a sort of a countdown clock to put on this blog.

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OK …

I am not sure if this is all a mistake or what. This thing had been in my mind since early December last year. For some strange reason, I am so determined to complete the Marathon. I don’t care how I do it but I will make every attempt to complete it … whether I run or walk … or crawl!

This will perhaps be the hardest thing I will ever attempt in my life. Right now, I am not sure if I will make it. I have all the odds stacked against me right now:

• I had never ran competitively before
• I am overweight
• I am in the throes of middle age

For what it is worth, I am going to finish the Marathon in 2008 and will be recording my attempt on this blog. Once I had achieved that, I’ll stop this blog and move on to another challenge in life. But for now, I am bent on completing the Marathon.

Wish me the best! Cheers …

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