Lots of lungs but no legs.

Yep! I had no problems with my oxygen intake capacity when I ran the Winnipeg Police Services Half Marathon this past Sunday. In fact I think I was probably 20 pulse per minute slower than my 85% . My problem was the legs. I did not put sufficient KMs in training to allow my leg muscles the proper conditioning for 21.1Kms. My hip flexors and the rest of the joints in my legs were having difficulty functioning after about 14Kms which happens to be the longest run I did this year due to a little encounter with some four-legged furry friends of the barking nature. Anyway, I ran with my friend Jennifer who also did not put enough miles on her legs to be able to keep a fast pace. She was also recovering from a bad couple of weeks of sinus infection so she had a good excuse. Me, I was just lazy. This was my 9th Half Marathon race and I knew I could finish it no matter what so I didn't force myself to run like I should have. I do these for fun and with a 2:00 finish time I'm happy. My next race is going to be the Air Force Run on 30 May and that too is a Half Marathon. I will try to do better. I must keep training and be more disciplined because on Father's day I'm running the Manitoba Marathon and it will be my second full. This distance I cannot take for granted that I will finish. A full 26mile marathon needs preparation even if you plan on walking. The wall awaits you around mile 19 and even if you plan on walking, cramps and the infamous lactic acid build up can stop you dead in your tracks.

This race distance should never be underestimated. Even pros know to respect the 26.2 distance. The best example of this is Paula Radcliff from UK during the summer Olympics. Find her on Google and you'll see.

Talk to you soon.

Chuck