I've been experiencing a sharp pain on the outside of my left foot along the bone since the marathon and I just looked today to find a potential name for my problem. Ten google searches later I found a good forum post where a runner described the same symptoms. A forum visitor responded to explain that she experienced a similar pain running on an inclined surface, similar to the highway in San Diego and from the pictures she provides and the description, I think it's what I am experiencing. "Peronial insertional tendonitis". I've been taking Advil like a good little patient but I haven't stopped running. I can go about 3 miles without pain but mile 4 is just too much.

After months of training I finished my second marathon in 5 hours and 49 seconds on Sunday June 3rd in San Diego. Anyone who has read this blog for over a year will recall that this was nearly an hour slower than my time last year in San Francisco but lets go back to the start and look at my training.

This year started slow for me from a running perspective as tendonitis in my right ankle had me visiting a physio once a week to work out the problem. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise since I discovered I should be wearing at least a production orthotic in my shoes and running shoes to counteract my overpronation. The plantar fascitis I had noticed but ignored disappeared within a week of me wearing these. At the same time I bought a new pair of Nike Air Triax 10 and started the Team in Training program to raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma in memory of my Aunt Moreen who died from cancer 4 years ago. One week later we discovered that Melissa's 3 year old niece, Haidyn, had developed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and had started an intense program of treatment.

The Team in Training group were really organized and we met each Saturday to do our long runs while pursuing the midweek miles on our own. Mentors are assigned to small groups of runners to help you toward your fundraising goals and help keep you going. In addition, coaches start each long run session with a discussion of the goal of the run and some tips on form. They also provide a great resource for any injuries you may pick up during your training, nutrition or training advice.

The team were all really friendly and I quickly made new friends. Long run distances built up steadily from a 45 minute run to 20 miles at it's peak. I religiously attended the group sessions each week until the last month when things started getting in the way but from the start I struggled to fit all the midweek runs in and the cross training. Nonetheless I made my long run distance each week and plodded on. I noticed that unlike last year with the Hal Higdon plan for San Francisco, I was not losing any weight. In that program I started around 200 pounds and gradually slimmed down week after week to a post-college record 182 right before the marathon. This time I was stuck at 200 pretty much the whole time despite several efforts to watch what I was eating. They say that dieting while training for a marathon has serious consequences so I was very wary to change my eating habits radically. Besides, last year, I seemed to be eating more. I'm not sure of the reasons - part of me wants to take the blame and say that it was the lack of discipline to the midweek schedule, another wants to say that training for a marathon means fewer nights out with the boys but equally valid is the posibility that after last year my body was starting to learn my new, higher calorie burning running schedule so this year it didn't respond the same.

Approximately 20 miles from the end of your training, before you begin the marathon, you are supposed to buy new shoes to make sure you run 26.2 with the maximum amount of support and cushioning. Symbolic of my lack of focus, I neglected to do so and approached race day 20 pounds heavier than last year with a pair of running shoes I had completed over 300 training miles in.

The team met at the gate at O'Hare and flew on a block flight to San Diego making new friends as the miles whizzed by. At the airport we were met by guides to gather us and deliver us to the Town and Country Hotel where we were staying. Later that day we took trolleys to the expo to get our race packets together and took advantage of all the fun powerbar lookalikes and drink supplements. After the expo I left the team (who were heading for a pasta dinner at Dick's Last Resort) to meet a friend living in San Diego. It was great to catch up and after dinner we explored the Gaslamp district a little more before driving to the airport to meet my wife. The next morning we took our time getting out of bed and had a late breakfast. Our Illinois chapter were scheduled for the Team in Training 1pm pasta party so we hung out til then.

The pasta party was fun with lots of good pasta and water jugs everywhere to make sure we were keeping ourselves hydrated. John "The Penguin" Bingham spoke to us amongst a lineup of others including the director of the Elite Racing company organizing the event and a coach from Canada who had survived Leukemia and was running this year. It was a great motivational section with floods of tears around the large hall. Some stunning statistics at the event were that just shy of 4,000 team in training runners from around the country would be running on Sunday and had collectively raised $12.9m! Each participant from Illinois is required to raise $3,900 to participate but a news anchor from Utah had raised $50,000!

Melissa and I took an early dinner in the Gaslamp district at a fun bar on the high street and then headed home for an early night. The next morning I was up minutes before the alarm at 3.45am and started the ritual: bandaids on nips, vaseline pretty much everywhere you can imagine, lycra shorts, over shorts, t-shirt, socks, hat, shoes and then down to the lobby for some instant oatmeal and coffee before heading to the start line. Before leaving the hotel I asked Melissa to write the name of my Aunt Moreen on my right arm and Haidyn on my left with a sharpie.

I started the race with Jen and Erin from the team and we stuck together for the first 7 or 8 miles until we hit the highway where Erin powered forward leaving Jen and I to plod along. The race was really well supported by the community and people lined the streets everywhere to cheer us on our way. The music was great with somewhere around 40 bands placed along the course really getting us pumped up as we ran by. The highway was brutal to run on - the first 2 miles are a gradual hill but the highway is cambered meaning that the the road tilts to the left and to the right around corners. This is fine for cars but when thousands of runners are there it means you are left battling over the level parts of the road if there are any. After the initial hill the highway just kept on coming.

Just after mile 13 at Fashion Valley mall Melissa was waiting by the road to give me a motivational peck on my salty cheek and take a photo. Jen and I trudged on to mile 18 together before I told her to go on without me. The clouds had been burned away and the sun was now pounding down somewhere in the mid 80s. Training in freezing temperatures all season long in Chicag hadn't prepared me for the heat and I was really struggling. At mile 19 I walked through a water stop and then kept on walking for some time, alternating walking and running each time a new song came on. I looked down at the names on my arms for inspiration each time I started running again and plodded on. At least all the highway was done and we were now heading down the Mission Beach region from La Jolla.

The scenery was beautiful but I was bitterly disappointed to be walking so much of the last 10k of the marathon. The worst part was realizing that a distance that would ordinarily take me 60 minutes to finish would now probably take at least an hour and a half to complete. Each time I ran it was for less and less time with longer walk breaks all the way to mile 25. The music that was so much fun before was now starting to be too loud as I was cranky. The band Zoo Two were a welcome exception at a point in the race where you run down one side of a road then double back towards them again before looping over the highway above. The music was so much fun it got me back on track to run more than walk.

At mile 25 I figured it was 1.2 miles or 10 minutes of running away and I started running again, slowly at first but as we turned a corner and I saw the gate of the marine corps recruit depot where the race was set to finish I got a second wind. Through the gate I picked it up and got even faster, charging past people now, ducking around the children goofing around in the street in front of me on the way to the finish. The path twisted around and disappeared through an archway and I was in full stride now with my power song on my iPod pushing me along. As we emerged on the other side I could see the finish line and the crowd were all cheering louder here. As I ran to the finish line I remembered the advice of the coaches and deliberately chose not to stop my watch or my iPod at the finish line, instead removing my hat and whirling it around for the camera. Five hours and forty nine seconds and I was done!

The finish line had the usual setup but nearby bands pumped out more music and I hobbled my way through the crowd looking for Melissa. The race had a family reunion section with letters on poles so I headed to the H where we agreed to meet. We made our way over to the TnT tent, checked in and gobbled down some of the peanut butter jelly sandwiches and a coke. They had a splash pool for us so I sat and put my aching feet in the icy water. The organization was really good and after a beer and some music we headed back to the hotel on one of the TnT shuttles. At the hotel we changed and headed to the pool to take advantage of the good weather. All the while we had forgotten sunscreen so my skin was frazzled from the run. Later when I washed my arms to get rid of the sharpie markings I discovered that the markers had acted like sunblock and I now had an inverse tattoo on each arm bearing the names of Aunt Moreen and Haidyn!

We headed over to the victory party where John Bingham was showing his photos and we had some more good food and a beer. He ran a rollcall and our Illinois team hadn't arrived at this point. After seeing that I was the only one from our chapter to make it down we decided to head back to the room for a jacket and then off to the Seal concert. As we stopped in the room we talked about the idea of sitting or standing for an extended period at a concert and elected instead to order the 18" pizza + 4 beer special from room service and watch the Yankees vs. Red Sox. Two beers and one pizza later both Melissa and I fell asleep only to wake up to the end of the game wrap up by ESPN. The next morning Melissa left on an airport shuttle to make her flight and I followed shortly behind with the TnT crew for our block flight only to discover bad weather would keep us behind and extra 3 hours. It was a good opportunity to catch up with Katie and Amy from the team about the race and hang out.

I'm pretty happy with the overall result - I finished and the time was still very respectable at a fraction over 5 hours. I was happy with my pre-race preparation in terms of carb loading, drinking water and resting up. I'm delighted that when I ran all my long runs this year I ran all the way with the exception of one 12 miler where I started at 8:40 with JP and had to walk the last mile. I was thrilled to make my fundraising goal before the race and I've actually been asked to help the team as a mentor as a result! My lessons learned for next time are pretty obvious: 1. Don't forget to buy new shoes at least 2 weeks before the marathon 2. Don't skip midweek training sessions 3. Don't eat like a horse on the assumption that the marathon training will yield another 20 pounds of weightloss 4. Don't put off buying sunscreen to the point you forget it altogether 5. Using sharpie is fine if you combine it with sunblock!

I thoroughly recommend training for a Team in Training event - it's a great cause raising incredible amounts of money for Leukemia and Lymphoma and the support you receive to train and to raise the money is awesome. I am looking into the idea of becoming a mentor and am also considering the triathlon training program for next year.

I've just returned from the longest run of my training for the San Diego Marathon and I'm thrilled to report I made it all the way around with no walking. Ok, I walked the last 5 yards to and from the water fountains along the way but I got it done. That was the message I told myself at mile 17 as I turned for the final 3 miles. "Get 'er done".

I left the house and it was breezy and overcast at about 53 degrees as I headed South from Addison down the lake front. The first few miles I paid close attention to my pace and made sure I pegged it back when my iPod Nano Nike+ reported I was pushing faster than 9 minutes per mile. My goal for the run was to finish and my strategy was to avoid going out too fast and try to stick between 9 and 10 minute miles all the way.

Just past Navy Pier I came across a crowd of pink shirts as a horde of walkers proudly marched for what appeared to be a Mothers Day breast cancer walk. Great job to see so many people out exercising and supporting a good cause. The shear number of walkers meant some creative ducking and weaving as I headed toward the museum campus. In front of the Field Museum we parted company as I turned left to run along the lake front to the Adler Planetarium. That marked my 7 mile marker so I turned around to run back. I had the wind in my face pretty much all through the first 7 miles so I was hoping to get a nice push up the path as I headed North again but alas that crazy Chicago wind had whipped around and appeared to be cutting across me from the East.

Just past the chess boards at North Avenue beach I took advantage of the bathrooms and some water before cutting over the bridge over Lake Shore Drive. The bridge seems so innocuous but the gentle rise slowed me to a trot before I reached the top and shuffled down the other side. The 5 miles back up to Addison flew by as I day dreamed about the week ahead, taking water breaks every 1.5 miles at this point. At Addison I glanced up at the apartment windows for signs of life but could only make out the silhouette of the cat looking on, exhausted from her morning of lounging in the sun which had burned away the clouds leaving clear blue skies.

I made the decision shortly after Addison to change my plan for the remaining 6 miles. At Irving Park I would tackle the hill rather than run around it. At the base of the hill a slight diversion was required due to the arrival of two soccer fields they had marked out the last time I came by this way. Steadily pumping my arms and lifting my knees I made it to the top of the hill and raised my arms, partly to check my form and partly in triumph before chugging down the other side past the Wilson parking lot where my fellow Team In Training members had probably celebrated finishing their 20 miles yesterday while I waited 2 hours at Weiss Memorial Hospital. I've had a headache every day this last week in the same place and my doctor thought a CT scan would be in order. Early indications from the radiologist suggest it's all in my head :-)

After the high of making it to the top of a hill at mile 15 I found another water stop at Montrose and caught my breath. Setting out from here I was still motivated by my success and it was easy going but very quickly the reality of the distance started to set in and I felt myself slowing down. I knew there was a water stop less than a mile away from here so I gritted my teeth and willed myself to reach it with the promise of another break. This mental part of running is the most challenging from me. A quick check of my body suggests that all is well but mentally I'm convincing myself that something must be hurting and I can feel a part of my brain saying stop.

I reached the water stop closer to 10 minutes per mile than 9 but running nonetheless. I took a well deserved chug of water and checked the iPod to see how much further I had left to the turnaround to send me home. 0.4 miles to the turn so that means 0.8 miles to get back here for more water and to gobble down more of the Clif Shot Bloks I neglected to mention earlier.

I know conventional wisdom says don't try anything new on race day and while this wasn't a race it was a pivotal run in my training schedule so I was a little wary. However, when you forget to buy the nasty orange Gu (that nearly makes you hurl as you run anyway), you get desperate. The Adidas shorts I wear have a neat little zipper pocket in the middle of your back and they just fit one packet of the Shot Blok perfectly so I thought why not. The first couple I had tried to eat around mile 8 left me looking like a dog eating peanut butter. The gummy consistency became tougher due to the cold wind whipping around me and I probably spent a mile trying to dislodge them from my back teeth with my tongue. The next two were a little easier due to the warmth of the sun shining on my back and making them a little less chewy.

Okay, back from the long digression, I set out from the water stop with 0.4 miles to the turnaround back South to Addison and for the first time in the run my legs were the ones telling my brain that they were tired. My calf muscles were the first to scream and my quads quickly followed suit. I could feel my quads shaking a little as I ran from the stress and I began to doubt my ability to make it 3.2 more miles. There have been times when I've been in this situation before as a runner and I've taken the easy way out and added a walking break but with 0.6 miles to the next water stop and a slight break how could I stop now. I pushed on to the the turn and as I checked my foot down to mark it a phrase popped into my head. "Get 'er done!". I trudged back to the water stop and drank deep while I chewed down the last 4 bloks for an energy boost with my new mantra repeating in my head.

I set off again in the knowledge that it was just over a mile to the next water stop before the big hill and as I ran along a new torment or perhaps a hallucination plagued me. Over the sound of my iPod I could hear the chime of bells, almost like a music box, or was it? An Ice Cream van? Over my right shoulder cruising alongside me in the parking lot was a blue and white Ice Cream van. Sweet temptation. Don't worry, I'm not nuts despite the CT scan and I can assure you that the van was real. I was glad when the path took a turn under a bridge and my new nemesis had stopped to serve some desperate children. In reality, the van had been such a distraction I had barely noticed the running and I had already reached my next and final water stop.

A triumphant gulp or two later I actually raced away towards the hill once more. Go around or go over? It certainly felt good to hit the top and it had a soothing effect on my legs last time after all the flat running offered by Chicago's lakefront. Up the hill it was and once more I beat a path past the soccer fields, up and over to the 1 mile from home marker.

Nine minutes left. This felt so good to be nine minutes from the end of a 20 mile run and I set myself a new goal. Half a mile from the apartment I would hit the power song button on my iPod to help my cruise to the finish. I listen to "Damn, it feels good to be a gangster" by the Geto Boys after hearing it in Office Space. I know it's a strange choice but mentally it relaxes me as I think of the movie (if you haven't seen it, stop reading, go and rent it and watch then return). Another benefit is that the beat keeps me at just under a 9 minute mile pace and it's really good for stretching me out at the end of a run. 19.46... 19.49... 19.5 boom... "Damn, it feels good to be a gangster". Yes. It does.

I realize I may have lost many of you at this point but those of you who have run any kind of distance will understand how emotional you feel when you realize that you are going to do it - finish what you set out to accomplish. At 8.46 per mile for the remainder of the run I was flying past the softball fields, past the tennis courts towards our apartment building now so close and welcoming. "Congratulations, you have finished your 20 mile run" interrupted the ladies voice on the iPod, and even better, Paula Radcliffe piped up to congratulate me on my longest run! A few sips of water by the tennis courts, some stretches and then back home for a shower. What a great day.