To Do: Write Running To Do List

I'm a huge fan of making to do lists. Items in my to do lists often have sub-to do lists. When I discovered the iProcrastinate application for my MacBook Pro, it was one of those rare moments when the universe delivered EXACTLY what I needed EXACTLY when I needed it.

This translates well to running. I love "writing" training plans. Writing isn't the correct term. The process inevitably goes like this: google various training plans, email friend in Jersey for his advice, select a plan, modify, modify, modify, and map out each day in a calendar. Often the information in handwritten calendar gets inputted into my iProcrastinate application (when did software become apps?) under the RUNNING Category.* My favorite part is after each workout I log the workout in my training log and then cross it off the calendar. Somehow I got in the habit of using emoticons when I cross off workouts. :) for a good workout or one that I am glad to get over with and :( for ones that just irritated me. Somehow emoticons have accomplished complete infiltration; I even need them to remind myself that this was positive or this was not positive. (Steve Martin used emoticons in one of his short pieces for The New Yorker called "Times Roman Font Announces Shortage of Periods." It is a must read.)

Unfortunately, I never consulted a calendar and counted the weeks until July 31, 2011. July 31 seemed like a lifetime in the future. I was confident if I registered for the San Francisco Marathon's First Half Marathon on July 31 that I would have PLENTY of time to train properly in the hopes of shaving 5 minutes off my half-marathon personal best. And normally 12 weeks would be plenty of time to train, but I didn't factor in the marathon recovery period.

Nice.

I took six rest days post marathon but went out for a run this morning. I kept it short at only four miles. The first two miles were significantly tougher than I would have anticipated, but I soldiered on and the final two miles were significantly better and faster. Last night I read in one of the various running books strewn about my house that I should follow a reverse taper post-marathon before diving back in.

Ugh. This complicates the half-marathon plan that I painstakingly modified yesterday morning.

I'm sure that the book is probably right. I should take it easy this week and the next. I should do a lot of things that I don't. I'll just try listening to my body. I usually err on the side of caution when it comes to unscheduled rest days anyway.

But with my goal of increasing my miles per week, I could find myself in trouble.

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*Categories in my iProcrastinate app include no less than three separate categories just for my job, one for my kid, one for me, and one for running because running is bigger than just me.